170,000 Guineas Havana Grey Colt Tops Final Day of Tattersalls December Foal Sale 

The Tattersalls December Foal Sale concluded with a record median and an average and turnover bettered only once in the sale’s history by last year’s extraordinary results. The fourth session was headed by a 170,000 guineas HAVANA GREY colt and posted increases in turnover, average and median from the equivalent day in 2024.

Havana Grey Colt Tops Session at 170,000 Guineas

A colt by HAVANA GREY colt topped trade on the final day of the December Foal Sale at 170,000 guineas, the highest priced Saturday foal since 2015. Consigned by West Moor Stud, the colt was knocked down to Hamish Macauley, standing in the left-hand stairwell, on behalf of Yeomanstown Stud.

“The best foal here today,” enthused Macauley. “He would have stood up well yesterday. He has size and scope and will be re-offered next year. I think a lot of people appeared around the ring in the last 20 minutes before this guy went through! We had that sort of mark on him, and think the market is unbelievably strong.”

The April 30th foaled colt was bred by Simon Chappell out of the Listed Scarborough Stakes runner up THESME, a tough sprinting daughter of EXCEED AND EXCEL, and sold by West Moor Stud.

West Moor’s Kate Sigsworth commented: “It has been a brilliant week, we have been really busy which is great as you know you are going to sell well but it is tough on the foals, but they have taken it all really well. It is just a big thank you to everyone who helps at home, it is such a big team to get to this point. I’d also like to thank Yeomanstown as the farm has been a really good supporter of ours.

“He was bred on the same cross as Vandeek, and he has not put a foot wrong here all week. He is a young foal so there should be some improvement in him still. I’d like to give a shout out to the stallion owners, Ed Harper has been brilliant with Havana Grey – he made his name with ‘smaller’ breeders and he really does try and help British and smaller breeders.

“I think the main feeling is relief and satisfaction, you always have some doubts, particularly as I live in North Yorkshire and I don’t see a lot of foals. When I got down here my brother [Matt Sigsworth, Cheveley Park Stud’s Bloodstock Manager and Head of Nominations] helped unload and I asked him if they were going to be ok next to the others? And he told me they were fine. And then as people came round they told me they looked well, so I just thought then that I have done my job and they just need to hold it together now and show well, which they did. It does not always come off but it has today!

“The mare was very fast and was raced by Simon. She went to Havana Grey for last year’s foal and got a filly, she has been retained and will go into training with Ed Bethell, and it was on the strength of her that we went back.

“I have sold on a Saturday for years – it suits me, suits my consignment. I have mixed pedigrees and that is what traditionally Saturday is for, but I think it will be long time since one has made that much on a Saturday, I did not expect that and it is a lovely surprise!”

Chaldean Continues to Impress with 78,000 Guineas Colt

2000 Guineas winner CHALDEAN continued to impress on the fourth day of the December Foal Sale with a colt consigned by Jamie Railton realising the second highest price of the session at 78,000 guineas. Bred by Stone Roses Bloodstock, the colt is out of the Listed placed SEA THE STARS mare YARROW, a half-sister to 2000 Guineas winner GOLAN and Derby runner up TARTAN BEARER.

The March-foaled colt was signed for by Carrigeen North and purchaser Padraic Gahan, manager at Baroda Stud, said:

“Myself and David [Cox] saw him this morning and we liked him. We were watching the Chaldeans selling during the week, he’s a sire we wanted to use during the year but didn’t. We would have liked one so we got one, and he’ll be offered for resale next year.

“They’re very nice and this is a very good-moving colt. The mare has produced two highly-rated horses as well as being highly-rated herself, and she has a New Bay coming for her too. It seems everybody is still here, mares are starting to show now too so I’d better get back to my day job!”

It has been an excellent week for breeders of CHALDEAN’s first crop of foals with 25 lots sold for an average of 107,440 guineas, and an aggregate second only to his mighty sire FRANKEL. CHALDEAN himself was bought by Juddmonte Farms for 550,000 guineas at the December Foal Sale from Whitsbury Manor Stud, who will offer his dam SUELITA as one of the highlights of the Sceptre Sessions at next week’s Tattersalls December Mares Sale.

Kinsale Stud’s Dragon Symbol Colt Realises 60,000 Guineas

Shropshire-based Kinsale Stud enjoyed its best result in the sales ring to date when selling a son of DRAGON SYMBOL for 60,000 guineas to Paddy Vaughan of Moanmore Stables. The colt is out of the two-year-old winner AYE CATCHER, a SHOWCASING half-sister to the ultra tough Listed winner STAR OF LADY M from the family of six-time Group 1 winner and Champion Older Horse FANTASTIC LIGHT.

Consignor Richard Kempster said: “We are chuffed to bits, he deserved that kind of money, he has been a gorgeous colt all the way along. We have always thought he was very smart, the pressure has been on to get him ready for today, but it has gone really smoothly thankfully. We wanted to sell today as we felt we could be a bit of a standout on Day 4, but I do think he would have stood out any day.”

On the selection of DRAGON SYMBOL, Kempster outlined: “We wanted to keep the speed element, and Whitsbury has been doing a great job with first season sires so we have been following the farm for the last couple of years. He is a lovely stamp of a stallion himself and we thought he’d suit the mare.

“It was very nerve-wracking when this foal was going around the ring but it has all come right on the day, and it is a big sigh of relief! A big thanks goes to the team at home.”

Kempster added: “We have had the mare a couple of years and we liked the Showcasing aspect, she won as a two-year-old, and the family down the page is really strong, we just hope it can continue. We had some bad luck with her first foal, he died in a paddock accident but he was also a cracker and a strapping first foal. It has come good today.”

Chairman’s Statement

At the conclusion of the 2025 Tattersalls December Foal Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented:

“The Tattersalls December Foal Sale has long been Europe’s premier foal sale thanks to the unwavering support of British and Irish breeders, and they have been rewarded with a sale that has produced a record median, alongside an average and turnover that have only been surpassed once – by last year’s extraordinary results.

“We have seen the highest-priced colt and filly sold in Europe this year, including the 1,150,000 guineas Frankel colt from James Wigan’s West Blagdon Stud. This represents the third-highest price ever achieved for a colt foal in Europe and is a fitting tribute to a consignment that is consistently one of the highlights of Europe’s premier foal sale.

“The sale’s market-leading status is further underlined by eight of the top ten prices in Britain and Ireland this year, a median that stands 40% higher than that of our nearest competitor, and unrivalled average and turnover figures. The number of lots realising 50,000 guineas or more has also reached a record level.

“In addition to the continued support of the many pinhookers from Britain, Ireland, and further afield, Park Paddocks has once again attracted a substantial number of end-users, with buyers from China, Japan, and the USA joining their counterparts from across the Gulf and throughout Europe. The diversity at the top of the purchasers’ list is particularly gratifying, with the top ten lots bought by ten different individuals.

“We now look forward to the Tattersalls December Mares Sale, which features an outstanding collection of fillies and mares within the Sceptre Sessions, and to welcoming the usual wide cross-section of buyers to Tattersalls for Europe’s premier breeding stock sale.”

The three-day Tattersalls December Mares Sale starts on Monday, 1st December with the Sceptre Sessions on Monday, 1st December and Tuesday, 2nd December. The catalogue for Europe’s premier breeding stock sale numbers 894 lots and can be viewed online at www.tattersalls.com.