Tattersalls December Mares Sale Enjoys Remarkable Five Winners at Flemington’s Champions Stakes Day

Champions Stakes Day at Flemington on Saturday produced a remarkable set of results for the Tattersalls December Mares Sale, with the winners of all five Group races, including the three Group 1s, either bought at the sale or out of mares bought at Europe’s premier breeding stock sale. 

Leading the way was the outstanding VIA SISTINA who took her earnings beyond $17,000,000 when taking out the Group 1 Champions Stakes easily, her twelfth victory at the highest level, eleven of them coming following her purchase at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in 2023 for 2,700,000 guineas. Owned by Yulong Investments, VIA SISTINA is out of the FASTNET ROCK mare NIGH who was purchased at the 2019 December Mares Sale by Meah Lloyd Bloodstock for just 36,000 guineas before being resold at the same renewal of the sale as her daughter for 200,000 guineas.

A race earlier CEOLWULF won his fourth Group 1 race when winning the Champions Mile for trainer Joseph Pride and taking his prizemoney to just short of $9,000,000. The son of TAVISTOCK was bred by Cambridge Stud who purchased his dam LAS BRISAS for 50,000 guineas at the 2018 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. 

The Group 1 Champions Sprint was taken out by GIGA KICK, the winner of the ‘Everest’ in 2022 and recording his third victory at the highest level, with earnings above $13,500,000. Raced by Jonathan Munz’s Pinecliff Racing, having been bred by his GSA Bloodstock, GIGA KICK is out of REKINDLED APPLAUSE who was sourced at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale for just 57,000 guineas by Hugo Merry Bloodstock. 

Further success for the December Mares Sale at Flemington came via the win of SUNSET PARK in the Group 2 Matriarch Stakes for trainer Brad Widdup. The daughter of SEA THE STARS was winning her fourth race in Australia, and her first in Group company, having been purchased by agent Ross Doyle on behalf of Adrian and Darcy Whittingham for just 60,000 guineas from the ever-popular Godolphin draft. 

The fifth and final Group winner for the day at Flemington on Saturday with roots in the December Mares Sale was the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner WHISKY ON THE HILL whose dam NINJA LADY went through the ring at Tattersalls in 2013 where she was purchased for 60,000 guineas by Federico Barberini from the renowned nursery of Meon Valley Stud. 

There are 885 lots catalogued for the Tattersalls December Mares Sale, which runs from Monday 1st December to Wednesday 3rd December headlined by the fourth renewal of the acclaimed Sceptre Sessions on Monday 1st December and Tuesday 2nd December. The catalogue features four Group 1 winning fillies in what looks an outstanding renewal of the sale. Catalogues are online now at www.tattersalls.com and are available from Tattersalls and Tattersalls representatives now.