Tattersalls: An introduction from Chloë Pitts
Updated: Nov 20, 2022
What we do, and why it's important
We're Europe's leading bloodstock auctioneers, and offer over six thousand horses each year: from foals, to broodmares, yearlings and two-year-old breeze-up horses. As such, we're an essential part of the cycle of British racing. Breeders offer their young stock to us as yearlings or foals, and they're purchased by owners or trainers for a racing career. We also provide a marketplace for horses in training, both and the top and lower end. Many are sold to race at the highest level in Europe and the Middle East. Additionally, we sell fillies who'll head to stud and breed the next generation of racehorses and broodmares (this year, for example, we're offering the dam of Deby-winning Desert Crown).
A short history of the company
We were founded in 1766 by auctioneer Richard Tattersall, and started life at Hyde Park Corner. We fast moved to Knightsbridge, then out of London to our current home at Park Paddocks in Newmarket. We're the oldest bloodstock auctioneers in the world, and we also hold sales at Ascot, Cheltenham and Fairyhouse in Ireland.
How sales change the atmosphere in town
Newmarket is racing's home for good reason. There's a vast quantity of racehorses based here, along with the trainers, jockeys, grooms and supporting staff they require. We offered over a thousand horses at our largest sale in 2021, but at every sale there's an enormous volume of horses passing through our gates, along with the various consignors and buyers that come with them from all over the world. There's always a great buzz in town!
How our year pans out
The year begins with the February sale, from where we move on to breeze-ups (sales of ready to race two-year-olds). The racing season then gets into full swing, and we have a quiet time of sorts until the July and August sales, which are mostly of horses in training. After summer, we enter what's known as 'sales season proper', with the yearling sales starting in September and continuing thick and fast through October. Our October horses in training sale is the largest of its kind in the world, attracting a vast and varied buyers bench. We finish the year with the December sales, consisting of a yearling, foal and mare sale. This year will be particularly special, as we've introduced the 'Sceptre Sessions' to showcase the very best fillies and broodmares to be offered in Europe.
Why British bloodstock is in a strong position
2022 has been an extraordinary year so far, with record breaking sale after record breaking sale. Our October yearling sale was a great example of the strength and depth of a year that has seen unprecedented demand at all levels of the market. That's from the top of our flagship Book 1 sale (where we sold a 2.8m gns Frankel colt out of So Mi Dah), to the sixteen yearlings who passed the 1m gns mark through to the end of Book 4. We've offered just under five thousand horses and have over a thousand catalogued for December, so we should end the year on a high. The constant demand for British and Irish bloodstock proves its quality, and horses sold at Tattersalls go on to achieve great feats around the globe.