by Ron Parker

The third and final day of the Tattersalls July Sale saw the highest price of the week go through the ring on Thursday when Coolcullen Times, a three-year-old colt by Rock of Gibraltar, brought $262,386 (155,000 guineas).

American buyer Joe Seitz purchased the sales topper on behalf of his Virginia-based client, Jim Treplow.

A winner of three races this year for trainer Jim Bolger, Coolcullen Times will be sent to the United States barn of trainer Graham Motion, the same pattern Treplow followed when he purchased Grade 2 winner Rebellion (GB) at a previous July sale.

Spirited bidding also saw a pair of three-year-old colts bring $253,922 (150,000 guineas) each.

Beidh Tine Anseo, another Rock of Gibraltar colt trained by Bolger, was secured by Scotland-based trainer Lucinda Russell, who prevailed in a lengthy bidding duel with fellow National Hunt trainer Donald McCain.

Ithbaat, a winning Arch colt owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum and trained by John Gosden, was similarly popular with bidders before Irish agent Eddie O’Leary made the acquisition. 

The sales company reported 153 of 170 horses offered on the final day brought $3,326,033 (1,964,800 guineas), an increase of 8.3% compared with last year, although the average of $21,739 (12,842 guineas) was down 5.8% compared with last year.

Overall, 438 of 503 horses offered were listed as sold, bringing a total of $9,389,509 (5,546,700 guineas). The average of $21,438 (12,664 guineas) was down 14.6% while the median of $11,003 (6,500 guineas) declined 21.5% compared with last year.

Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony, noting that this year’s sale had nearly 200 fewer horses than last year, expressed optimism while recognizing the impact of the global recession. He also was particularly pleased with the international interest this year’s venue received.

“Without doubt the feature of this year’s July Sale has been the extraordinary diversity of the buyers which has contributed to an outstanding clearance rate,” Mahony said. “Every year we do our best to cover as much ground as possible to attract international buyers and sometimes even we are surprised by the sheer number of overseas buyers who flock to Tattersalls.

“This year’s July sale has demonstrated that even in tough times there is an enduring appetite for the sport of racing and it has been a genuine pleasure to have seen such depth to the market and so many satisfied vendors.”

Ron Parker is a THOROUGHBRED TIMES contributing writer