The Tattersalls December Mare Sale finished with a flourish on the fourth and final day with 134 lots selling for a total of 850,400 guineas and a clearance rate, which has been strong throughout the week, of 81%. The December Mare Sale finished with 628 lots sold for a total of 33,197,700 guineas, at an average of 52,863 guineas and a median of 14,500 guineas. The nine day Tattersalls December Sale saw a total of 1,399 lots sold for 56,903,100 guineas, a rise of 14% on 2008 whilst the 2009 turnover for all Tattersalls Sales rose to 169,407,800 guineas.

The top priced lot on the final day was WANNABE GRAND, the thirteen-year-old winner of the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes whose first six foals are all winners. The daughter of DANEHILL out of the SHIRLEY HEIGHTS mare was consigned by The Castlebridge Consignment on behalf of Chippenham Lodge Stud and knocked down to Australian

At the conclusion of the 2009 Tattersalls December Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented;

“The economic upheavals of 2008 had a dramatic effect on the bloodstock industry throughout the world and we approached the 2009 sales season with an air of trepidation, but the resilience of the market has been extraordinary. From the beginning of Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale to the conclusion of the December Sale today, all of the sales at Tattersalls have outperformed expectation and, while we are a fair way off the dizzy heights of 2006 and 2007, it has been particularly gratifying to see a real sense of confidence return to the industry. The Tattersalls December Sale is a key indicator of the health of the bloodstock industry and we can all derive a measure of optimism from the 2009 renewal.

“In total we catalogued 2183 lots for this year's December Sale which was 545 less than last year and the smallest December Sale since 1993. Remarkably, turnover for the sale has risen by 13% and all the key indicators of average, median and the percentage of lots sold have shown significant improvement on 2008. Not only have the figures provided encouragement for the industry going forward, but equally importantly there has been a genuinely vibrant feel to the proceedings of the last two weeks at Park Paddocks. The Tattersalls December Sale has long set the benchmark in terms of international appeal and the overseas buyers have been crucial to the sustained competition at all levels of the market. It has also been evident that the successful foal and yearling sales which preceded the December Mares' Sale have instilled renewed confidence in British and Irish breeders.

“Our 2009 sales have demonstrated that we have a product which continues to be coveted by buyers from all corners of the world with our annual turnover bouncing back from the substantial declines of last year. There is little doubt that there remain many challenges ahead, but it is also clear that throughout the year vendors have reacted quickly and positively to the new economic realities and they have been rewarded for such pragmatism. Most importantly 2009 has shown that there is an enduring and widespread demand for quality bloodstock which has always been synonymous with the Tattersalls name.”