Tattersalls: Lawman weanling tops second session at $201K

The Tattersalls December foal sale continued Thursday in Newmarket, England, with mixed results at its second of four sessions.

Thursday’s session sold 207 foals sold for $9,253,440; compared year-to-year in Tattersalls’ auction currency, guineas, the total was up 2 percent from last year’s figures for 191 foals sold. Average price, however, fell 5 percent to the equivalent of $44,703. The median price, $33,600, was unchanged.

The buyback rate improved significantly from last year, dropping from 20 percent to 13 percent.

Tim Hyde went to the session-topping – and sale-leading – price of 120,000 guineas, or about $201,600, for a Feb. 14 colt by 2007 French Derby winner Lawman. The bay colt is a half-brother to winner Louis the Pious. He is out of the Polish Precedent mare Whole Grain, a full sister to Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks winner Pure Grain, who is also the dam of Group 3 winner Goncharova. Lawman, whose runners this year have included Group 1 winners Most Improved and Law Enforcement, had two of the session’s four highest-priced foals Thursday.

Ashbrittle Stud consigned the Lawman weanling, one of five to bring six figures at Thursday’s session.

The December foal sale continues through Dec. 1. Sessions stream live at www.tattersalls.com.