Alex Elliott – 2015 Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale

In today’s TDN a report featured on Godolphin Flying Start graduate Alex Elliott securing the top lot at the 2015 Craven Breeze Up Sale.

Twelve months have passed, but the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale headline looks remarkably similar to last year, with a Mocklershill-consigned son of War Front (lot 113) selling to the Coolmore team to head proceedings. The top price of 850,000gns was slightly more modest than last year’s 1.15 million gns sales-topper, but it was still 500,000gns clear of the rest of the catalogue, and the second-highest price ever paid at a European breeze-up auction. Jamie McCalmont did the bidding last year, but this time around his former assistant Alex Elliott was charged with the responsibility, and was pushed all the way to hammer fall by the China Horse Club’s Michael Wallace after some early interest from Tony Nerses. Elliott, who signed for the colt jointly with his former boss, for Michael Tabor, said, The guys [Willie Browne’s Mocklershill] rolled the dice to give $400,000 for this colt at Keeneland and it’s paid off for them. The Factor was in training during my time in America and I think this is probably the closest I’ve seen to him in looks. The transaction aided Mocklershill in becoming leading consignor once again at the sale, with 10 juveniles sold for a total of 1,960,000gns.  A significantly stronger second day at Park Paddocks saw the sale as a whole achieve a record median price of 71,000gns–up 1% on last year. The session average rose by 11%, to 119,809gns, but dropped for the entire sale by 9% at 103,057gns. The turnover of 9,893,500gns was down by 6% but the clearance rate climbed 8% from 2014 to an encouraging 79% for 96 lots sold from 121 offered.