Baridi ran twice for trainer Stuart Williams and highlighted his talent by winning a mile maiden at Lingfield on his latest outing. That performance prompted Allesandro Marconi to bid 100,000 guineas (US$130,152, 1 guinea=US$1.30) for the 3-year-old son of Sergei Prokofiev when presented by Robbie Mills' RMM Bloodstock Jan. 31 at the second and final session of the Tattersalls February Sale.
"I have a soft spot for the sire but I couldn't afford any of them as yearlings, but I prefer to get something that has already shown a bit of quality," said Marconi. "He's a lovely horse and hopefully he'll train on. He came highly recommended by Stuart Williams. I thought I was only going to spend half of that price initially, but when we went around all of them he was the clear pick of the day."
The session-topping colt was one of a dozen lots Marconi purchased on the day, a tally that took his total to 29.
"I hoped 30 would be enough," he said. "I was very discreet in the July Sale last year and walked away with 28 horses bought under different names, but this time I thought I needed to promote myself a little!"
Marconi expanded on his thinking behind targeting the February Sale.
"When you think about what people were investing at (Tattersalls October Yearling Sale) Book 1, Book 2 and Book 3, and given all the guesswork that goes into buying yearlings, it can be better to buy horses who have been proven in Britain because, hopefully, that form will translate very well when they run in another country.
"This is the cheapest sale of the year and is the only sale that, at every level of the market, gives you access to the sort of horse that can actually give you a chance to win races."
Marconi, the sale's leading buyer whose haul generated receipts totaling 833,500 guineas, indicated his purchases would be spread between clients throughout Europe and the Middle East.
Final Statistics
The key market indices on Day 2 may not have shown the kind of sizeable year-on-year increase witnessed on Day 1, but the consensus among those on the ground was that trade was solid for the level of stock on offer.
From 126 lots offered Friday, 105 sold for a clearance rate of 83%. Aggregate sales reached 1,440,000 guineas (US$1,874,184), which was down only fractionally on the figure of 1,456,000 guineas 12 months ago. The average price for the session was down 6% at 13,714 guineas (US$17,849), while the median was identical to Day 2 in 2024 at 8,000 guineas (US$10,412).
Those results contributed to a 38% year-on-year increase in total February Sale spending at 3,949,500 guineas (US$5,140,341). Average price was up 26% at 18,034 guineas (US$23,472), and the median rose 52% to 11,000 guineas (US$14,317). All told the clearance rate was a healthy 85% as 219 sold from 257 lots offered.
"The Tattersalls February Sale is firmly established as Europe's premier midwinter sale and this year's renewal saw significant year-on-year increases in turnover, average and median as well as a clearance rate above 85%," said Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony. "These figures represent a positive start to 2025 after last year's record-breaking Tattersalls sales season and we have welcomed a typically diverse group of buyers, both domestic and from overseas, to Park Paddocks."
