A foreign consignor having the sales topper isn't unheard of, but it's definitely not common. Moreso when the two entities don't share a continent. But that's the situation that might unfold at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in Newmarket, England, as United States-based Taylor Made Sales Agency consigns arguably the main attraction at the auction.
Porta Fortuna, who is co-owned by Taylor Made's Medallion Racing, is expected to attract a significant amount of currency when she enters the sales ring Dec. 2. The three-day sale begins Dec. 1, with Monday and Tuesday featuring the Sceptre Sessions, periods of the sale that highlight the most desirable mares on offer.
Having hit the board in 12 of her 13 starts, a winner of seven group/graded stakes with more than $1.7 million in earnings, it's not hard to understand why the daughter of Caravaggio is on every big spender's wish list.
But for Taylor Made, the journey back to Tattersalls has been years in the making.
President and CEO Mark Taylor said the last time his company was a consignor at one of Tattersalls' sales was 2021. Taylor said he and his team are excited about being back in Newmarket.
"We've actually had a lot of success over there," he said. "We've sold two fillies that have gone on to produce great group 1 winners. We've taken some quality there in the past. And I think this is by far our best draft."
The 4-year-old Donnacha O'Brien trained Porta Fortuna is the star of the show. She is consigned as Lot 1734.
"She's was probably the most accomplished 2-year-old of her generation, but did not get the Cartier Award as a 2-year-old, but came back and was Cartier 3-year-old champion the next year," Taylor said. "And I believe she's the first horse ever that was a 3-year-old Cartier champion to be offered still as a horse in training. So she's kind of a collector's item and a very unique offering."
Originally a five-mare consignment, it is down to four with the withdrawal of Atsila.
Joining Porta Fortuna in the Sceptre Sessions is Sharpen. Consigned as Lot 1462, she is by two-time Australian champion sire Fastnet Rock and out of the Siyouni mare Sheranda.
Her pedigree is only part of the reason Taylor is "very excited" about Sharpen.
"Donnacha O'Brien is very high on her and thinks that she's a progressive type that will just get better next season," Taylor said. "And I think whether someone buys her and wants to keep her in Europe, or whether they want to bring her to America, she's a very intriguing offering that could get a lot of people's attention thinking what could be on the horizon for next year."
Lot 1658, Unexpected Issues, never reached her full potential, according to Taylor, but she has black type to her name. She is 1-0-1 from eight starts. She is the daughter of millionaire and 2010 Breeders' Cup participant and sire Starspangledbanner.
"I think her form speaks to the quality and the potential she had early on," he said.
Rounding out the Taylor Made offerings is Usdi Atohi (Lot 1659). She is the daughter of two-time group 1 winner Ten Sovereigns.
"(She is a) very, very talented filly in her own right," Taylor said. "Could continue on training or could go right into someone's broodmare band."
The common thread between Taylor Made and a Tattersalls consignment is Medallion Racing. Medallion co-owns three of the four mares for sale this week.
"Ever since we started Medallion Racing (in 2017), we have had a tendency to come up with European fillies, and so we've had a few consignments over there (with) horses that we didn't think it made sense to bring them back to America to sell."
While it is a smaller sale than Keeneland November, Taylor said the December Mare Sale is concise and operates at a slower pace, which makes it enjoyable.
"We're still relatively new to Tattersalls," he said. "It's not like Keeneland November, Fasig-Tipton November—we're there every year. And that's kind of like our World Series of breeding stock. But I think Tattersalls has the same sort of feel on the European side, and there is something about that environment that is very iconic. When you're in that circular sales ring and all the biggest players from around the world are there kind of facing off. And when it comes to European offerings, it's the best of the best."
Should Porta Fortuna prove to be the sale topper, it will deliver a "grand slam" for the Taylor Made team. They topped the Keeneland Championship sale at Del Mar leading up to the Breeders' Cup with one stallion share of Not This Time selling for $3 million; Fasig-Tipton's the November Sale with Streak of Luck, the dam of Ted Noffey, selling for $6.2 million; and the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale with Lush Lips selling for $3.7 million.
