Midnight Empress Realises 45,000 Guineas in Barrier Trials Pop-Up Sale

Last week’s ITM Barrier Trials winner MIDNIGHT EMPRESS topped the Tattersalls Online Barrier Trials Pop-Up Sale when selling for 45,000 guineas to Joseph Bell.

An impressive one and a half-length winner of her six-furlong trial at Leopardstown for trainer Diego Dias, the daughter of MEHMAS recorded the second fastest time among  the two-year-old contests held last Wednesday. The promising filly also boasts a pedigree which backs up her performance being a three-quarter sister in blood to Group 1 Haydock Sprint Cup winner MINZAAL.

Following the sale, Diego Dias commented on his support for the concept:

“The Barrier Trials are a very good idea. They are good for the horses and, with the videos available after the trials, everything is there to see. You can judge a horse very well from the trials, how they handle the racecourse and their temperament in the barriers. The online sale works well after the trials and I will support them again. We were very happy with the price for the filly and the owners are very happy too.”

The ITM Barrier Trials have established a strong reputation as a source of promising young horses, with many graduates progressing to successful racing careers including the Group 1 winners MAGICAL LAGOON and A CASE OF YOU.

The sale demonstrated the versatility of the Tattersalls Online platform and provided connections with an immediate and convenient route to market following the trials.

With the results representing an encouraging step for the initiative, Tattersalls Online Sales Manager Katherine Sheridan reflected on the potential for further development:

“We are delighted with the response to Tattersalls Online Barrier Trial Pop-Up Sale, with Midnight Empress delivering a pleasing result when selling for 45,000 guineas. The Barrier Trials provide an excellent opportunity to identify young horses at an early stage of their careers and we wanted to create a straightforward avenue of trade for those horses. This sale has demonstrated the potential for the concept to grow and we will continue to build on it in the future, with Tattersalls Online providing the most effective marketplace to connect Barrier Trial performers with an international audience of buyers.”

The next sale to take place on the Tattersalls Online platform will be the Online September Sale scheduled to take place on 15^th – 16^th September with the catalogue due to be published on Wednesday 9^th September. Wildcard entries are still open until Friday 11^th September and can be submitted through the Tattersalls Online website at www.tattersallsonline.com.