‘We want to provide a market for these types of horses all year round’
Sheridan drawing inspiration from the Australasian online landscape to keep Tattersalls platform growing
When Katherine Sheridan was appointed Tattersalls’ online sales executive she was determined to make buying bloodstock online as popular throughout Europe as it is in Australasia and that hard work is certainly beginning to pay off.
Having spent just shy of ten years living and working in Australia, first for Magic Millions and then latterly at the Kelly’s historic Newhaven Park, Sheridan was well-versed in the benefits of selling via online platforms.
“I think having lived in Australia during Covid, that was a huge catalyst for the growth of the online platform and they carried on building on that success after the pandemic,” she said.
“My dealing with online sales really came about when I was at Newhaven when we needed to move horses on economically and it was not always an option to take them to sales at that time of year.
“I suppose in the northern hemisphere Covid was a massive driver of online sales even becoming any sort of an option in this part of the world, whereas in the southern hemisphere, particularly in Australia, I think really because of the sheer vastness of the country, they were more open to it.”
When she was appointed by Tattersalls in 2022, Sheridan said she drew huge inspiration from the ever-growing presence and growth of online sales in Australasia.
“I personally draw huge inspiration from what they have achieved in onlines sales in Australia. I look to that part of the world and see the success of the online sales in Australia and New Zealand and the possibilities they can present.
“Obviously, there are the big prices they get, but there is also the consistency level for the lower end of the market. There is the emphasis on the trading of horses and getting a return as a vendor and delivering that for your clients at any time of the year – that was a huge inspiration when I came into this role.
“I have taken a lot from watching the online platform grow in Australia and actually actively participating in them when I was at Newhaven Park, we regularly sold in the fortnightly sale there, helped me engage some of the similar strategies here.
“The support you got from Nick Melmeth and the team at Inglis when you sold any horse online was a huge asset. I have definitely drawn on that and used it in my role at Tattersalls.”
The online sphere in Australasia has become a mainstay within the sales calendar with Inglis holding their online sales twice a month, while in New Zealand gavelhouse regularly attracts high-class entries. Those sales houses have continued to invest and grow those aspects of their business and have been richly rewarded for their efforts.
Despite being a few steps behind the southern hemisphere in regards to selling bloodstock online, Sheridan believes the signs and metrics in the northern hemisphere are showing they are ‘heading in the right direction’.
“In the early days, I was aware it wasn’t the most popular option, but I knew it had potential having seen it become a real viable option in Australia and knowing the real benefits of it,” she said.
“Last year our number of horses offered were up 132 per cent on the year previous and again this year we are seeing more growth. In 2023, we offered 853 horses and we are only half way through the year and we are up to 642 horses catalogued. Those numbers and that growth comes from confidence and familiarity with the idea and appeal of selling online.
Last month, Tattersalls Online Sale enjoyed its best result since its inception when the then unbeaten juvenile Hot Darling (Too Darn Hot), who held a Royal Ascot entry, sold to Nurlan Bizakov’s Sumbe for 460,000gns.
“It was exciting because we knew Hot Darling had global appeal and we had people bidding on her all around the world, which was monumental for us.”
Selling horses is often about timing and one benefit with online sales is they can allow people to move away from the often rigid structure of live sales.
“It is cost effective, flexible and it does become a sensible option and realistic for some clients. We have seen that this year with the 13 yearlings we sold in March, which in this part of the world is not the usual time they would sell yearlings, so in a way they are becoming seasonless,” said Sheridan.
Having sold Hot Darling with an Ascot entry, bidding will open on the next Tattersalls Online Sale on Wednesday and there is another entry which is sure to garner significant attention.
Amongst 109 lots catalogued is one-time winner Moqadama (Dark Angel), a sister to Khaadem, who successfully defended his crown in Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) at Royal Ascot last month.
“We got the nice filly before Ascot and now obviously after Ascot with the success of Khaadem we have his sister in our sale this week, which is hugely exciting for us.”
The mare is being offered in foal to Coolmore’s US Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof The Nile) and is catalogued as Lot 101. She is the first lot to be offered located in North America on the platform which Sheridan believes could be another avenue of opportunity for the future.
The popularity and success of racing imports in Australia has sky-rocketed over the last ten years, with many of the country’s cup races dominated by European-bred horses.
The demand for imports has seen the buyers from the southern hemisphere flock in their droves to sales such as the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale and the July Sale, which gets underway next week, but Sheridan believes the Tattersalls online platform can further cater for that seemingly unquenchable demand Australians have for European imports.
“There are so many sales worldwide for buyers or agents to keep an eye on, but the online sales are not huge catalogues and they often feature some similar types to the imports that do well in Australia and for us to be able to provide them, I think there is a huge potential for growth.
“Buyers and agents from Australia and New Zealand are always coming up for the July Sale, the October sales and the December sales, but I want to provide a market for these types of horses all year round that is even better again, because we are continuing to grow that market.
“We want to be able to cater for all sides of the market and getting those higher priced lots is crucial to building the platform, because it is success driven and to be able to get those bigger lots only builds up the confidence of the participants.”
Bidding for the Tattersalls Online July Sale opens on Wednesday at 12pm (GMT) (9pm AEST) and closes . Click here to view the catalogue.