Following Monday's announcement from the Irish government in relation to Ireland entering a level 5 Covid-19 lockdown, Tattersalls Cheltenham have been forced to make changes to the sale scheduled to take place on 12th November at Tattersalls Ireland's Fairyhouse venue.
This is to ensure that all Government guidelines are adhered to and also to ensure the safety of our clients and staff. Tattersalls Cheltenham therefore confirmed on Thursday the intention to host three live online sales in Ireland at their Fairyhouse venue on the following dates -
Cheltenham November Sale (Ireland, Fairyhouse), Friday 6th November
Cheltenham November Sale (Ireland, Fairyhouse), Thursday 12th November
Cheltenham November Sale (Ireland, Fairyhouse), Thursday 19th November
These will be followed by previously published sales on the following dates which allow for any travel restrictions between Ireland and the UK.
Cheltenham December Sale (Park Paddocks, Newmarket), Thursday 3rd December
Cheltenham December Sale (Ireland, Fairyhouse), Thursday 17th December
The Thursday 12th November Sale had originally been scheduled to take place alongside the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale which has subsequently been postponed to December. In order to adhere to all Government guidelines, Tattersalls Cheltenham will hold three smaller live online sales to ensure we can safely fulfil all obligations under the level 5 restrictions but still host sales at this key time in the Autumn period.
The following are some of the guidelines for those wishing to buy or sell at Tattersalls Cheltenham Sales in Ireland on those dates. As per previous Tattersalls Ireland sales all attendees will be expected to pre register and health screen before attending.
Arrival
One vendor per horse.
Vendor to arrive and offload horse themselves following check in process.
Where possible a vendor with multiple (e.g. three horses) should only have two handlers etc to keep the number of attendees on site to a minimum.
Pre-Sale
Approximately 4-6 veterinary surgeons will be allowed on site.
Vetting will take place from 8.00am on Thursday 5th November by appointment.
Video providers will be on site to take footage to reduce purchaser appointments and facilitate UK purchasers.
Vendors will book in for a video appointment.
Only key Tattersalls Ireland staff will be onsite to process the veterinary inspections.
Viewing by appointment
Viewing is scheduled by appointment only.
Viewing begins at 2.00pm post vetting on Thursday 5th November.
Each purchaser will be allocated a separate individual viewing area.
Sale day
The sale will take place at 1.00pm.
The sale will be conducted live by a Tattersalls auctioneer.
The sales ring area will be closed to all except the limited Tattersalls sales day staff.
Viewing will be available by appointment on the morning of the sale.
All purchasers must leave the premises 30 minutes prior to the sale.
Bidding will be online or via telephone only.
Limited Tattersalls staff will be available to accept telephone bids.
Catering
Limited take away catering will be available onsite.
Matthew Prior, Head of Cheltenham Sales, commented;
"It has been extremely challenging to find the appropriate balance of sales at the most suitable times and in the right locations. We are extremely fortunate to have two proven venues to call upon over the coming weeks at both Fairyhouse and Newmarket. We are mindful that we have a strong base of both vendors and purchasers in both locations and it has been to the forefront of our strategy to ensure that each was given a platform to buy or sell where they would once have joined us at Cheltenham. We are further conscious that this time of year is crucial to the entire National Hunt industry more than it has ever been before with a considerable backlog of horses in the system owing to the curtailed spring 2020 campaign. We now look forward to the cooperation of vendors and purchasers to ensure we facilitate successful sales and continue to provide top class future National Hunt stars through Tattersalls Cheltenham Sales."
