00:02In November last year, it was announced that Matthew Pryor would be stepping up to the position of Managing Director
00:07at Tattersalls as the company's chairman, Edmund Mahoney, was taking a step back from the day-to-day running of
00:13the auction house.
00:14With the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up sales kicking off proceedings in the European Breeze Up sales season, Pryor took some
00:20time to speak to TDN about the personnel changes at Park Paddocks as well as the continued success to be
00:26found from buying at the Craven sale.
00:30It's a step up in responsibility but, you know, I'm hugely honoured and, you know, certainly not unaware of the
00:36stewardship of the role and the traditions that are associated with the company and its rich history.
00:42I'm grateful to, you know, the chairman in Edmund and the board for the opportunity.
00:49I started in the summer of 2012.
00:52I came straight out of what was then the Dali flying start and I think I graduated on a Friday
00:58and then I was straight into the July sale the following weekend.
01:01I joined initially as a Bloodstock executive, really, you know, learnt the nuts and bolts of all things sales, how
01:10they operated, how you put together a catalogue and then very much sort of came into it from dealing with
01:18the clients increasingly and spend a lot of time doing inspections both in the UK and sometimes in Ireland as
01:25well.
01:25In addition to my own elevation within the company, I think there were some really exciting additions to the board.
01:32Harvey Bell has come on as sales director, Jason Singh, marketing director and Tammy O'Brien as well has joined
01:40the board and I think the three hugely talented and sort of, you know, hugely experienced individuals.
01:48They complement the likes of Gavin Davis, who's Bloodstock director, Caroline Scott, who's finance director and then John Murray who
01:55oversees Park Paddocks.
01:57And so from my perspective, you know, you're incredibly lucky to be able to call upon their group and individual
02:03sort of expertise.
02:05Evans remains a sort of group chairman and so he's, yes, perhaps stepping back from the day to day, but,
02:11you know, very much present and retains sort of that role of, you know, strategic oversight.
02:17It puts us in really good stead going forward.
02:20Breeze up sector in general has obviously grown significantly in the last 30 plus years.
02:28I mean, I think our first Craven Breeze up sale or certainly our first Breeze up sale was in 1989
02:33here in Newmarket.
02:35I actually had a look at the turnover.
02:37I think it was touching on 800,000 guineas with an average of 10,000.
02:41And then last year, I think our turnover was 18 million guineas.
02:46And so that in itself tells you the story of its growth.
02:50The inspection team was sort of full of praise for on the feedback that we were getting in terms of
02:56the horses being put forward.
02:57So we've got 182 currently, certainly catalogued.
03:02And then within that, you've got an immensely strong profile in terms of sire profile.
03:07I think there's 31 individual sires that have produced a group one or classic winner.
03:11It's a sale that really, I think you can get a broad church of runners.
03:17I mean, I suppose the likes of Van Dijk have shown the, you know, the precocity of buying those horses.
03:25You know, we've had the likes of Cachet, Believing and Native Trail that demonstrate, you know, the longevity of these
03:31horses.
03:32And certainly they can be bought with a three-year-old and older mature campaign in mind as well.
03:37So I think that's its strength.
03:40I think you can buy a horse for Royal Ascot, but equally, you know, the classic contenders are also amongst
03:45them.
03:45You know, the classic contenders are always a lot.
03:51You know, that there are no ones that make sense for you to take all the things.
03:52But you know, the thing that they do be, I think that you need to take all the masses.
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