Tattersalls Ltd

Ownership and governance

Tattersalls trades as Tattersalls Ltd, with its address at Terrace House, 125 High Street, Newmarket, Suffolk. Its website does not name its shareholders or publish accounts. Richard Tattersall founded the business at Hyde Park Corner in London in 1766, and members of the Tattersall family headed it through the 19th century. Later chairmen included Kenneth Watt, Michael Watt and, from 1993, Edmond Mahony, who remains chairman, according to the company’s history and personnel pages. Matthew Prior is managing director.

Its main sale ground is Park Paddocks in Newmarket, bought in 1870. In Ireland it holds sales at Fairyhouse, Ratoath, County Meath, through Tattersalls Ireland, which became a wholly owned subsidiary in 1985. In 2015 it bought Brightwells Bloodstock Sales, which held auctions at Cheltenham and Ascot racecourses; Tattersalls Cheltenham now holds six National Hunt sales a year at Cheltenham Racecourse. Tattersalls Online was launched in 2020. The company also offers Exeter Stables, with 105 stables for horses with onward travel or quarantine requirements.

Tattersalls says its annual turnover first passed 400 million guineas in 2022, at 413,198,735 guineas, and that day two of the 2024 December Mares Sale turned over 55,168,500 guineas, the highest grossing day in European auction history.

What Tattersalls runs

As listed by the organisation. See sources.

Key people

• EMEdmond MahonyChairman, Auctioneer
• MPMatthew PriorManaging Director
• GDGavin DaviesDirector, Bloodstock Sales
• JMJohn MorreyDirector, Park Paddocks & Maintenance
• CSCaroline ScottDirector, Accounts
• HBHarvey BellDirector, Auctioneer, Bloodstock Sales
• JSJason SinghDirector, Marketing
• TOTammy O'BrienDirector, Marketing

As listed on Tattersalls Personnel.

Status and listing

Status

Not listed

Where it operates

• UK
• Ireland

As the organisation reports it. See sources.

Key dates

1766

Richard Tattersall establishes Tattersall's Sales at Hyde Park Corner, London, on a 99 year lease from the Grosvenor family

1865

The sales move from Hyde Park Corner to Knightsbridge Green in April

1870

Park Paddocks in Newmarket is bought; the July Sale is the first sale held there

1985

Tattersalls raises its holding in Ballsbridge Sales, which becomes a wholly owned subsidiary called Tattersalls Ireland

1986

Tattersalls acquires the former Old Fairyhouse Stud in Ratoath and builds a sales complex

2015

Tattersalls buys Brightwells Bloodstock Sales, which held auctions at Cheltenham and Ascot racecourses

2020

Tattersalls Online is launched in response to the Covid pandemic

2022

Annual turnover passes 400 million guineas for the first time, at 413,198,735 guineas