The headline results kept on rolling at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, with another five lots fetching one million guineas or more on day three, but the depth of the market continued to be challenged.
In all 16 yearlings have broken the seven-figure mark, matching last year’s tally 70 fetched 500,000 guineas or better. Godolphin took its total spend to 19.6 million guineas across 23 yearlings while Amo Racing spent 13.7 million over 13 buys.
Combined that pair made up 26.1 per cent of the turnover, a pointer to the fact that while the top end remained at historic highs, it was tougher trade the further you went down the market.
The clearance rate dipped to 85 per cent from 90 per cent, the median fell 16 percent, and the average dropped 1 per cent. Turnover, at just under 129 million guineas, was down one per cent despite 50 more horses sold.
Those results were off last year’s record highs, but again that was driven by the additional investment of the likes of Amo and Godolphin.
“Last year’s renewal of Europe’s premier yearling sale was widely regarded as one of the more remarkable sales of recent years, bucking the trend of earlier yearling sales that autumn with wide margin increases in all the key metrics,” Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said.
“Those results saw the bloodstock market take a significant upturn over the last twelve months and whilst a drop in average and median were to be expected with the larger catalogue, it has been gratifying to return figures that are second only to last year’s record renewal.”
Day three was headlined by another outstanding result for Luca and Sara Cumani’s Fittocks Stud.
Their Wootton Bassett colt sold to Godolphin for 1.9 million guineas, completing a trio of millionaires and taking their total haul to nearly six million. “People tell me the market’s been patchy,” Luca Cumani said. “It hasn’t been patchy for me.”
Juddmonte stepped up with two seven-figure buys, a Frankel filly for 1.5 million guineas and a Night Of Thunder colt for 1.05 million guineas.
Night Of Thunder had three million-dollar plus results with Henry Lascelle paying 1.1 million guineas for his daughter out of Vesnina and Karl and Kelly Burke an even one million for his son of out of Wild Rye.
Australian-bred Starspangledbanner recorded his highest-ever price for a yearling when his daughter out of Rapacity Alexander sold to Al Shira'aa Racing for 500,000 guineas. She is a half-sister to Group 1 winner No Speak Alexander.
