Coolmore and Godolphin among the superpowers ready to climb the Book 1 mountain

When viewed in its entirety, the yearling sale season could be said to bear at least a passing resemblance to the Himalayan mountains. There are numerous peaks across the range but only a select few break the fabled 8,000 metre mark.

Each of the ten eight-thousanders found in the Himalayas possesses its own unique set of risks and rewards, and that is why the bravest and most experienced mountaineers choose to test themselves on the sheer icy faces of the likes of Annapurna, Nanga Parbat and Kangchenjunga.

There is, however, only one Everest. At 8,849 metres it is the world’s highest mountain and while others in the range may be more technically challenging, reaching this iconic summit remains a feat of monumental proportions.

With its three sessions comprising 550 of the world’s best-bred yearlings, Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, which begins on Tuesday at 11am, can be considered the Everest of bloodstock auctions. Among those preparing for a push to the summit during the final day of inspections on Monday were plenty of those who long since had their flag planted on top of the bloodstock world.

Sheikh Mohammed was on the ground at Tattersalls on MondayCredit: Laura Green

A veritable who’s who of global racing was in town and at around 2.45pm two superpowers crossed paths around barn K in Highflyer Paddock. On one side of the stable block was the Coolmore team, including MV Magnier, Aidan O’Brien and Michael Tabor. On the opposite side was the Godolphin entourage, headed by Sheikh Mohammed himself, as well as key members of his team in Charlie Appleby, Anthony Stroud and David Loder.

Earlier in the day Sheikha Hissa Hamdan Al Maktoum, head of the Shadwell empire founded by her father, the late Hamdan Al Maktoum, was also scrutinising some of the more choicely bred fillies on offer. Although Shadwell have been absent from the buyers sheets at European auctions in recent years, last week racing manager Angus Gold said the operation intended to end its sales hiatus in the near future.

Sheikha Hissa inspects a yearling with Shadwell racing manager Angus GoldCredit: Laura Green

Leading trainers such as John Gosden, William Haggas, Sir Michael Stoute and Roger Varian were also working their way through the catalogue, as was man of the moment Sir Mark Prescott, whose inspections were rather held up by a constant stream of well-wishers offering their congratulations for the victory of Alpinista in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe less than 24 hours earlier.

There was a strong cast of international faces too, with Arc-winning owner Peter Brant accompanying agent Michel Zerolo, while leading US trainer Chad Brown joined Tattersalls regular Mike Ryan, who dropped 3,750,000gns on 15 lots at last year’s sale. Ryan’s previous Book 1 buys include In Italian and McKulick, the Brown-trained winners of this year’s Diana Stakes and Belmont Oaks respectively.

Sir Mark Prescott was back on dutyCredit: Laura Green

A sizeable contingent of Japanese players were also in town, including a team from Northern Farm, Grenadier Guards’ trainer Mitsumasa Nakauchida as well as Yoshito Yahagi, who has already created an impact at this year’s European yearling sales having given an auction-topping €2.1 million for the Siyouni brother to Sottsass at Arqana in August.

Such is the magnitude of Book 1 it often attracts famous faces from beyond the racing world too, and among those on the grounds in Newmarket on Monday was Mauricio Pochettino, former manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain and a friend of Newsells Park Stud owner Graham Smith-Bernal.

From Tottenham to Tattersalls: Mauricio Pochettino was among the crowd at Park Paddocks on MondayCredit: Laura Green

This year’s catalogue contains the usual embarrassment of riches, with blue-chip stallions and deep black-type pedigrees in plentiful supply. A Galileo sister to Line Of Duty (Lot 1), a daughter of Dubawi and Prix de la Nonette scorer Jazzi Top (3) and a Siyouni filly out of Too Darn Hot’s Middleton Stakes-winning sibling Lah Ti Dar (24) would be standout lots in almost any sale, but at Book 1 that is just what’s in store during the opening 60 minutes.

For a further indication of the calibre of animal on offer, the sale is set to feature 25 lots by Dubawi, including colts out of Group 1 winners Persuasive (127), Urban Fox (272) and God Given (504); 15 by Galileo, featuring a filly out of Princess Noor (147) and a colt out of Amazing Maria (336); while the reigning champion sire Frankel has 28 catalogued, including a colt out of Watership Down Stud’s So Mi Dar (221), who was subject to some big reviews.

Prior to withdrawals, there were siblings to a staggering 61 individual Group 1 winners due to come under the hammer across the three days, a figure equal to 11 per cent of the catalogue. Among those is a Galileo brother to the champion Waldgeist (284) consigned by Newsells Park Stud, which has been the leading vendor by aggregate sales for the last four renewals of Book 1.

The operation is back with a typically strong draft this time around, with other standout pedigrees among the offering including a Frankel brother to Without Parole (303), a Lope De Vega half-brother to Legatissimo (310) and a Sea The Stars filly closed related to last year’s 1,500,000gns top lot (493).

Julian Dollar: 'It’s a rollercoaster'Credit: Laura Green

General manager Julian Dollar spoke candidly about the weight of expectation on those selling at Book 1, saying: “I hate the sales and love the sales all at the same time. It’s a rollercoaster. You think of nothing other than the sales for a month in the lead up to it and then it can take a long time to wind down from it.

“We’ve been very lucky and had some great results over the years but sooner or later we’re going to get our arses kicked and it won’t feel so good. But I like the horses we’ve got here and the team are doing a tremendous job of showing the draft off, so I’ve just got to be optimistic and hope that it won’t be this year.”

He added: “It seems like it’s on a par with other years and we’ve been busy showing these last few days. Everyone I expected to see here is here, and although I can’t say I’ve seen any new faces I think everyone’s quite positive. While I don’t have any clear thoughts on how our horses are going to sell at this point I feel like I’ve got some yearlings that anyone can see are nice horses.”

Despite the presence of some significant external pressures, the global yearling market has proved remarkably buoyant in 2022, with auctions on both sides of the Atlantic witnessing unprecedented levels of trade.

Most recently the Goffs Orby Sale produced a record median of €87,000, while the two-day event was topped by the most expensive yearling sold in Europe or North America this year, with Richard Knight going to €2.6 million for the No Nay Never sister to Blackbeard.

Given the resilience of the market and the strength in depth of the Book 1 catalogue, there seems a distinct possibility that records could be set at Tattersalls too. Book 1 turnover peaked at 106,503,000gns in 2018, when a new high mark was also set by the median price of 167,500gns. Twelve months earlier the average reached a record high at 293,095gns.

Although it would require a significant increase in spending to lift the aggregate back above 100 million, having been 86,369,000gns in 2021, a bigger, and arguably better, catalogue, a diverse international buying bench and a thriving market means all the requisite elements appear in place.

It remains to be seen whether the price for an individual lot can be broken, as the title holder, the 5,000,000gns Al Naamah, a Galileo sister to Was bought by Al Shaqab Racing in 2013, sets a high mark that has essentially never been threatened since.

However, the top ten prices in Book 1 history include six lots by the late Galileo, two by Dubawi and one apiece by Frankel and Kingman, and all four stallions are strongly represented this year.

Norelands Stud’s six-strong draft contains two of the 26 lots by Kingman, namely the colt out of Cabaret whose siblings include the Group 1 winners Magna Grecia and St Mark’s Basilica (390), as well as the half-brother to Golden Horn (482).

Norelands’ Harry McCalmont said there was a “positive” mood across the sales ground, and added: “It’s very busy and we’ve had a lot of people through. There are a lot of Japanese, a lot of Americans, the horses are going down well so it’s been a good couple of days. The sales up to now have been very good so we’re hopeful.”

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