Record tallies at Tattersalls as 36,164,500gns spent at Horses in Training Sale

Four days of frenetic international-fueled trade rolled to a stop on Thursday with the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale having posted record figures across the full spectrum of market metrics.

Turnover reached 36,164,500gns, a 15 per cent increase on last year’s total, which was also a record. The average price rose by the same amount to a new high of 35,949gns, while the median remained at last year’s peak level of 16,000gns.

The clearance rate was 90 per cent as 1,006 sold from an offering of 1,113, which was up just two per cent compared to 2021.

The four-day sale was topped by recent Listed scorer I'm A Gambler, who became the third-most expensive lot in Autumn Horses in Training Sale history when Tim Cohen of Californian operation Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal got the better of a mammoth bidding battle at 850,000gns late on Tuesday evening.

That price is just 150,000gns shy of the sale record, which belongs to Aljazzi who was bought by Newsells Park Stud for 1,000,000gns in 2018.

Close to 40 lots were bought to continue their careers in Australia, including day three’s top lot Fancy Man who fetched 675,000gns from Blandford Bloodstock’s Stuart Boman, who was acting on behalf of Group 1-winning trainer Annabel Neasham.

Middle Eastern countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia were heavily represented among a diverse buying bench. Wathnan Racing, a new outfit based in Qatar and headed up by Abdulhadi Mana Al-Hajri, led the buyers’ chart with 1,750,000gns spent on nine lots, including the 450,000gns Persian Royal.

A growing racing programme centred around the world’s richest race, the $20 million Saudi Cup, has seen a surge in demand from Saudi Arabian interests, most notably sale regulars Najd Stud, who spent 1,460,000gns on seven lots across the four days. Their haul was led by the 350,000gns Finest Sound.

The vendors' table was topped by The Castlebridge Consignment, whose 106 lots brought receipts totalling 4,733,500gns.

The Saudi Arabian theme continued on Thursday as the session’s leading light, the 80,000gns Al Shami, was knocked down to Eoin Sullivan late in the piece. The two-year-old son of Awtaad, offered by John Butler’s Charnwood Stables, was catalogued as unraced but debuted with a promising second at Ffos Las and then broke his maiden at Wolverhampton earlier in the month.

“He’s for Saudi Arabia,” said Sullivan. “He’s a nice, big strong horse who needs a bit of time but that’s what he’ll get. What he’s done so far, for the physical that he is, he obviously has some level of ability there. We’ll take him along slowly and give him all the time he needs but we’re happy to get him.”

Eoin Sullivan was busy buying for Saudi Arabian clientsCredit: Laura Green

Sullivan signed for seven lots across the sale, with his 417,000gns spend headed by the 160,000gns Sooghan. The septet are all bound for Saudi Arabia.

“We bought a mixture of two-year-olds and three-year-olds and one or two older horses,” said the agent. “The majority will go to trainer Mamdouh Al Ali. We’re happy with the week although buying hasn’t always been easy.

"The programme in Saudi Arabia is expanding generally but, as you’ll see in the results, there isn’t a great sprinting programme so a lot of the guys are landing on the same horses, horses who get a mile or a mile plus. Which is funny because so many people are trying to breed sharp, early horses and then when you come to this sale nobody wants them!”

Al Shami was making his fourth appearance at the sales. The colt previously went unsold at just 1,000gns as a foal, fetched €6,000 from MW Bloodstock as a yearling and again failed to sell at 14,000gns at the Guineas Breeze-Up Sale.

Round of applause for Rubio

Earlier in the day another recent winner, Rubio Draco, was bought by brothers Nawaf and Mohammed Almutairi for 60,000gns. The owners’ entourage gave themselves a round of applause when the hammer came down before dashing to have their picture taken with the new acquisition.

The two-year-old son of Fast Company ran four times for Joseph O’Brien and brought an important update to the table having opened his account in a Killarney maiden in the weeks leading up to the sale, a performance which earned the colt a Racing Post Rating of 86.

“He will be sent to Saudi Arabia,” said Mohammed Almutairi. “He has good form and he’s a very nice horse. I have seven horses in training in Saudi Arabia with Sami Al Harabi. I hope this horse will be good enough for the Saudi Cup meeting.”

Baroda Stud offering Rubio Draco made 60,000gnsCredit: Laura Green

The youngster, a brother to the Listed Cork Stakes scorer Downforce, was making his second appearance at public auction having been signed for by Whitethorn Stud at €40,000 at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale. He began his career for the Thoroughbred Racing Syndicates ownership group, which is run by Johne Murphy, a former professional rugby player who played for Leicester Tigers and Munster.

The colt was offered through Baroda Stud, whose David Cox reflected on the end of a busy week by saying: “The fact that this horse won recently has really helped as the market always values recent form. We had a very good day yesterday selling for Jessica Harrington and Roger Varian.

"The July Sale was very strong so I thought this would be too as a lot of buyers couldn’t get what they wanted then. There’s a lot of people here from the Middle East and it’s great that there’s a market for these horses and people can get some money back in their pockets to pay their yearling bills!”

Mahony hails 'unrivalled marketplace'

In his end-of-sale statement, Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said: “It has been another extraordinary Tattersalls sale in a month which has seen the record books completely rewritten time after time. The unprecedented demand at all four books of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale has been followed by unrelenting demand from start to finish at this week’s Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale.

“Turnover has surpassed last year’s record level by a considerable margin, the average has reached an unprecedented height, the median has equalled last year’s record and the clearance rate has again been in excess of 90 per cent, all of which points to a sale of genuine strength and depth at all levels of the market.

The Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale came to a close on ThursdayCredit: Alisha Meeder

“The Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale is a truly remarkable sale, unmatched anywhere else in the world and the sheer number and diversity of buyers here at Park Paddocks this week is a tribute not only to the quality of the stock on offer, but also to the high esteem in which British and Irish racing is held throughout the world.

“Owners and trainers from throughout Britain and Ireland and further afield have the utmost confidence that this unique fixture will annually provide them with an unrivalled marketplace and never has this been more evident than over the past four days. Swathes of overseas buyers from more than 30 different countries have as ever made a massive contribution and the domestic buyers, both Flat and National Hunt, have also been out in force.

“Particular mention must go to the huge contingent of buyers from throughout the Gulf region, spurred on by their burgeoning racing carnivals which have become such an important feature of the international racing calendar in recent years. Their contribution has been immense, and they have met determined competition, especially at the top of the market, from strong teams of buyers most notably from Australia and the USA.

“Yet again we have experienced a sale which has reinforced Newmarket’s reputation as the hub of the European thoroughbred business and the success of this week’s sale suggests that we can look forward to welcoming a similarly international cast of buyers to the Tattersalls December Foal and Breeding Stock Sale which annually showcases the very best of European bloodstock to a global audience."

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