Records smashed as Book 4 ends October Yearling Sale on a high

The tidal wave that was the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale of 2022 trickled to an end at Park Paddocks this morning with the Book 4 session, where determined buyers who still had stables to fill and some money to spend combed through the remaining yearlings in search of an overlooked gem.

A rising tide lifts all boats and the extraordinary trade which has prevailed throughout the yearling sales season raised Book 4 to record-breaking heights.

Saturday saw 53 yearlings sold for a total of 319,000gns which was a leap of 73 per cent on the equivalent day last year and the highest-grossing renewal of the sale since 2007, when almost three times the amount of yearlings were sold.

The average price of 6,019gns was a record for the sale and an increase of 50 points on last year's figure while the median grew by 67 per cent to 5,000gns and was, once more, a new high. The clearance rate of 73 per cent was up from 62 per cent in 2021.

Buyers out in Force for Highclere's first crop sire

Saturday's action was book-ended by the top two lots with Craig Lidster having to wait until ten horses from the end to secure the Land Force filly from Natton House Thoroughbreds who received a perfectly timed pedigree update.

Destiny's Spirit winning at Haydock on Friday nightCredit: John Grossick

Her Lightning Spear half-sister Destiny's Spirit had already won twice after the catalogue was published and her victory at Haydock on Friday necessitated a third update to the pedigree, making her year-younger sister even more attractive to buyers.

Lidster, who bought the filly for 23,000gns, agreed that the late update added a few thousand to the bill.

"Her half-sister's win at Haydock yesterday [Friday] is probably why we had to pay a bit more for her but we really liked her. She is a nice model and a strong looking sort. We are buying horses that we think look like early sorts and she fits that."

She is the second foal out of Ellen Gates who won over five furlongs on her final start at three, having finished in the runner-up position on four occasions. The daughter of Mayson was bred by legendary jockey Willie Carson out of Mrs Greeley, a Mr Greeley half-sister to the Irish Derby and Dubai Sheema Classic winner Jack Hobbs, who was also bred by Carson at his Minster Stud.

Unmissable Pearl Secret colt the image of his sire

Nobody could fail to spot Salcey Forest Stud's colt by the Group 2 Temple Stakes winner Pearl Secret, who stood the 2022 season at Norton Grove Stud. The chestnut was almost a replica of his unmistakable sire, with four white stockings and a bright white face. All that set him apart from the King's Stand Stakes third was the lack of a splash of white on his belly.

Salcey Forest Stud sold this Pearl Secret colt, almost an exact copy of his sireCredit: Tattersalls

John Butler won the battle for the distinctive colt, who was just the tenth yearling into the ring on a glorious autumn morning in Newmarket, bringing the hammer down at 19,000gns.

"He was almost the second Book 4 topper that we have sold," said Daniel Creighton of Salcey Forest Stud. "We sold a Paco Boy colt for 18,000gns so the price is creeping up!"

Bred by Andrew Davis, the February-foaled youngster is a half-brother to Testing Faith, a three-year-old son of Time Test who has been second in three of his eight starts for Ian Williams.

They are the first two foals produced by Midnight, a seven-year-old daughter of Galileo who ran twice in France for Jean-Claude Rouget. She is out of Nell Gwyn who was second in the Group 3 Derrinstown Stud 1,000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown for Ballydoyle and is a Danehill full-sister to the seven-time Group 1 winner and European champion three-year-old Rock Of Gibraltar.

Nell Gwyn is also a half-sister to Intricately by Galileo, the dam of Fastnet Rock's Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Intricately.

Breeze-up buyers snap up bargains

The shrewd breeze-up consignors were among the buyers who waited until the end with Con Marnane and John Bourke, no strangers to success with cheaply-acquired horses, among the names on the buyers' sheet.

Bourke, who bought this year's 1,000 Guineas winner Cachet in utero at this venue for just 3,000gns, reinvested some of the profits from the 350,000gns sale of the Group 1 winner's Cotai Glory half-sister during Book 1 last week in Throckmorton Court Stud's Land Force colt.

Out of the winning Shades Of Silk, a Bahamian Bounty half-sister to Listed Queen Charlotte Stakes second Crossing The Line, the grandson of No Nay Never was knocked down to Bourke for 15,000gns.

Con Marnane snapped up a Havana Grey filly at Book 4Credit: Laura Green

As Bourke provided Aclaim with his first winner, first Group winner and first Classic winner through Cachet, the team at Highclere Stud, where the Richmond Stakes winner stands, will be hopeful that Bourke's support of the half-brother to Grade 1 winner Photo Call from the outstanding Cassandra Go family, will lead to similar success for their own first crop sire.

Con Marnane has an eye for a bargain and the Bansha House team was bolstered by the acquisition of a filly from the second crop of the leading first season sire Havana Grey.

Whitsbury Manor Stud's Flying Five Stakes winner has been all the rage at Tattersalls over the last ten days, on the back of a brilliant debut season which has seen him sire a trio of Group 3 winners and a pair of Listed winners from 13 stakes performers so far.

The Marnane family's smart purchase of Natton House Thoroughbreds' speedily-bred filly for just 13,000gns was an eye-catching piece of business. She is the second foal out of Rainbow Hill, an unraced daughter of Fastnet Rock from the family of Group 1 winners Reckless Abandon and Brando.

Cunningham continues to support Rajasinghe

Rajasinghe has the best winners to runners ratio of any first-season sire in Britain and Ireland this year with Phil Cunningham's Coventry Stakes winner producing five winners from just six runners.

Rajasinghe: the Coventry Stakes winner continues to be strongly supported by his owner Phil CunninghamCredit: Edward Whitaker

Cunningham, who stands the son of Choisir just up the road from the sales ground at the National Stud, has supported Rajasinghe strongly and went to 17,000gns for the only yearling by him in Book 4.

Bred by Hellwood Stud and G P Clarke, the chestnut is a half-sister to the multiple winners Penny Pot and Charnock Richard, who at Chantilly on Wednesday added a seventh career win to his list of achievements.

They are out of Velvet Band, a winning Verglas half-sister to the Listed Masaka Stakes winner Jazz Jam, and a daughter of the Cherry Hinton winner Applaud by Rahy.

Concluding Chairman's Statement

Chairman Edmond Mahony ended the sale by reflecting on the extraordinary trade witnessed at Park Paddocks over the last ten days.

“This has been the most extraordinary Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. Book 1 set the ball rolling and it has rolled all the way through to the very end with more yearlings sold than ever before for the astounding sum of 199 million guineas.

“It has been a phenomenal show of strength from start to finish with buyers from throughout the world drawn to Tattersalls and the unique environment of Newmarket by the promise of outstanding yearlings presented by so many of the top breeders and consignors not only from Britain and Ireland, but from throughout Europe.

Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony in full flowCredit: Laura Green

"The consistent support of the consignors for the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale is the key to its abiding reputation as Europe’s premier yearling sale and to see so many people so richly rewarded over the past two weeks has been wonderful.

“There is a huge amount of hard work and dedication involved in the journey from foaling to the October Yearling Sales at Tattersalls Park Paddocks and the results of the past two weeks are a tribute to all those involved at every level.

"The buyers come to Tattersalls in October confident that they will find quality yearlings to suit every budget which will go on to achieve great things on racecourses around the world and never before has this been so evident.

"The demand we have witnessed throughout the past two weeks has been truly global and above all it reflects the enduring appeal of the sport of horse racing which captivates so many people throughout the world and brings so many buyers to Newmarket and the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale year after year."

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