Shrewd buyers share their approach to sourcing horses-in-training sale stars

Tattersalls’ Autumn Horses in Training Sale catalogue is not the kind of publication you want to drop on your toes, as it is a decidedly weighty tome containing the pages of 1,551 lots.

This year’s offering features headline acts such as Eddie’s Boy (Lot 643), High Definition (754A) and Waterville (275) among a plethora of classy talents. Not every buyer will have the budget to go after the proven Group performers, of course, but there are plenty of hidden gems waiting to be uncovered among the significant number of unexposed and well-bred types too.

While different buyers have different budgets and different aims, working the four-day sale is a significant undertaking for all concerned, with hours of race replays to be reviewed and thousands of results, pedigrees and pieces of past sales information to be analysed before prospective purchasers even make it as far as Park Paddocks. So, how do the experts go about finding winners?