Sobering end to mares' sale does not paint a rosy picture for racing - and worse could be yet to come

It was a case of polar opposites at Tattersalls last week as the curtain came down on the auction house’s final sale of 2023.

By the end of it, the downward trajectory of punters’ engagement due to affordability checks and the retreat of owners willing to buy horses was matched by breeders who decided to tighten their belts. All the key metrics indicate that the industry at large must brace itself for difficult times.

There is nothing more sobering than watching the last of four days unfold at the December Mares Sale. It is the place where broodmares are sent when they are reaching the end of the road. Sales companies must oblige breeders by hosting such days, just as they host days when gilt-edged bloodstock changes hands. In that respect, the contrast between days two and four at Newmarket could not have been more pronounced.