Book 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale finished with a flourish Friday evening, with a son on Invincible Spirit selling for 50,000 guineas.
The final day’s trade saw 100 lots sell for 600,200 guineas, with an average of
6,002 guineas and a median of 4,200 guineas.
This took the
Book 3 totals to 294 lots sold for 2,442,500 guineas, at an average of 8,308
guineas and a median of 5,850 guineas. Last year’s Book 3 comparative sale
figures saw 485 lots bringing an aggregate 2,815,300 guineas, a 10,389 guineas
average and a median of 7,000 guineas.
The top lot of the day, Lot No. 1915, was knocked down to Marco Botti, who has been quietly
making a name for himself amongst the Newmarket training ranks. The Italian born
trainer celebrated his first victory at the highest level last weekend
when Gitano Hernando (GB) (Hernando [Fr]) captured the Goodwood S. (G1) at Santa Anita.
Botti
purchased the aforementioned Invincible Spirit colt out of the unraced Gracious (Grand
Lodge) for 50,000 guineas after withstanding the effort of another Newmarket
trainer in Jon Ryan. Gracious is a half-sister to 2004 Racing Post Trophy
(Eng-G1) third Henrik (Primo Dominie) and comes from the same family as dual
Group 3-winning sire Tina’s Pet (Mummy’s Pet).
“It’s been difficult to buy, but this was one of the nicest horses here and
he should be a two-year-old,” Botti said. “We’ve been trying to buy a nice colt,
but we struggled in Book 2, so I’m pleased to have bought this one.”
The sale represented a great result for the yearling’s breeders and
consignors, Gazeley Stud’s David and Debi Curran, who bought Gracious at the
2005 Tattersalls February Sale for 17,000 guineas.
“At the end of last week we expressed delight
at the strength of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and it has
been a real boost for the British and Irish bloodstock industries to have
reached the end of Book 3 having seen sustained demand for quality yearlings
from start to finish,” Tattersalls
Chairman Edmond Mahony said at the conclusion of the 2009 Tattersalls October
Yearling Sales.
“There was understandable trepidation going into this year’s Tattersalls
October Yearling Sale and there would be few pundits who would have anticipated
similar turnover to last year, let alone a significant rise, but the total
turnover has comfortably exceeded last year’s figure and is the third highest
ever behind only 2006 and 2007. The increase in turnover is a great morale boost
for breeders and a tribute to the quality of the yearlings that they have
presented over the last two weeks, and without doubt the most telling statistic
has been the combined clearance rate of nearly 80 percent.
“The competition for
yearlings at all levels of the market has been the feature of the 2009
Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and to have sold a higher percentage of
yearlings in 2009 than in the record year of 2007 is extraordinary.
“Newmarket remains the focal point of European racing and breeding and the
most pleasing aspect of the 2009 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale is that those
involved in the industry can move on to the forthcoming 2009 sales with renewed
optimism. Stiff challenges remain and it would be wrong to pretend that
everything is now rosy, but at the same time the past two weeks have
demonstrated an enduring global appetite for the sport of racing which has been
a pleasure to see.”