Numbers off as Tattersalls' October Yearling sale ends

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."