Formosina, winner of this year’s Ladbrokes.com Railway Stakes (Ire-II) was the most expensive horse sold during the third session of the Tattersalls autumn horses in training sale in England Oct. 27. Saudi Arabian trainer Naif Alatawi purchased the 2-year-old Footstepsinthesand colt for 320,000 guineas ($531,714 in U.S. funds) from trainer Jeremy Noseda’s Shalfleet Stables.
"The horse has been bought for Prince Sultan Mohammed Saud Al Kabeer," Alatawi said."Formosina will go to Saudi Arabia and then be aimed at the Dubai Festival."
Produced from the Royal Applause mare Scarlett Rose, Formosina also finished second this year in the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes (Eng-II).
The 249 horses that sold during the third session grossed 5,878,800 guineas ($9,768,234) and averaged 23,705 guineas ($39,389). The median price was 11,000 guineas ($18,277). Compared to last year, when 240 horses were sold, the gross declined 7.3% while the average fell 10.2%. The median dropped 24.1%.
The clearance rate was 84.4%, about the same as the 84.8% rate in 2009.