Part three of the Tattersalls October yearling sale ended Oct. 20 with a session lasting less than two hours that featured a top price of only 15,000 guineas and a clearance rate of 39%.
Newmarket trainer Paul D’Arcy bought the session topper, a Namid half-sister to his winning juvenile Suzi’s Decision (by Act One).
Despite a rise in numbers, turnover at part three fell 23% to 5,697,400 guineas, the average of 15,524 guineas was down 16%, and the 11,000 guineas median dropped 25%. The overall clearance rate of 64% compared to 84% in 2006.
On Oct. 19, 139 yearlings were sold for 1,860,000 guineas, an average of 13,381 and a median of 9,000. On the last day of the sale, 63 yearlings brought 128,900 guineas, an average of 5,156 and a median of 3,500.
Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony commented: "Books 2 and 3 have produced record turnover, a fraction below 30 million guineas. If one considers that the turnover for this week last year rose a phenomenal 63% and has more than doubled since 2004 it puts the overall strength of this week in perspective.
"Book 2 in particular was massive, driven by a very strong Book 1. There were 55 six-figure lots in Book 2 compared with 38 in 2006 and demand was little short of amazing at times. The last couple of sessions of Book 3 have, however, served as a reminder of the impact of the huge foal crops we are currently handling. We have cataloged nearly 200 more yearlings than last year in Books 1 to 3 and it was not easy toward the end. This is an area of the market which can only improve as and when the numbers diminish and prize money in Britain improves.
"We were a little concerned going into Book 3 that the amount of European money spent in the USA owing to the favorable exchange rate would at some point have an impact and it seemed to be felt toward the end of the sale. Overall, though, we can look back on Books 1, 2, and 3 in a positive frame of mind. Very nearly 100 million has been spent on yearlings here over the last two weeks."
For books 2 and 3 combined, there were 1,142 yearlings offered and 840 sold for 29,604,900 guineas, compared to a year ago when 1,078 were on offer and 861 sold for 27,700,200 guineas. The average this year was 35,244 and the median 22,000 while the corresponding 2006 numbers were 32,172 and 23,000.