September Yearling Sale

A substantial drop in the median, average and overall turnover along with a 72% clearance rate spoke to the struggles facing Irish breeders at Part 2 of the September Yearling Sale at Tattersalls Ireland on Thursday.  Trade was highlighted by the Rockview Stables-consigned New Bay (GB) colt [lot 812], who sold to prominent breeze-up handler Thomond O'Mara for €36,000 on a day where all of the key figures were down on last year.  Despite 27 more horses going through the ring compared to 12 months ago, turnover dropped by 20%...

Jaber Abdullah marked his trip to this year's September Yearling Sale at Tattersalls Ireland by spending €586,000 on 10 horses, including €180,000 and €120,000 on fillies by Mehmas (Ire) and Starman (GB) respectively.  The Rabbah Bloodstock investment played an important role in the sale achieving turnover of €12,433,500, which was down 1% on last year's trade despite the bigger offering of horses, while the clearance rate stood at 84%--also down 1% on last year.  The average fell by 7% to €28,781 and the median by 14% to €24,000. The Rabbah...

Quality came to the fore on day one of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale when one of only two Sea The Stars (Ire) colts on offer this week went the way of agent Billy Jackson-Stops and trainer George Scott for €130,000. The Castlebridge-consigned colt was one of five yearlings to break the six-figure mark on a day where an 86% [down 2% on 2023] clearance rate provided some encouragement to middle to lower tier operators. However, many of the key metrics dipped further, most notably the 17% drop in...

You cannot guarantee much when it comes to the yearling sales. But one thing is for sure, lot 206 will be the only horse offered at Part 1 of the Tattersalls September Yearling Sale that was raised on Polish grass.  Bartek Radzikowski admits that consigning the first Polish-reared yearlings at Tattersalls Ireland this week under the banner of Baroda Stud will help him fulfil a lifelong ambition and said that he hopes a good result in the ring could provide a springboard for his unorthodox pinhooking programme to grow. The...

Tattersalls Ireland has rightly earned a reputation as being a place where the younger brigade can prosper and Conor Mahon could well be the latest to play a star role at the September Yearling Sale this week.  Under his own Archersgrove Bloodstock, one of the newest consignments on the sales circuit, the 30-year-old will offer a Space Blues (Ire) filly and a Make Believe (GB) colt who were purchased as foals for €26,000 and €10,000 respectively.  Archersgrove Bloodstock is already up and running for the year. A combined £46,000 was...

It's about to be uber-busy season at Keeneland. The fall meet begins Oct. 4. But first there is the annual extravaganza that is the Keeneland September sale. That begins Sept. 9 and more than 4,000 horses are in the catalogue. The sale and the upcoming racing meet were among the topics of discussion when Keeneland CEO and President Shannon Arvin joined the TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. Arvin is expecting that this will be a strong sale. "The economic indicators so far are really good," she said. "We,...

The 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale released its catalog Tuesday with 4,396 horses set to go through the ring over 12 sessions. The sale will be held Monday, Sept. 9 through Saturday, Sept. 21 in Lexington, KY. "This time of year energizes Keeneland and our entire industry as we prepare to showcase an outstanding collection of quality yearlings and welcome many domestic and international horsemen and horsewomen to Lexington to participate in a vibrant marketplace unlike anything in the world," said Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin. "Having achieved some...

Tattersalls Ireland released its catalogue for the September Yearling Sale, which features 555 lots and takes place on Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 September, with Part II taking place on Thursday 26 September where 275 yearlings are catalogued. The €250,000 Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales Stakes has long been a feature of the sale, and will offer the connections of two-year-olds catalogued in the September Yearling Sale, the opportunity to compete at the 2025 Irish Champions Festival, with prize-money being offered to 10th place. The vendor of the winning horse...

Keeneland has catalogued 4,194 horses for its upcoming September Yearling Sale, which, for the third straight year, will begin with an elite two-session Book 1, followed by a two-session Book 2 from Sept. 11 through 14. The 12-session auction will include a dark day Sept. 15 and will then continue on through Sept. 23. "The September Sale combines a deep selection of quality yearlings at all price points with a history of producing horses that excel at the highest levels, making the auction a 'must attend' event for  buyers from...

The final two sessions of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale have been condensed into one day of selling and the auction will now conclude Sept. 24. This joint day of selling will offer Session 11 hips in the morning and Session 12 hips in the afternoon. In announcing the change, Keeneland said, "The adjustment will allow buyers to have a full day of yearlings to consider rather than two shorter sessions at the end of the sale, and generate a more vibrant market for all involved on Friday." The September...

I hope this note finds each of you well and healthy. During these uncertain times, every day presents a new set of challenges and surprises on both a personal and professional level. As we navigate this fluid situation together, we hope that these regular email communications covering both sales and racing provide helpful information to guide your decisions over the coming weeks and months. Thank you for the tremendous feedback following last week's newsletter. In this edition, we're taking the opportunity to address a few specific questions from you, our...