The tidal wave that was the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale of 2022 trickled to an end at Park Paddocks the morning of Oct. 15 with the Book 4 session, where determined buyers who still had stables to fill and some money to spend combed through the remaining yearlings in search of an overlooked gem.

A rising tide lifts all boats and the extraordinary trade which has prevailed throughout the yearling sales season raised Book 4 to record-breaking heights.

Saturday saw 53 yearlings sold for a total of 319,000gns (US$334,950) which was a leap of 73% on the equivalent day last year and the highest-grossing renewal of the sale since 2007, when almost three times the amount of yearlings were sold.

The average price of 6,019gns ($7,103) was a record for the sale and an increase of 50 points on last year’s figure while the median grew by 67% to 5,000gns ($5,902) and was, once more, a new high. The clearance rate of 73% was up from 62% in 2021.

Buyers Out in Force for Highclere’s First Crop Sire

Saturday’s action was book-ended by the top two lots with Craig Lidster having to wait until ten horses from the end to secure the Land Force  filly from Natton House Thoroughbreds who received a perfectly timed pedigree update.

Her Lightning Spear  half sister Destiny’s Spirit had already won twice after the catalog was published and her victory at Haydock on Friday necessitated a third update to the pedigree, making her year-younger sister even more attractive to buyers.

Land Force

Lidster, who bought the filly for 23,000gns ($27,149), agreed that the late update added a few thousand to the bill.

“Her half sister’s win at Haydock yesterday (Friday) is probably why we had to pay a bit more for her but we really liked her. She is a nice model and a strong looking sort. We are buying horses that we think look like early sorts and she fits that.”

She is the second foal out of Ellen Gates who won over five furlongs on her final start at three, having finished in the runner-up position on four occasions. The daughter of Mayson  was bred by legendary jockey Willie Carson out of Mrs Greeley, a Mr. Greeley half sister to the Irish Derby (G1) and Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) winner Jack Hobbs , who was also bred by Carson at his Minster Stud.

Chairman Edmond Mahony ended the sale by reflecting on the extraordinary trade witnessed at Park Paddocks over the last ten days.

“This has been the most extraordinary Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. Book 1 set the ball rolling and it has rolled all the way through to the very end with more yearlings sold than ever before for the astounding sum of 199 million guineas.

“It has been a phenomenal show of strength from start to finish with buyers from throughout the world drawn to Tattersalls and the unique environment of Newmarket by the promise of outstanding yearlings presented by so many of the top breeders and consignors not only from Britain and Ireland, but from throughout Europe.

“The consistent support of the consignors for the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale is the key to its abiding reputation as Europe’s premier yearling sale and to see so many people so richly rewarded over the past two weeks has been wonderful.

“There is a huge amount of hard work and dedication involved in the journey from foaling to the October Yearling Sales at Tattersalls Park Paddocks and the results of the past two weeks are a tribute to all those involved at every level.

“The buyers come to Tattersalls in October confident that they will find quality yearlings to suit every budget which will go on to achieve great things on racecourses around the world and never before has this been so evident.

“The demand we have witnessed throughout the past two weeks has been truly global and above all it reflects the enduring appeal of the sport of horse racing which captivates so many people throughout the world and brings so many buyers to Newmarket and the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale year after year.”