As the final notes of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale symphony were carried on the autumn breeze Sept. 20, the crescendo will have been a sweet tune for Simon Kerins and his team, as well as the vendors who supported the sale with a strong line-up.
A diverse orchestra came together to create an auction that was bustling with excitement and brimful of buyers, and that was reflected in a trade that never let up across two days of selling in Fairyhouse.
At the weekend the sale recorded 2-year-old winner number 104 from last year's renewal and in Dawn Charger the third group winner, and sixth individual successful at black type level to emerge from the 2022 catalogue.
That level of return on investment, in tandem with the work engaged in by the team at Tattersalls Ireland and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, attracted buyers from across Europe to Fairyhouse, from where horses were bought to race in Ireland, Great Britain, France, Italy, Norway, Spain, the Czech Republic, Poland, and the Middle East in addition to the strong contingent destined for breeze-up sales next spring.
The diverse buying bench of trainers and breeze-up consignors created sustained demand across the sectors and at all levels which led on Tuesday to the highest average and median for a single session in the sale's history of €32,287 and €30,000 respectively.
The score for a dramatic finale was being composed with a sale record median of €28,000 and at €30,995 the second highest average in the sale's history. Turnover of €12,522,000 was bettered only once in the record books, and that, like the average came at the 2021 renewal.
The second session of the sale was also on course to record the highest average in the sale's history at €29,521, with the median coming in strong at €26,000,
These statistics backed up the anecdotal evidence of busy barns, car parking spaces at a premium, and a bustling trade in coffees indicating that the health of trade was robust.
More than 60 yearlings sold for a minimum of €50,000 which was a little shy of last year's record-breaking figure of 70 but another indication of the buying power which fueled trade over the two days.
There were fewer six-figure lots than last year but the sale's top lot, at €190,000, exceeded the highest price returned at the 2022 renewal.
First-season sires are always of interest and the debut crop of Earthlight, Darley's Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes winner by the sublime Shamardal, made quite the impression at Tattersalls Ireland. The Prix de la Foret (G1) runner-up returned an average of €43,250 for eight sold in Part One, which was the best average of any stallion with more than five sold.
