Prices mixed at Tattersalls

Topped by a $2,006,550 Green Desert colt, the three-day Tattersalls Houghton yearling sale produced mixed results at its opening session Tuesday in Newmarket, England.

Though gross revenue for the session dropped 18 percent from last year, the session held steady on average price and saw a sharp gain in the median price. The opener sold 32 yearlings for 8,158,000 guineas, or $12,591,873 on Tuesday's exchange rate, down from last year's guineas figure for 39 lots sold.

The average this year was $393,495, up slightly from last year. The median rose 31 percent to $262,395.

Demi O'Byrne bought the session topper, a son of the Shirley Heights mare Colorvista, for John Magnier and Michael Tabor from the consignment of Egon Weinfeld's Meon Valley Stud.

In the United States, two regional yearling markets - more susceptible to economic turmoil than England's boutique sale - also are under way this week, at Barretts in California and Fasig-Tipton Midlantic in Maryland.

As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, Fasig-Tipton's sale had entered its second day with a $100,000 Saint Ballado-Glorious Minstrel (The Minstrel) colt the early topper. Lisa Lewis, agent for Peter Karches, purchased the colt from Highclere, agent.

Monday's opener sold 183 yearlings, just 14 fewer than at last year's opening session, but saw gross revenue drop 32 percent to $2,920,100. The average price fell 27 percent to $15,957, and the median dropped 29 percent

to $7,500. First-session buy-backs were at 27 percent.

The session topper was a $150,000 Not for Love half-brother of Grade 3 winner Gin Talking bought by James Murphy from Litz Bloodstock Services, agent.

Across the nation at Barretts, the leader at 5 p.m. Eastern was a $50,000 Anziyan-Code Love (Lost Code) colt that Rollin Baugh, agent, purchased.