Tattersalls median rises

England's Tattersalls auction house began its October yearling sales Tuesday with a session that looked similar to the recently concluded Keeneland September yearling auction, with a lower price at the market peak but an increase in the median price.

Tuesday's session-topper, a Montjeu colt bought by Coolmore chief John Magnier, brought 500,000 guineas, or about $1,065,750 at the day's exchange rate. That was well below last year's opening-day top price of 1.2 million guineas, but it reflected a trend seen earlier this fall at Keeneland after major market players Magnier and Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum of Darley avoided clashing over the same yearlings.

The underbidder for Tuesday's Tattersalls session-topper was not Maktoum, but rather a group of buyers from Kazakhstan represented by England-based trainer Marcus Tregoning. The colt, sold as Hip No. 185, is out of the Nashwan mare Millennium Dash. He came from the Meon Valley Stud consignment.

The session grossed about $31,009,062 for 126 yearlings, up 11 percent from last year's gross for 107 horses. The average price of about $246,103 was down 6 percent, but the $183,309 median was an 8 percent gain.