Tattersalls October yearling sale closes Book 2 with double-digit gains

England’s Tattersalls October yearling sale closed its Book 2 portion Thursday with double-digit gains, adding to confidence that the international yearling market could be rebounding.

The final Book 2 session ended Thursday in Newmarket with 206 yearlings bringing about $13,077,068, for an average price of around $63,481 and an approximate median of $44,793. For the entire three-day auction, 635 yearlings brought about $41,946,986.Tthat made for an average price of $66,058. The median was $49,770.

Compared year to year in guineas, the auction’s currency, the sale experienced strong gains, despite having a smaller catalog. The cumulative gross rose 14 percent to a record 25,284,500 guineas on the sales of 50 fewer yearlings than sold in Book 2 last year. Average price also jumped 23 percent, and median was up by 20 percent.

The buyback rate was 15 percent, down from last year’s 26 percent.

The Book 2 sale-topper was a 260,000-guinea Exceed and Excel colt out of the winning Bahri mare Temple of Thebes. The Hong Kong Jockey Club paid the equivalent of about $371,280 for the bay colt, whose family includes Grade 1 winner Fraulein and her son, Group 3-placed Mischief Making. He is a three-quarter-brother to American and English stakes winner Flashmans Papers.

The Tattersalls October yearling sale’s Book 3 portion, a one-day session, was to take place in Newmarket on Friday.