Tattersalls sale down again

Sheikhs Mohammed and Hamdan al-Maktoum and Irish-based Coolmore Stud remained on the buyers' list Tuesday at the Tattersalls October Book 2 yearling sale in Newmarket, England. But the sale still posted declines versus last year's figures.

Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell Estate Company purchased the session topper, a colt by Marju out of the Peintre Celebre mare What a Picture. The price was the equivalent of about $312,375. Meadowlands Stud consigned the colt.

Coolmore agent Demi O'Byrne and Sheikh Mohammed's representative John Ferguson each took home one yearling costing about $294,000. O'Byrne signed for a Compton Place colt out of Westwood, by Anabaa. Glenvale Stud was the consignor. Ferguson purchased a Refuse to Bend colt out of the Danehill mare Withorwithoutyou. Consigned by Parkway Farm, the colt is a half-brother to Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Art Connoisseur.

The Tuesday session sold 178 yearlings for about $11,426,493, down 46 percent from the gross for last year's significantly larger session, which sold 242 horses. But the average price also declined 27 percent to approximately $64,193. The median fell, too, by 13 percent to about $51,450. The buy-back rate increased from 15 percent to 26 percent.

The third and final session of the Book 2 sale was to take place Wednesday.