Tattersalls sale sets record

Boosted by big bids for Galileo’s progeny, including a $4.2 million colt, the Tattersalls October Book 1 sale broke a European record for gross sales and ended Thursday with upswings in gross and average price.

The sale-topper, auctioned Thursday at the last session in Newmarket, England, is a three-quarter-brother to 2007 Epsom Derby winner and European champion 3-year-old Authorized. It is also the family of recent Arc de Triomphe winner Solemia.

The Galileo colt, a March 12 son of the unraced Saumarez mare Funsie, went to Sheikh Fahad al-Thani of the Qatari royal family, said his bidding agent, David Redvers. The price in the local auction currency was 2.5 million guineas and made the Galileo colt the most expensive Thoroughbred yearling sold at public auction worldwide. It’s also the third-highest price ever for a European Thoroughbred yearling sale, according to Tattersalls. the Castlebridge Consignment sold the colt on behalf of Paul Makin.

Seven of the Book 1 sale’s top 10 prices were for Galileo yearlings, including the sale’s six most expensive horses. Coolmore, which stands Galileo, bought two of the Galileo yearlings, a $2,184,000 full sister to Grade 1 winner Together, and a $1,596,000 son of Irish champion mare Alexander Goldrun.

Book 1’s three sessions sold 418 yearlings for the equivalent of $104,332,200, for a $249,599 average. Compared year-to-year in guineas, the aggregate climbed 32 percent from last year, when 364 sold, while average increased 15 percent. The median was about $168,000 and was the same as at last year’s sale. The buy-back rate was 19 percent, the same as last year’s.

The Book 2 portion of the Tattersalls October yearling sales was to run Oct. 15-18.