BREEZE-up sale season is in full flow and I was in Doncaster this week for the sale on Thursday which was preceded on Wednesday by the actual breeze-up. The place more than lived up to its moniker Sunny Donny and the breezes went seamlessly. Breeze-up is the most stressful segment of the market because, for many commercial operators, this is the last chance to exit ownership of an animal before it ceases to be a prospect and becomes a reality. While many horses are like a bottle of wine and will continue to improve with time, others are more like a bottle of milk, with little long term appeal beyond the sell-by date.

Breeze-up vendors are vital to the yearling market so the outcome of these is of greater importance than some breeders may realise. As for their annual profitability, the business is ultimately determined in much the same way as a game of golf; it is not how good the good shots are but how bad the bad shots are.