EVEN though prices at the head of the market couldn’t quite match last year, the latest renewal of the Tattersalls Ireland August National Hunt Sale concluded with its best set of returns for several years, to complete a heartening few months for the store market.

Over the two days, 383 horses sold for an aggregate in excess of €3.7m, which represented a 25% increase on last year. The average of €9,839 finished 19 points ahead of last year and the €6,500 median represented a progression of 30 points.