BOOK 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale is well used to setting records and the 2015 version did not disappoint. Yet another benchmark for turnover was achieved when a total of 82,744,500gns changed hands over three days.

With a larger catalogue than a year earlier, a small drop in the clearance rate of less than 1%, a record-equalling median and a decline of 5.7% in average, the overall assessment of the 2015 sale was one of success built on success. Six yearlings brought a million guineas or more and 37 blue-bloods sold for at least 500,000gns.

Four of the millionaires were sired by the multiple champion Galileo whose 17 yearlings during the week averaged 545,882gns, a mark only bettered by the 11 sons and daughters of his great rival Dubawi. His yearlings averaged 662,273gns and included the sale topping filly bought by M.V. Magnier for 2,100,000gns.

The list of leading buyers shows that the top 10 entities spent a total of 45,700,000gns and this represents 55% of the total amount spent over the three days. M.V. Magnier’s 10 lots averaged 888,500gns and his spend was just ahead of John Ferguson’s 8,400,000gns for 23 lots.

Richard Henry, head of Primus Advertising, was reinvesting in a family he knows well when Magnier made the winning bid of 2,100,000gns for a daughter of Dubawi out of the unraced Sadler’s Wells mare Loveisallyouneed. The dam was bred by Henry out of the exceptional matron Jude but sold to Newsells Park Stud a number of years ago.

Loveisallyouneed is a full-sister to the Irish 1000 Guineas winner Yesterday, the Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Quarter Moon and the classic-placed All My Loving, among others. Quarter Moon’s daughter Diamondsandrubies carried Roisin Henry’s colours to Group 1 success this year.

Hardly surprisingly John Ferguson had a keen interest in the Dubawi filly but he gave way when his bid of two million was countered by Magnier, and the hammer fell on the most expensive yearling sold in the world in 2015. Henry and his wife have raced a quarter of the 12 group winners on the catalogue page.

While the Dubawi was the sale highlight and the best of the lots on the middle day of the sale, M.V. Magnier had set off fireworks on the first day when he paid 1,300,000gns and 1,250,000gns respectively for a daughter and son of Galileo, all within the first two hours of trading.

First up was New England Stud’s offering of a daughter of A Z Warrior, a Grade 1-winning juvenile daughter of Bernardini. Her first foal Cole Porter has shown promise on all three starts to date and races for a partnership of Sue Magnier and Triermore Stud, the breeder. The Irish-based Triermore is owned by Christopher Hanbury and it was his nephew Peter Stanley who prepared the filly for sale. A Z Warrior cost $1,250,000 as a three-year-old at the Fasig Tipton November Sale in 2011.

Good day

There was another good day in the sales ring for Lodge Park Stud when they sold a son of Galileo and Alluring Park to Magnier for 1,250,000gns. The colt is an own-brother to the Oaks winner Was and to the record-priced yearling filly Al Naamah. The dam has a filly foal by Galileo that Damian Burns indicated will not be sold. Alluring Park is a half-sister to the champion New Approach.

M.V. Magnier completed his purchase of millionaire yearlings when he acquired a half-sister to Dutch Art’s Group 3 winner Ladys First for an even million. Ladys First sold last December for 1,800,000gns. The filly was offered from Clare Castle Stud.

A partnership between China Horse Club and Qatar Racing purchased the son of Galileo and Jacqueline Quest for 1,200,000gns, with David Redvers signing the docket. Disqualified after passing the post first in the 1000 Guineas, Jacqueline Quest has been faithful to Galileo since retiring to stud and this was another great success for Triermore Stud.

Meon Valley Stud has a long association with Tattersalls and their Oasis Dream colt out of Izzi Top was their highlight of the week. John Ferguson’s bid of 1,100,000gns secured the colt. Izzi Top was a Group 1 winner in Ireland and France, landing the Pretty Polly Stakes and Prix Jean Romanet and this is her first foal.

Teo Ah King’s China Horse Club has quickly become one of the world’s biggest players and among their other significant buys were a daughter of Dubawi for 900,000gns, a son of War Front for 775,000gns and a Frankel colt for 670,000gns. The Dubawi half-sister to two stakes winners was bred and sold by Corduff Stud. This is the best price the stud obtained for a produce of Badee’a who was bought for just 20,000gns by Joss Collins.

China Horse Club’s new War Front purchase is out of the Princess Margaret Stakes winner River Belle who also won a Grade 2 in the USA. Her stakes winners include the Grade 1 runner-up Strathnaver. Highclere Stud’s Frankel colt out of Model Queen is a half-brother to Group 1 winner Regal Parade and Michael Wallace signed for him.

Dark Angel’s rise through the ranks has been sensational and Yeomanstown Stud’s full-sister to Group 1 winner Mecca’s Angel and Group 3 winner Markaz was always bound to be popular. At 825,000gns it was Oliver St Lawrence who had the final say. The filly will race for Fawzi Nass and George Peckham will train her.

Newsells Park’s sensational week continued on Thursday when their Street Cry half-sister to Group 2 winner Secret Gesture topped the day at 800,000gns, with Charlie Gordon-Watson gaining the upper hand. Secret Gesture was disqualified after passing the post first in the Grade 1 Beverly D Stakes this year.

Tom Goff’s Blandford Bloodstock made its most expensive purchase of the week when spending 750,000gns for a son of Dubawi out of Alsindi. He is the first foal of his Group 3-winning dam and was the best of 26 lots sold from Highclere Stud. Liam Norris and William Huntingdon sold Shalaa last year and their only colt this year was a son of Oasis Dream out of Caphene. He was a 160,000gns foal but Roger Varian was forced to 750,000gns to secure him for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid.

Well bred

Few yearlings are as well bred as the son of Frankel and the three-time Group 1 winner Dar Re Mi. John Gosden trained her and he gave 750,000gns to buy her yearling for Al Shaqab Racing. The Lloyd Webbers sold the colt through their Watership Down Stud. Other noteworthy Frankel yearlings included Corduff Stud’s half-brother to Group 1 winner and sire Arcano at 700,000gns to Shadwell Estate, and Cheveley Park Stud’s son of the group-winning Pivotal mare Heaven Sent to Juddmonte at 620,000gns.

Another lot heading to Roger Varian is Newsells Park’s Dubawi half-brother to three stakes winners, notably the French Derby runner-up Best Name. Armando Duarte of A & E Bloodstock bid 725,000gns to buy him. This was also the price paid by M.V. Magnier for a Redoute’s Choice half-sister to Legatissimo. She was part of the Newsells Park consignment.

Camas Park Stud had two major sales to M.V. Magnier. The first was a son of Nathaniel at 675,000gns, a hefty increase on his foal price of 125,000gns. This was bettered when the Invincible Spirit own-sister to Ektihaam realised 700,000gns. She had been pinhooked for 90,000gns. Polly’s Mark was a dual stakes winner and her second foal, a daughter of Dubawi, found favour with John Ferguson at 700,000gns. She was sold on behalf of The Kathryn Stud by Bumble Mitchell.

A Sea The Stars half-brother to dual Group 1 winner Shareta repaid Barronstown Stud’s investment when selling for 650,000gns to Mayfair Speculators, bidding through Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock. The Nagles bought the mare, carrying this yearling, for €550,000. The same purchasers paid 600,000gns for New England Stud’s Galileo colt out of Crystal Valkyrie, again sold for Triermore Stud. This time they partnered with Coolmore in the purchase.

The Corduff week of excellence continued when Shawn Dugan bid 625,000gns for their Shamardal filly out of the Montjeu mare Red Bandanna. The Egans had purchased her as a foal for €145,000. Juddmonte Farms paid 600,000gns for a Nathaniel half-sister to Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes winner Spinning Queen, twice her foal price, while Shadwell bought the best yearling of the week by Exceed And Excel, giving 600,000gns for Carmel Stud’s half-brother to July Stakes winner Anjaal.

Edmond Mahony was upbeat at the sale’s conclusion. “From start to finish we have witnessed fierce global demand and, for the fourth year in a row, Book 1 has produced the highest priced auction yearling in the world. While the sale-topping Dubawi filly was an individual highlight, the real feature of the three-day sale has been the strength and depth to the demand, in particular at the top of the market.

“Six yearlings selling for seven figures matches last year’s record; there have been nearly 40 yearlings sell for 500,000gns or more; more than 150 breaking the 200,000gns mark, and equally importantly, there have been some spectacular pinhooking triumphs,” he added.