Thursday's Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sale was a sedate affair, with the number of six-figure sales dropping from eight to three, but the two top prices were higher than last year’s peak.

They both also provided their consignors with impressive returns on their yearling prices – no easy feat this year, given the strength of the 2025 yearling sales and the declining figures of the 2026 breeze-up sales.

Eddie Linehan also took a gamble when investing in first crop sire Minzaal, but it paid off in spades, as he resold his £30,000 buy for 240,000gns. Richard Brown made a strong play for the colt but eventually conceded to Georgia King, who was taking instructions over the phone from trainer Richard Spencer.

“It’s for a new partnership within Rebel Racing, Phil Cunningham and Tim Gredley, to be trained by Richard Spencer,” King explained. “We’re delighted to get him, and the aim is to hopefully have him run at Royal Ascot.

“Richard and I came this morning to look at him and then Richard was away at Kempton today, seeing Wild Thoughts win again. I was left to do this, the first horse I’ve ever bought! It was quite nerve-wracking, but Richard and Phil were on the other end of the phone. I’ve recently started working with them and it’s a great yard, so we’re all delighted.”

Eddie Linehan’s nerves have never been tested by the Minzaal colt, if his comments are anything to go by. “I’ve been very strong on this horse for a while and always felt he could do something like that here,” he said.

“In the last six weeks since we started stepping him up, he’s been very impressive and we’ve just been trying to mind him. He did a piece of work at the Curragh and I saw all I needed to know.

“He was owned between myself and Mick Murphy of Longways – we both landed on him at the yearling sale and bought him privately together for £30,000.”

The second highest-priced horse of the sale transformed from a €12,000 yearling to a 200,000gns breezer. Anthony Stroud was the latest to buy the Ten Sovereigns colt, who was consigned by Drummona House Stud and was bought by Kevin Blake as a yearling for €12,000.

Bred by the late John Connaughton out of a Giant’s Causeway half-sister to Coronet, he became the third six-figure breezer so far this season by his exported sire.

After outbidding the likes of Stuart Boman, Ted Durcan, Middleham Park Racing, Tom Biggs and Richard Brown, Stroud commented: “This is an extremely nice horse. He did a very good breeze in difficult, windy conditions. He is for a client and plans are to be confirmed.”

Colin Bargary and his wife Aušra know all about the importance of clients, as their Drummona House Stud is predominantly a breaking and pre-training operation, with clients including Joseph O’Brien.

“It is an absolutely fantastic result for the whole team,” Bargary said of Thursday’s sale. “It’s not often that this happens and the stars aligned. He breezed well, came back sound and jumped through all of the hoops.

“We are over the moon. We’ve been well-rewarded for what we think is a nice horse. We were delighted to get the opportunity to breeze him.

“When he came in, he was super easy to break, he has a super temperament, a beautiful walk, and just kept strengthening the whole way through the prep, taking everything in his stride. He came here today and did everything right again.

“You are riding out in the rain and the wind during the winter and you are dreaming of this, but never think it will be you, it is magic."

Kevin Blake added: “Everything worked out, I thought he was a beautiful colt as a yearling and was fortunate to buy him at the money we did, but sometimes your numbers come up.

“I normally put them in training, but I breezed a couple last year and liked the experience and so sent this fella down to Colin – I have known him and wife Aušra for a long time and they are nearly neighbours, great horse people, professionals and have a great temperament for the job.”

Richard Brown endured a frustrating afternoon, underbidding the two top lots, but fellow Blandford Bloodstock agent Stuart Boman enjoyed a more fruitful time, securing an American Pharoah colt from Tom Whitehead’s Powerstown Stud for 125,000gns.

As detailed in last week’s sale preview, Blandford did well out of last year’s sale, particularly with horses sent to Joseph O’Brien, and it’s he who will train the American-bred chesnut.

“He is a lovely colt,” the agent stated. “I have had luck buying from Tom [Whitehead] at this sale before - we bought Lark In The Mornin.

“He has loads of quality, he did a very good breeze and I rated him my number one. He is Chesham eligible - I am not saying he will go there, but we have a few ideas in mind.

“I think the price was fair enough, the consignors have got to get rewarded for these sorts of horses. I think people are starting to realise that the world is not ending and in fact, a lot of people have made a lot of money.”

Whitehead, meanwhile, said of the $50,000 yearling: “He is a May 10th foal, so that is why he has come to this later sale. He is a middle-distance horse too, and in time he will be a lovely horse. He has a lovely pedigree, too. There was a lot of action, there was a lot of vets on him.”

Later that afternoon, Boman went to 75,000gns for a Harry Angel filly, which is also joining the Joseph O’Brien yard. Blandford Bloodstock’s spend of 265,000gns on four horses was only outdone by Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah, who bought eight juveniles totalling 371,000gns.

Unfortunately, the only figures to grow year on year at the sale were the number of horses catalogued, withdrawn and unsold. The median suffered the greatest drop of 33% to 22,000gns – the lowest since 2016.

Turnover fell by 24% to 3,832,000gns and the average price dropped by 17% to 32,752gns. The clearance rate, thankfully, did not decline by as great a margin, dropping four points to 75%.