THE Tattersalls Ireland team are smiling this weekend following a week which saw a record €20 million spent at their three-day Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale. The previous record was closer to €13 million.

Part I of the sale returned a median price of €37,000. The previous record was €28,000 in 2023. A total of 25 horses made six figures. Almost as encouraging was Thursday’s Part II results, when the €10,000 median price was also comfortably a record.

To top it off, the clearance rate in Part I was 93% and Part II was 90%.

Speaking on Friday, Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins said the results justified the belief he and his team have had for many years in the sale’s potential. Asked to explain this week’s performance, he said: “Number one, we cut back numbers for Part I. We felt it was important to try and keep the numbers at 500.

“We’ve really worked hard with the vendors over a long period of time, probably a decade, convincing them to get behind the sale, that we felt we can get the buyers there if we keep the numbers tight and get a better type of yearling, which we did.

“The three Royal Ascot Group 1 winners this year was a huge bonus. I suppose people took notice, and then people who came back to the sale felt there was a really high standard of yearling on offer.

“We knew it was the best catalogue we ever had in terms of the quality of the horses, but never in our wildest dreams would we have thought we’d have broken the €20 million mark for the first time. It was phenomenal and we’re still on a high.

“Overall I’ve always felt that this sale had huge potential. The whole team has been beating the drum about it, that it could develop into a proper, proper sale. It happened this year and I think we can build on it. It was extraordinary to be part of it, very satisfying. All the team work hard and they were rewarded.”

Kerins acknowledged that there has been a general uplift in bloodstock sales results this year, which played a part at Fairyhouse too.

“There has been a general uplift but I suppose the level of uplift our sale experienced was probably unprecedented, without blowing our own trumpet too much.”

He does not anticipate much change to the format of the sale for next year but says a few more horses may be added to Part II. “ We had 165 on Thursday and we will definitely take more than that but we won’t lose the run of ourselves. It will remain a short one-day sale.

On the subject of active buyers this week, Kerins said: “We definitely had more overseas buyers, particularly in Part II. A huge influx of people arrived on Wednesday evening just for Part II.”

Kerins paid special thanks to Jaber Abdullah of Rabbah Bloodstock who spent almost €2 million on 27 yearlings in Part I. “There were others there from the Middle East too, and Americans as well, people we have never seen before.”

The Irish Thoroughbred Marketing team also came in for credit from Kerins.

Charles O’Neill, CEO of ITM, said: “There was a great international feel all week at the sale. A lot of Europeans and Americans were there for the first time. The Royal Ascot factor definitely helped, as did having sold winners to America. It was just a really good catalogue. The Italians, the Spanish, the Polish, they were all there from the start. The trade that developed over the first two days just continued into Part II.

“A lot of people could not buy in Part I so people had orders to fill. And a lot of the breeze-up people did not get the horses they wanted. I spoke to a good few that were hoping to buy five or six and only got one. So there’s still a huge demand out there for horses, and the vibes are very strong for Goffs.

“Big names, key players or their representatives will be there. We’re happy about that but we don’t know how much they are going to spend. From talking to the team, bookings are very, very strong. To get a hotel room now is very difficult. So we just hope it all leads through now to four days of top-class selling.”