AHEAD of the yearling sales, Goffs, Tattersalls Ireland and Horse Racing Ireland have clarified the criteria around eligibility for their two-year-old sales races and auction races respectively.

Henry Beeby of Goffs said: “All horses catalogued and offered for the Goffs Orby Sales are eligible for the Goffs Two Million Series, once the relevant entry fees are paid.”

Simon Kerins of Tattersalls Ireland said: “With our Super Auction Sales Stakes, eligibility is for horses either sold in the ring (private sales do not make a horse eligible for an auction race) or bought in/ knocked down to vendor either at our September Yearling Sale or the yearling section of the Sapphire Sale.”

He added: “A ‘not sold’ does not allow eligibility for any type of auction race, neither does a private sale (unless it was previously bought in/vendored in the ring. However, the price reflected for weight purposes will be reflective of the bought-in price, not the private sale price.)

A spokesperson for Horse Racing Ireland told The Irish Field: “Horses sold privately after the fall of the hammer are not eligible for the Tattersalls Ireland race. There is a good reason for this as it encourages transparency in the ring and gives all potential buyers the same opportunity. However, it can lead to confusion when a purchaser buys a horse privately after the fall of the hammer, pays the commission, and discovers later that the horse is not eligible for the sales race.”

HRI publishes the full criteria for its series of auction races on its website.

It lists all the eligible sales and states that “any sale conducted outside the sales ring (private sale) will not be considered to qualify the horse for an auction value.”