THE commercial breeding industry appears to be in good stead if the opening day of the Goffs Premier Yearling Sale is anything to go by, with Wednesday’s opening session achieving a clearance rate of 86% and increases to both the average and median prices.

The 172 lots sold produced an average price of £45,326 – a 12% rise on last year’s equivalent on the same day – while the median rose by 13% to £34,000. Fifteen lots sold for six-figure sums, suggesting that the sale is on track to match last year’s total of 27. However, trade has so far failed to reach the £200,000 mark, which was reached on four occasions 12 months ago.