A €67,000 yearling colt by Robin Des Champs held sway as the 2016 Irish sales season got underway earlier this week with the one day Tattersalls Ireland February National Hunt Sale which posted a mixed set of returns.

This was a largely low key day’s trade and, while advances were made in several areas, the clearance rate dropped sharply from 70 to 58%. This underlined the selective nature of a market where supply has outrun demand.