THE announcement, half an hour in advance of the sale starting at 10am, that the ice-cream man had arrived on site, prefaced a day of sizzling trade at the inaugural Somerville Yearling Sale at Newmarket.

It was both an inaugural sale, and a rebranding of an existing sale, having started life in 2017 as the Tattersalls Ascot Yearling Sale. Moved last year to Park Paddocks, something that found favour with vendors and purchasers, it was decided to retain it there for 2021. Hence the same venue and the new name.