Weatherbys has published the 56th edition of the Bloodstock Sales Review — a must-have resource for those buying horses in all divisions of the market as well as breeders assembling their mating plans, whether flat or jumps.
The book provides a complete analysis of European bloodstock sales in 2020 for all foals, yearlings and older horses in Britain, Ireland, France, Germany and Italy. It also includes foals and yearlings either foaled in Europe or by European-based sires at the major auctions in North America and Japan.
The Bloodstock Sales Review also features comprehensive reviews of the year for Tattersalls, Goffs, Tattersalls Ireland and Arqana, as well as tables of leading sires of 2020 by yearling average, lists of the year’s dearest yearlings and foals, and a roll of top historical auction prices.
To mark the publication, Martin Stevens has compiled a top ten of the most profitable British and Irish-based yearling sires of last year. He has worked out each sires’ profitability index by dividing their 2020 yearling average by their covering fee of 2018, when the offspring in question were conceived.
10. Bungle Inthejungle
2020 yearling average: 16,866gns/€20,898
2018 covering fee: €5,000
Profitability index: 4.18
Current TRC Global Ranking: 413
Rathasker Stud’s precocious son of Exceed And Excel has earned significant respect as a solid source of pacey and precocious runners in his own image, including the Pattern-winning 2-year-olds Living In The Past, Rumble Inthejungle and Winter Power.
The most expensive of Bungle Inthejungle’s yearlings of 2020 was a full-brother to Lowther Stakes winner Living In The Past sold by Newlands House Stud to SackvilleDonald for £100,000 at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale held at Doncaster.
9. Cotai Glory
2020 yearling average: 20,622gns/€25,551
2018 covering fee: €6,000
Profitability index: 4.26
Cotai Glory is many people’s idea of a good bet to be leading first-season sire by number of winners in Britain and Ireland this year, as he is a sharp and speedy son of Exceed And Excel — a Molecomb Stakes winner like Bungle Inthejungle, in fact — and he is standing at the kingmaking operation of Tally-Ho Stud.
The highlights of his introductory yearling sales offering were the half-brother to last year’s top sprinting 2-year-old Supremacy, sold by Owenstown Stud to SackvilleDonald for 180,000gns at Tattersalls October Book 1 and a half-brother to smart sprinter Danielsflyer, sold by Mountain View Stud to SackvilleDonald again for 125,000gns at Book 2.
8. Starspangledbanner
2020 yearling average: 53,126gns/€65,823
2018 covering fee: €15,000
Profitability index: 4.39
Current TRC Global Ranking: 159
Starspangledbanner has led an eventful life: from landing G1 honours in his native Australia and emulating his sire Choisir to win at Royal Ascot, through suffering from subfertility in his early years at Coolmore but supplying Royal Ascot 2-year-old winners Anthem Alexander and The Wow Signal in his small first crop, to returning to Australia and then making a remarkable recovery from his fertility issues and covering full books back at Coolmore in Ireland.
Starspangledbanner’s best runners bred since his return to Ireland include the top-class 2-year-old fillies Aloha Star and Millisle, and buyers have been keen to add one by the sire to their teams. His most expensive yearling of 2020 was a half-brother to useful miler Kodiak West sold by Ballyhimikin Stud to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for 360,000gns at Tattersalls October Book 2.
7. No Nay Never
2020 yearling average: 96,667gns/€119,771
2018 covering fee: €25,000
Profitability index: 4.79
Current TRC Global Ranking: 71
No Nay Never, a G1-winning son of Scat Daddy standing at Coolmore, has emerged as one of Europe’s leading young sires in the wake of his first three European crops yielding a stonking 36 black-type performers headed by the top-level scorers Alcohol Free and Ten Sovereigns.
No Nay Never has consequently commanded a six-figure fee for the past three seasons, and it is because his yearlings of 2020 were the last conceived at the more affordable cost of €25,000 that vendors enjoyed such good returns.
The best profit margin of all was achieved by the half-brother to G3-winning sprinter Mince sold by Newsells Park on behalf of Waddesdon Stud to Ben McElroy/MV Magnier for 650,000gns at Tattersalls October Book 1.
6. Farhh
2020 yearling average: 46,763gns/€57,939
2018 covering fee: £10,000
Profitability index: 4.91
Current TRC Global Ranking: 146
Farhh, a G1-winning son of Pivotal, has grabbed breeders’ attention by siring a high concentration of classy runners from crops that are depleted in size due to subfertility. Weatherbys credits him with nine black-type scorers and 41 winners from just 83 starters since his progeny first graced racecourses in 2017, and his star performers include King Of Change, Dee Ex Bee and Far Above.
Because the supply of yearlings by the Dalham Hall Stud resident to the sales is so limited, and demand for them is so high, the sire achieves excellent average and median prices. His top seller in 2020 was the colt out of dual winner Flycatcher sold by Barton Stud to Jeremy Brummitt and Danny O’Brien for 130,000gns at Tattersalls October Book 2.
5. Mehmas
2020 yearling average: 41,356gns/€51,240
2018 covering fee: €10,000
Profitability index: 5.12
Current TRC Global Ranking: 159
Mehmas last year smashed the record for number of individual 2-year-old winners for a first-season sire, notching an incredible 56. There was quality as well as quantity in the crop too, as he supplied Middle Park Stakes hero Supremacy, Gimcrack Stakes winner Minzaal and listed scorers Acklam Express and Method.
Tally-Ho Stud raised the son of Acclamation’s fee to €25,000 for 2021, with good justification, and breeders who used him in his early years at cheaper fees can look forward to handsome profits.
The most expensive among the Mehmas yearlings of 2020, bred off a fee of €10,000, were a half-sister to G3 winner K Club sold by The Castlebridge Consignment to Hugo Merry for £330,000 at Goffs Orby and a colt out of Ashtown Girl sold by Cregg Stud to Blandford Bloodstock for 320,000gns at Tattersalls October Book 2.
4. Night Of Thunder
2020 yearling average: 79,793gns/€98,864
2018 covering fee: £15,000
Profitability index: 5.59
Current TRC Global Ranking: 71
Night Of Thunder has taken the bloodstock world by storm with his first two crops, delivering high winners-to-runners and black-type winners-to-runners strike rates. Headline acts by the Kildangan Stud-based son of Dubawi include G2 winners Auyantepui, Night Colours and Thunderous, as well as G1 runner-up Keep Busy.
Night Of Thunder is now priced at €75,000, but his third crop — last season’s yearlings — were conceived at a fee of just £15,000, so many breeders enjoyed big paydays for selling his stock. The most expensive of all was Pier House Stud’s colt out of the Anabaa Blue mare Surprise, knocked down to Shadwell Estate Company for 250,000gns at Tattersalls October Book 2.
3. Clodovil
2020 yearling average: 35,500gns/€43,984
2018 covering fee: €7,500
Profitability index: 5.86
Current TRC Global Ranking:174
Clodovil has been a grand servant to Maurice Burns and his clients since he retired to Rathasker Stud in 2004, siring high-class performers such as Es Que Love, Gregorian, Laugh Out Loud, Moriarty and Nahoodh. He may be approaching his twilight years, but he enjoyed one of his best seasons ever in 2020, when he was represented by Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Tiger Tanaka, Molecomb Stakes winner Steel Bull and Strensall Stakes scorer Certain Lad.
Clodovil’s three sole yearlings offered at auction last autumn, bred off a €7,500 fee, were consequently popular. Two sold at Tattersalls October Book 2 — a colt out of Top Act sold by Kildaragh Stud to Kilbride Equine for 50,000gns and another colt out of Lily’s Rainbow sold by Rathasker to Hamish Macauley and Kilbrew Stables for 21,000gns.
2. Sir Percy
2020 yearling average: 39,132gns/€48,485
2018 covering fee: £7,000
Profitability index: 5.87
Sir Percy was an admirably versatile performer in his own racing career, as an unbeaten G1 winner at two who was runner-up in the 2000 Guineas and successful in the Derby. His progeny record is similarly multifaceted, as illustrated in 2020, when his leading runners were narrowly-beaten St Leger runner-up Berkshire Rocco and Horris Hill Stakes runner-up Percy’s Lad.
The son of Mark Of Esteem has commanded a fee of £7,000 since 2015 and has consistently delivered his supporters good results in the ring. His 17 yearling offerings last year sold for an average of 39,132gns, boosted by two colts at Tattersalls October Book 2 who made 150,000gns — a half-brother to listed winner Le Don De Vie sold by Staffordstown to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock and a son of Willow Beck sold by Lynn Lodge Stud to Alex Elliott and Spicer Thoroughbreds.
1. Kingman
2020 yearling average: 356,017gns/€441,105
2018 covering fee: £55,000
Profitability index: 6.80
Current TRC Global Ranking: 13
Kingman was an outstanding champion on the track and the great success he has enjoyed with his early progeny suggests he could just be a champion sire of the future. Banstead Manor Stud’s son of Invincible Spirit has been responsible for 29 stakes winners from his first three crops, headed by the G1 victors Domestic Spending, Palace Pier and Persian King.
Kingman has been priced at £150,000 for the past two years, and his yearlings of 2020 were the last conceived at his introductory fee of £55,000. Vendors who had lots from that crop in their auction drafts last autumn were in clover, with 29 sold for an average of 356,017gns, led by the half-brother to Galileo Gold sold by Houghton Bloodstock to Oliver St Lawrence for 2,700,000gns.
French sires looking strong
Galileo and Shamardal no doubt also produced high profitability indices, but they are excluded from our top ten as they stood at private fees in 2018.
It is also worth noting there were some strong performances from sires who were based in France when last season’s yearlings were conceived.
Motivator led the way with a profitability index of 11.83, although that figure is skewed by the sale of one of his five yearlings, the full-sister to Treve, for €520,000. The other four made €28,000 or less.
Laudable profitability indices were also achieved by upwardly mobile names Whitecliffsofdover (7.48), Goken (7.30), Galiway (6.99), Wootton Bassett (5.39) and Attendu (4.97).
The Bloodstock Sales Review is available to buy here.
Contact Nick Craven, Weatherbys Communications Director, for more details: +44(0)7850 025835 / ncraven@weatherbys.co.uk