The Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Part 2 concluded on Saturday with 32 lots selling for 94,900 guineas taking the six day total for the sale to 850 yearlings sold for 12,993,100 guineas at an average of 15,286 guineas and a median of 8,500 guineas.

The leading purchaser over the six day sale was Blandford Bloodstock, whose two principals Tom Goffs and Richard Brown purchased 28 yearlings for 649,400 guineas. Leading vendor was Fiona Marner`s Kingwood Stud who sold 19 yearlings for 503,000 guineas.

At the conclusion of Part 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented;

"What a difference a year makes. We had the most extraordinary yearling sales season last year with records galore, but it has been a very different story this year. After a decade long period of growth we have seen the foal crops increase dramatically, and the sheer numbers are now taking their toll. The total spend on yearlings at Tattersalls over the last two weeks has been just over 65,000,000 guineas, a total only bettered twice, but this year the pot has had to be spread that much more widely. We have never catalogued such enormous numbers of yearlings with 240 more than last year, and a massive 36% (555) more than in 2002.

"These are sobering figures, and despite good demand for smart individuals in both Parts 1 and 2 of the Sale, and significant contributions from throughout Europe and further afield, the past two weeks have given all of us involved in the British and Irish bloodstock industry plenty of food for thought. The reality is that while the foal crops have been rising steadily we have been experiencing a period of relative economic stagnation, prize money levels have plateaued, interest rates are on the rise, the property market has slowed and oil prices have gone through the roof. Combine these dynamics with a British and Irish foal crop which has increased by nearly 2000 in the last two years, and it is little wonder that we have seen a correction in the market.

"On a positive note, overseas buyers, and in particular the prolific team of Greeks accompanied by our representative Chris Imirziadis, will be returning home with huge numbers of yearlings, and we still have the Autumn Horses in Training Sale and the December Sales ahead of us, both of which promise to attract their usual cosmopolitan gatherings. However, at their conclusion we will have to assess how best to tackle the issues associated with the record foal crops that lie ahead."