by Carl Evans

Another remarkable day’s trade in Newmarket on Wednesday saw healthy figures for the second session of book one of the Tattersalls Timeform Millions October yearling sale.

Maybe buyers had accurately predicted the United States’s Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank would cut interest rates by 0.5%, but they certainly did not seem to wear the cloak of uncertainty that has affected other yearling sales this season.

Total receipts on Wednesday of $31,991,010 (17,428,000 guineas), average price of $219,117 (119,370 guineas), and median price of $157,862 (86,000 guineas), along with a clearance rate of 82% and healthy pinhooking results confounded cynics’ predictions for this sale, conducted amidst a global financial crisis. Compared with the corresponding session last year, total sales were up 10.3% and average price was down 0.3%.

The day’s most valuable commodity proved to be a Montjeu (Ire) colt, who sold for $1,193,146 (650,000 guineas). The colt was offered by Caroline Green’s Templeton Stud on behalf of Marcel and Sibille Egloff of Switzerland’s Gestut Sohrenhof. The Egloffs bought the colt’s dam, Vanishing Prairie, by Alysheba, for $353,750 at Tattersalls in 1994.
 
“I haven’t sold yearlings on my own for eight years, and that’s a fantastic way to get started again,” Green said.

 “I’ve looked after yearlings for the Egloffs for a number of years. This colt was very nice and his dam is fantastic.”

John Ferguson, who was frequently accompanied to the ring by his boss, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, was the day’s leading buyer.

Ferguson purchased 16 horses for $5,479,296 (2,985,000 guineas), an average of $342,455 (186,562 guineas), including a Pivotal filly for $917,805 (500,000 guineas), the session’s highest-priced filly. 

The bay filly, consigned by Barouche Stud, is out of the Rainbow Quest mare Zibilene, who is a half sister to classic winner and sire Barathea (Ire) and classic winner Gossamer, dam of Group 1 winner Ibn Khaldun.

Fillies by Montjeu and Pivotal brought the day’s third-highest prices of $743,244 (400,000 guineas(.

Trainer Paul Cole bought the Montjeu filly out of Blue Symphony, by Darshaan, on behalf of Dubai-based Jim and Fitri Hay. The filly is a half sister to Fantasia, runner-up in the Meon Valley Stud Fillies’ Mile (Eng-G1) on September 27 at Ascot.

 “She looks tough and she’s a superb mover, and there’s depth in her pedigree,” Cole said of the bay filly, who was consigned by Highclere Stud.

The Pivotal filly out of Alstemeria (Ire), by Danehill, was consigned by Bill Dwan’s Castlebridge and bought by Ruairi O’Coileain of Ennistown Stud in Ireland’s County Meath.

O’Coileain has enjoyed success with Group 1 winner Saoirse Abu, a Mr. Greeley filly he bought for $260,000 at the 2006 Keeneland September yearling sale.

Book one concludes Thursday with the third session.

For hip-by-hip results, click here.