#UK RACING: FRANKEL COLT SELLS FOR US$2.3 MILLION

A Book 1 at the Tattersalls Sale (Newmarket, England)   for the ages concluded Oct. 6 with five more seven-figure lots and a top price of 2,000,000gns (US$2,386,692) as unprecedented trade saw previous records in all key market metrics blown clear out of the water.

A staggering 126,671,000gns (US$151,162,331) was spent across the three sessions, which is not only a 47% year-on-year increase but a 19% gain on the previous best, which was set in 2018 when turnover hit 106,503,000gns (US$127,094,929).

Day 3's top lot was knocked down to Richard Knight, bidding on behalf of an undisclosed client, who went to 2,000,000gns for the Frankel  colt offered by Watership Down Stud, consignor of Wednesday's 2,800,000gns ($3,367,284) headline act (Lot 221).

The blue-chip youngster was bred by Bjorn Nielsen from Bold Lass, a daughter of Sea The Stars  who won four times during her own racing career. Her first foal and only runner to date is the listed-placed Speightstown   filly Amniarix.

Bold Lass is out of My Branch, who won a brace of listed contests and also finished a narrow runner-up to Blue Duster in the 1995 Shadwell Stud Cheveley Park Stakes (G1). She bred eight winners at paddocks, including Stanleybet Sprint Cup (G1) heroine Tante Rose . Another daughter, Rosie's Posey, is the dam of the group/grade 1 winners Dubawi Heights  and Make Believe , who is also the sire of Mishriff .

The second session of Book 1 became the highest-grossing day in European auction history as 144 sold lots brought a turnover of 49,545,000gns ($59,124,328). A flurry of earlier activity ensured Day 3 began in a similar fashion and Knight reflected on the strength of trade by saying: "This is the best catalog of individuals we've seen at any yearling sale this year. The yearling sales have been very strong so far and we've come here and they've got the best individuals, so it's no surprise at all that it's been such an amazing sale."