yearling sale review
Uncertain sales
“Although the results of the major 2020 European yearling sales were a success in the circumstances, they still represented a loss equivalent of some $60 million for vendors” Photography courtesy of the sales companies Statistics by Jocelyn de Moubray
A
FTER THREE YEARS of stability and a longer period during which the market’s shifts were relatively insignificant, the European yearling sales were upended by the COVID pandemic in 2020, writes Jocelyn de Moubray. At various moments during the year there was real fear that there would not be any bloodstock sales at all and so for the major sales to end up only 18 per cent down on aggregate on 2019 will be seen by many as a success. I find the best way to look at overall trends in the European market is to put all the figures into US dollars. In this way the fluctuations in the exchange between sterling
and the euro are evened out, and when you look at the list of leading buyers, who continue to account for around 40 per cent of the market, it is safe to assume many are doing their own reckoning in dollars rather than in the local currencies. The sales were, of course, different this year. Goffs was obliged to move the Orby, its flagship Irish sale, to Doncaster in England due to COVID-19 restrictions and Arqana had to change the format of its sales – it held sales in September and October rather than the usual August and October. It also had to compress the August Sale, V2 Sale and October sales into two sales, the Osarus September Sale was cancelled and some of those horses were added to an extended Arqana October Sale.
Anthony Stroud did little buying work for Godolphin until the yearling season moved to Tattersalls. At Newmarket he was busy throughout Book 1 and Book 2. Godolphin signed for 22 horses in Book 1, three in Book 2. Three lots went down to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock in Book 1, and 29 in Book 2
76
www.internationalthoroughbred.net
In order to make a comparison between 2019 and 2020 for the Arqana sales I have added 50 per cent of the Osarus 2019 September Sale to the
total of the Arqana August and October sales. Although the results of the major 2020 European yearling sales were a success
Photo: Tattersalls / Laura Green
