Weatherbys has published the 59th edition of the Bloodstock Sales Review — a must-have resource for those purchasing horses in all sections of the market, as well as breeders putting together their mating plans, whether Flat or National Hunt.
The book provides a complete analysis of European bloodstock sales in 2023 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.
Furthermore, the Bloodstock Sales Review features comprehensive overviews of the trading year for Tattersalls, Goffs, Tattersalls Ireland and Arqana, as well as tables of the leading sires of 2023 by yearling average, lists of the year’s most expensive yearlings and foals, and a roll of top historical auction prices.
To mark the publication of the book, we compiled a top ten of the most profitable British and Irish-based yearling sires of last year.
We have worked out each sires’ profitability index by dividing their 2023 yearling average by their covering fee of 2021, when the offspring in question were conceived.
In second place...
Sioux Nation
2023 yearling ave: 55,676gns/€66,060
2021 covering fee: €10,000
Profitability index: 6.61
Sioux Nation, a Group 1-winning son of Scat Daddy who stands under the Coolmore banner, covered a smaller book in the traditionally difficult third season at stud. But he has since established himself as a highly exciting young sire, getting tough Group 3 winners Brave Emperor and Matilda Picotte and decent strike-rates from his first two crops, and so breeders who kept the faith with him were well rewarded at the 2023 yearling sales.
His 30 lots who changed hands did so for an average of 55,676gns (€66,060), with five making six-figure sums. Cathy Grassick and Joseph O'Brien dug deepest for one of the sire’s third-crop yearlings, going to €310,000 for a half-sister to Listed scorer Son Of Corballis at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale.