Britain and Ireland’s 11-time champion sire Galileo achieved the highest average and median prices for his yearlings than any other stallion in 2020. In all, 11 colts and 12 fillies by the Coolmore phenomenon sold for an average of 652,904gns (€808,948) and median of 305,000gns (€377,895).
Galileo was also represented by the most yearlings who sold for 1 million guineas or more in 2020, with four. They were headed by the filly out of Shastye, therefore a full-sister to Group 1 winners Japan and Mogul, who was offered by Newsells Park Stud at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and bought by MV Magnier for 3,400,000gns.
Progeny of Dubawi, Darley’s brilliant source of 44 Group/Grade 1 winners, were also immensely popular at the yearling sales of 2020. He had 14 colts and ten fillies sell for an average of 488,652gns (€605,440) and median of 287,207gns (€355,850), led by the colt out of Cushion, a Grade 3-placed daughter of Galileo and Attraction, who was sold by Floors Stud to Godolphin for 2,100,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
Banstead Manor Stud-based Kingman, one of the rising stars of the European stallion scene, delivered the third-best average yearling price of any sire in 2020. He had 15 colts and 14 fillies sell for an average of 356,017gns (€441,105) and median of 177,563gns (€220,000). Most expensive of all was the half-brother to 2,000 Guineas hero Galileo Gold bought by Oliver St Lawrence Bloodstock for 2,700,000gns from the Houghton Bloodstock draft at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
It was Kingman’s Banstead Manor studmate Frankel who mustered the third-best median yearling price among his peers in 2020, though. The unbeaten dual world champion was the sire of 20 colts and 18 fillies who sold for a median of 185,317gns (€229,607) and average of 317,627gns (€393,540). Frankel’s top-seller was the half-sister to Derby and Arc victor Golden Horn who was offered by Norelands Stud at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and bought by Godolphin for 2,000,000gns.
Rounding out the top five best-selling stallions in 2020 was Sea The Stars, whose son Stradivarius gained his third Gold Cup in June. Some 25 colts and 27 fillies by the Gilltown Stud-based world champion were sold at the yearling sales for an average of 201,888gns (€250,139) and median of 147,639gns (€182,925).
The best average and median prices among those sires represented by their first crops at the yearling sales of 2020 belonged to Almanzor, the Prix du Jockey Club and Anglo-Irish Champion Stakes winner who stands at Haras d’Etreham. The son of Wootton Bassett had 25 colts and 20 fillies sell for an average of 92,536gns (€114,653) and median of 75,000gns (€92,925).
The Coolmore duo of Churchill and Caravaggio were also among the most popular freshmen at the yearling sales. Churchill, a champion two-year-old and dual 2,000 Guineas winner by Galileo, had 46 colts and 27 fillies sell for an average of 82,543gns (€102,271) and median of 62,000gns (€76,818), while crack sprinter Caravaggio, by Scat Daddy, had 37 colts and 31 fillies sell for an average of 75,137gns (€93,094) and median of 61,905gns (€76,700).
An interesting performer among the first-crop yearling sires was Ulysses. The Coral-Eclipse and Juddmonte International winner, by Galileo out of Light Shift, is scheduled to stand at Cheveley Park Stud for just £10,000 in 2021 and yet in 2020 he achieved strong average and median prices of 61,974gns (€76,786) and 41,000gns (€50,799) for 29 colts and nine fillies sold.
There was considerable clamour for the second-crop yearlings by New Bay, Goken and Mehmas in the wake of those sires’ debut two-year-olds shining on the track. Ballylinch Stud’s New Bay had 18 colts and 17 fillies sell for an average of 64,133gns (€79,461) and median of 30,000gns (€37,170); Haras de Colleville-based Goken had only two colts and two fillies sell but they achieved an average of 48,478gns (€60,064) and median of 53,373gns (€66,129); and Mehmas, Tally-Ho Stud’s wunderkind who broke the record of individual first-crop two-year-old winners in October, had 38 colts and 33 fillies sell for an average of 46,109gns (€57,129) and median of 25,000gns (€30,975).
The Bloodstock Sales Review Part 1* contains yearlings sold at public auction in Europe, and those by European based sires sold at major auctions in North American and Japan.
Copies of the Weatherbys Bloodstock Sales Review 2019 Part 1 can be purchased through the Bettrends online shop: https://bettrendsshop.co.uk/bloodstock-sales-review-part-1-2020/
Alternatively please contact: Lauren Beetson +44 (0)1933 440077 [email protected] or in Ireland Annette Doyle +353 (0)45 879979 [email protected]