The Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale more than lived up to expectations last week with an impressive set of final figures and this pivotal auction represents a suitable starting point for this week.

The six-day sale is an excellent barometer for the health of the National Hunt industry and this year’s returns make for very heartening reading. An overall aggregate of just under €13.9m was a 15% progression on last year while the average of €15,991 was a new sale record. Similarly the €11,500 median represented a new high for this sale while it was very encouraging to see the clearance rate climb five points to 73%.

Over two thirds of the sale was given over to foals and trade in this sector was the strongest it has been for at least a decade. All key indicators in this category illustrated that demand for young National Hunt stock was running well ahead of last year.

The number of foals to make at least €30,000 improved from 78 to 118 and there were 18 lots who made at least €60,000 compared to seven last year.

Indeed one only has to go back to the 2015 to see that there were just two foals to make €60,000 or more.

Interestingly, the top of the foal market, which was once the preserve of those buying to race, is now dominated by pinhookers with racing interests playing a more low key role nowadays.

All this bodes well for the National Hunt market but what is essential for the industry is that foal crop numbers do not start to surge ahead of their current levels on the back of these impressive returns.

Top lot

The week’s top lot was the quality mare Airlie Beach who was sold in foal to Mount Nelson and was bought by John Flood, acting for a client of Boardsmill Stud, for €140,000. Airlie Beach was a Grade 1 winner last season while she also won at Listed level on the flat.

The sale’s top priced foal was a Shantou own-brother to the Cheltenham Bumper winner Briar Hill and he was bought by Richard Rohan, for a client of Ballincurrig House Stud, for €80,000. The highest priced filly foal was a €70,000 daughter of Soldier Of Fortune who was bought for a racing career in France.

Fact file

New record: The average of €15,991 was a new sale record.

Progress: An overall aggregate of just under €13.9m was a 15% progression on last year.

Top lot: Airlie Beach who was sold in foal to Mount Nelson for €140,000.

Irish pointers cause a stir in Cheltenham

There was another tremendous sale in the offing last Friday evening with the Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale playing host to some amazing trade for young point-to-pointers and form horses. It is early days to be talking about next summer but sales like this can only help to boost the various flagship store sales that will take place in May and June next year.

Some red hot trade produced 14 six-figure transactions and the 41 lots sold generated an aggregate of just over £3.7m which was a stunning 82% progression on 2016.

An average of £90,537 grew by some 37% while the median went from £50,000 to £60,000.

The top lot was Sean Doyle’s Know The Score, a four-year-old son of Flemensfirth who looked very good in winning a recent point at Ballinaboola. He cost English trainer David Pipe £380,000.