ABUNDANT (below) headed to Newbury on the 19th September to win the Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise Handicap over 1 mile. Sean Levey made all to keep his head in front throughout the race, and he won by 1 and 1/2 lengths. The three year old gelding was purchased at the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze Up Sale for £42,000, and is proving to be a successful purchase, with this being his third win so far, after also placing 5 times overall.

One To Watch

PERFECT HOPE (above) ran twice this month, finishing second both times. She ran at Leicester on the 8th September over 7 furlongs, and was leading 1 furlong out, but missed out on the win by just over a length. Perfect Hope then went to Wolverhampton on the 18th September also over 7 furlongs, where she had a very close finish to come 2nd by only a nose. With this being her 3rd time placing, she is becoming a very exciting filly for her owners; The Pall Mall Partners and Mildmay Stud. They look forward to seeing her racing and it will not be long until she gets rewarded with a win!  

This series will be looking at various different topics over the next few months and focusing on a wide range of industry news as well as interesting racehorse-specific subjects. If you have any suggestions for the series or if there is something that you would like to know more about, then please do let us know by emailing [email protected]

The yearling sale season is well underway, where more than 5,000 yearlings will be going through the ring across the UK and Ireland between August and October, and thousands more being offered at sales around the world. Buying a yearling is about much more than just watching a horse enter the sales ring and deciding whether you like the look of it, the work starts weeks - and often months - before the hammer falls.

Before the Sale: For both vendors and purchasers, the process starts well before the sales start. The horses will come in to be prepped approximately 10 weeks before the sale they are aiming for, and trainers and bloodstock agents will begin looking through catalogues as soon as they are released. Every page is studied, with particular attention paid to the horse’s pedigree. Buyers will assess the sire and dam, the dam’s previous offspring, and what they have achieved on the racecourse. They will also consider the wider family and whether the pedigree suggests the horse has the potential to develop into the type of racehorse they are hoping to produce. From the catalogue, buyers will create an initial shortlist of horses they want to see at the sale. Unlike horse in training sales, there is no racecourse form to assess with a yearling. Instead, buyers will try to predict what the horse could become, based on its breeding, physical development, conformation and movement.

The First Inspection: The yearlings will usually arrive at the sales complex a few days before they are due to go through the ring. This gives prospective buyers the opportunity to inspect them, often several times, before deciding if they are worth pursuing. Conformation is a particularly important part of the assessment. There are many different features that can contribute to good conformation, and every experienced trainer or bloodstock agent will have their own preferences and things they particularly look for. The aim is to find a horse that has the physical make-up to carry muscle, develop into its frame, and withstand the physical demands of training. Poor conformation can affect how a horse moves and distributes its weight, which can potentially increase the risk of injury and affect athleticism and performance. However, no horse is perfect. Every yearling will have it’s strengths and weaknesses, and buyers have to decide which faults they are prepared to accept and which present too much risk. Budget is another important consideration. A horse may tick all the boxes physically and on pedigree, but every buyer has a limit on what they are prepared to pay.

Watching Them Walk: Movement is another key part of the inspection. Buyers will watch the horse walk from both sides, as well as toward and away from them, looking at how freely and naturally they move. This can give an indication of the horse’s athleticism, balance and way of going, and allows the buyer to assess the horse alongside what they have already seen from its pedigree and conformation. For a trainer, it is about putting all of these pieces together and deciding whether the horse in front of them looks like it has the potential to become the racehorse they are looking for.

The Vetting: If a horse makes it through the initial inspections and remains on the short list, the next stage is the veterinary examination. The level of veterinary investigation can vary between horses and purchasers. Some yearlings will have already had X-Rays and endoscopic examinations before the sale, while some prospective buyers will want their own vet to carry out further examinations or repeat imaging.

Deciding What They Are Worth: After all of the inspections, the shortlist will become much shorter. The prospective buyer will then decide how much they think each horse is worth and how far they are prepared to go in the bidding. This is where all the work done before the sale becomes particularly important. The aim isn’t simply to find a horse that you like - it is to find a horse that you believe represents good value at the price you are willing to pay.

And then comes the exciting part…

Into the Sales Ring: Once the horse enters the ring, the bidding begins. The final price is ultimately determined by other buyers in the ring, so even if a horse is high on a buyer’s list, there has to be a point when they are prepared to walk away if the price goes beyond what they believe the horse is worth. For the successful purchases, however, the fall of the hammer is only the beginning. 

From Sale ring to Racecourse: Once a yearling has been purchased, there is still a long journey ahead before it becomes a racehorse. The horse will be backed to be ridden shortly after the sale, and come into training when it is ready to do so, working towards its first day at the races. It is this potential that makes buying yearlings so exciting; at the point of purchase, nobody knows what the future holds and the aim is to identify horses that have the ingredients to develop into potential racehorses. 

We have been busy at the sales, and have purchased 2 yearlings already, both at Tattersalls Ireland. Should you be interested in enquiring about either these yearlings please get in touch; [email protected]

Kameko Ex Khatiba Colt

Gleneagles Ex Miss Invisible Colt

There are still more sales to come, and Tom and Alex will be there looking for Whitehouse Stables’ next recruits! There are lots of different ways to get involved, so if you are interested in racehorse ownership, or being part of a syndicate or partnership, please don’t hesitate to get in touch to discuss the different options available. Keep an eye out for our yearling catalogue which we will be releasing digitally and physically after the main yearling sales have finished. 

The dates for this year’s remaining sales are:

6th - 8th October - Tattersalls Yearlings Book 1

12th - 14th October - Tattersalls Yearlings Book 2

15th - 16th October - Tattersalls Yearlings Book 3 & 4

20th - 23rd October - Arquana Deauville October Yearlings

23rd November - Tattersalls December Yearling Sale

Meet The Team

September’s interviewee is Matt (pictured above), who is our travelling head lad and has worked for Tom for over 4 years. 

Who is your favourite horse in the yard?

Shady Bay

If you had a super power, what would it be?

I already have the power of invisibility…

If you weren’t in racing, what would be your dream job?

I have no idea really, but maybe something like product development for a fishing tackle company.

What would be your entrance song?

Clearwater Revival by Creedence

What is your favourite takeaway?

Domino’s

If you had a fully paid trip to anywhere, where would you go?

Either a fishing trip down the Amazon River, or carp fishing on a big wild alpine lake

What is your favourite racing memory?

Riding my first winner as an apprentice!

At Whitehouse Stables we have a selection of different ownership options to suit everyone’s budget. This could be the purchase of a horse outright, or maybe even a smaller share.

Please see below a selection of horses on offer at the moment - head to our website or email [email protected] for more information or to register your interest.

This is an exciting four year old mare by the proven National Hunt sire Scorpion, who came to us having won her most recent point-to-point, on just her third start. Sam Smoke boasts an excellent jumping pedigree; her dam, Theatre Belle, was a four time winner over hurdles, while Sam Smoke is a half-sister to four winners over hurdles and fences. With stamina and jumping ability firmly in the family, she has all the attributes to develop into an exciting staying mare.

Shares are now available, so if you would like the opportunity to get involved with this progressive young mare, please get in touch. The price includes a 10% stake in the horse, training fees and all racing expenses.

£5,900 per share (all in until May 1st , 2027)

or

£4,200 per share (until Dec 1st, 2026) with a top fee of £1,700 (due thereafter)

50% remaining.

We purchased Galileo Island at the July Sale in Newmarket for 34,000gns. In this market he was incredible value in comparison to horses rated in a similar band. He is a lightly raced three-year-old with incredibly strong form. He is a horse we took on a few times last year with our 2 year-olds, and he always showed a solid level of consistency.

Having only run 11 times; winning twice, and finishing in the top three eight times, this horse looks to be a fun prospect with a bright future.

Tom’s comments;

“We purchased him as a colt, and subsequently decided to geld him whilst he had a nice recuperation break at Jamie Magee’s. Gelding a horse like him is likely to bring out even more improvement, and based on his current level of form he will be racing in some valuable handicaps in the second half of this season. I feel he is worth stepping up in trip (from 7f to 1m) especially taking into account his pedigree. This will also give us more race options.”

50% Share - £20,108

25% - £10,054

*Price includes purchase & sales fees, transport & keep until week of  27th July. He is now in training and holds an entry at Yarmouth on Monday 5th October!