The first European breeze-up sale will be held at Ascot on Wednesday 6th April where over 100 unraced 2-year-olds will be offered for sale – this is the breeze-up sale that The Wow Signal came from.

For those who don’t know, the breeze-up sales are where potential purchasers get to see the unraced 2-year-olds gallop on a racecourse prior to inspection and selling. The key advantages to the breeze-up sales are that you get an idea of a horses ability and the horse you purchase might be just a few weeks off a run.

Richard will watch all the horses gallop on the track, looking at their action, ability & temperament in their fast work whilst also timing the horse over the 2 furlong distance where the horse is asked for maximum effort. The timing provides a guide for Richard against the pedigree of the horse and the knowledge of which breeze-up consignors are likely to push their horses more than others.

Once the gallop has been concluded Richard will put a list together of the horses that are of interest and he will then inspect them much in the same way he would a foal or yearling but this time will pay close attention to soundness and also to speaking with the breeze-up trainers and hearing their opinion of the horses they have on offer. You might think every owner or trainer will tell you that they think their horse will win the Coventry Stakes (and some do !) but having worked the breeze-up sales for a number of years and having grown excellent relations with the trainers Richard is steered in the right direction. It’s then back to the pedigree and the research which Richard will have done prior to the sale before creating a short-list to present to the clients who are interested in purchasing with Richard. The research prior to the sales consists of going through every Lot and studying their pedigrees and the performance of the dam & siblings. In March 2016 Richard is planning a trip over to Ireland to visit a number of the large consignors in order to see as many of the horses as possible in their own environment and it provides another chance to speak with the owners and trainers to hear their opinion of their horses for sale.

Having spoken with the owners and trainers and depending on their preferences Richard will instruct his vet to inspect a number of the individuals from a professional veterinary angle and to present his findings. A final list is then produced and after phone calls or discussions with clients Richard then awaits the start of the public auction which is usually either the same day or the following day.

Breeze-Up Sale Dates –

April 6 – Tattersalls Ireland Ascot Sale, Ascot,  UK

April 11-13 – Tattersalls Craven Sale, Newmarket, UK

April 19-20 – Goffs UK Sale, Doncaster, UK

April 28-29 – Tattersalls Guineas Sale, Newmarket, UK

May 13-14 – Arqana Sale, France

May 19-20 – Goresbridge Sale, IRE

 

If you are interested in purchasing a horse at the breeze-up sales, please contact Richard on +447769349240 or email richard@richardknightbloodstockagent.com