On the third and final session of the Autumn Sale, the last of the year dedicated to yearlings, 121 youngsters changed hands for a total of €943,500 and an average price of €7,798.

Trade was dominated by a grey daughter of Air Chief Marshall (lot 491), who was secured by MAB Agency for €43,000. She is out of the black type mare Fenella’s Link, who has already produced a Group performer and hails from a solid family.

I have bought her for Claire Stephenson, who is very fond of grey horses, and she will be trained locally by Georges Doleuze”, commented Marc-Antoine Berghgracht. She is a lovely filly with a great page, and out of a Linamix mare.”

The filly formed part of the first draft brought to a sales ring by the new venture Haras de Castillon, which is operated by Haras de Bouquetôt manager Benoît Jeffroy and his partner Annabelle Aimé. Castillon offered 9 yearlings at the Autumn Sale and all of them sold. They were headed by a son of Saint Des Saints who was knocked down for €90,000 to Guillaume Macaire yesterday.

Overall, the Autumn Sale recorded record figures across the board, with 418 horses selling for €8,295,000, almost 9% clear of the 2014 total, which was already a record. The sale’s aggregate has grown consistently since it was reformatted in 2011 to incorporate the former December Yearling Sale and relocated to Deauville from its previous Saint-Cloud base. The 2015 average price reached €19,844, a 10.2% gain on 2014. With 37 more horses offered, the clearance rate dropped 6% yet remained at a satisfactory 75%.

Read the 2015 yearling sales assessment