2024 Bloodstock Sales Review: Top Of The Crops

Weatherbys has published the — a must-have resource for those purchasing horses in all sections of the market, as well as breeders putting together their mating plans, whether Flat or National Hunt.

The book provides a complete analysis of European bloodstock sales in 2024 for all foals, yearlings and older horses in Britain, Ireland, France, Germany and Italy. It also includes foals and yearlings either foaled in Europe or by European-based sires at the major auctions in North America and Japan.

Furthermore, the Bloodstock Sales Review features comprehensive overviews of the trading year for Tattersalls, Goffs, Tattersalls Ireland and Arqana, as well as tables of the leading sires of 2024 by yearling average, lists of the year’s most expensive yearlings and foals, and a roll of top historical auction prices.

To mark the publication of the book, we compiled a top ten of the most profitable British and Irish-based yearling sires last year.

We have worked out each sires’ profitability index by dividing their 2024 yearling average by their covering fee of 2022, when the offspring in question were conceived.

2024 yearling ave: 51,075gns/€61,673

2022 covering fee: £12,500

Profitability index: 4.29

Study Of Man made a bright start with his first two-year-old runners in 2023, who included Beresford Stakes winner Deepone, and he confirmed that good impression in his sophomore season last year, when Kalpana landed the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, Birthe took the Prix Saint-Alary and Francophone and Lingua Franca scored in Listed contests.

His third-crop yearlings, conceived at Lanwades Stud at a fee of £12,500, consequently proved popular with buyers. A total of 31 lots were sold for an average of 51,075gns (€61,673) and a profitability index of 4.29. Five made six-figure sums, led by the full-brother to Group 3 runner-up Kinesiology bought by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock from Staffordstown for 260,000gns.

2024 yearling ave: 61,318gns/€74,042

2022 covering fee: £15,000

Profitability index: 4.29

Barely a year goes by without Nathaniel coming up with a Group 1 star. In 2024 it was Irish Oaks heroine You Got To Me who joined the Newsells Park Stud stalwart’s roll of honour, which already contains Channel, Desert Crown, Enable, God Given, Lady Bowthorpe, Mutamakina, Poptronic and Quickthorn.

For all that, Nathaniel hasn’t always been the most commercially popular sire. It appears he has the market’s firm respect now, though, with 25 lots by him bred off a fee of £15,000 sold last year for an average of 61,318gns (€74,042), making a profitability index of 4.29. Blandford Bloodstock bought the most expensive one, a Newsells Park-consigned colt out of the Listed-winning Siyouni mare Sequilla, for 300,000gns.

2024 yearling ave: 271,929gns/€328,354

2022 covering fee: €75,000

Profitability index: 4.38

Night Of Thunder has dazzled the industry with high strike-rates of winners and stakes winners since his first two-year-old runners appeared on the track in 2019. He took another step forward last year when he was represented by Irish Champion Stakes hero Economics, unbeaten Fillies’ Mile winner Desert Flower and eye-catching Albany Stakes scorer Fairy Godmother.

Those results caused a bit of a bunfight for his yearlings, who were bred at Kildangan Stud at a fee of €75,000. His 66 lots who changed hands last year did so for an average of 271,929gns (€328,354), headed by a full-sister to unbeaten Group 3 winner Ombudsman bought by Sackville Donald from Ballyhimikin Stud for 900,000gns. It is unusual for a sire standing at that level of the market to return a profitability index that competes with much cheaper options.

2024 yearling ave: 21,142gns/€25,529

2022 covering fee: £5,000

Profitability index: 4.44

Tasleet managed to sire champion sprinter Bradsell and Prix Jean Romanet runner-up American Sonja in spite of standing at Nunnery Stud at chickenfeed fees, so it seems a shame for British and Irish breeders that he was sold to stand at Star Born Stud in India last year.

His small penultimate European crop, conceived at a fee of just £5,000, happened to include a very well bred colt in the half-brother to Gimcrack Stakes winner Cool Hoof Luke, who was sold by Moyfinn Stud to Amanda Skiffington for £350,000 at Doncaster. That drove the sire’s average for 27 lots sold to 21,142gns (€25,529), resulting in an excellent profitability index of 4.44.

2024 yearling ave: 156,323gns/€188,760

2022 covering fee: €40,000

Profitability index: 4.72

Blue Point looks like the next big thing in the stallion ranks, with his first crop having yielded last year’s Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes hero Rosallion, British Champions Sprint victor Kind Of Blue and top sprinter Big Evs, and his second crop containing Group 2 scorer Sky Majesty.

The price of his services at Kildangan Stud has therefore been hiked to €100,000 this year, but his third crop of yearlings were conceived at only €40,000, meaning lots of big profits for his supporters. He had 73 lots sell for an average of 156,323gns (€188,760), making a profitability index of 4.72. Henry Lascelles bought the most expensive one, a filly out of the winning Cityscape mare Roseau City, for 725,000gns.

2024 yearling ave: 48,085gns/€58,062

2022 covering fee: £10,000

Profitability index: 5.05

Territories confirmed himself a useful accomplice to breeders on a budget by delivering Group 1 winners Lazzat, Regional and Rougir, as well as Derby runner-up Hoo Ya Mal, from inexpensively bred early crops. However, like Tasleet, he is now standing in India – at Poonawalla Stud from this year, in his case.

The son of Invincible Spirit’s third-last crop, conceived at Dalham Hall Stud at a fee of £10,000, was responsible for 36 lots who sold for an average price of 48,085gns (€58,062), making a profitability index of 5.05. It must be pointed out, though, that those figures were skewed by his biggest seller, the full-brother to Group 2-placed Masseto sold to Sumbe for 750,000gns, making more than 500,000gns in excess of his next most expensive lot.

2024 yearling ave: 42,976gns/€51,893

2022 covering fee: €10,000

Profitability index: 5.19

Sioux Nation has quietly impressed with his first three crops producing decent strike-rates of winners and stakes performers. The tough Group 2 winners Brave Emperor and Matilda Picotte have been the best adverts for his talents in the northern hemisphere, leading to him covering a bumper book of 246 mares at an increased fee of €27,500 at Coolmore last year.

His fourth crop of yearlings were conceived at just €10,000, though, so the strong demand for them – 123 lots sold for an average of 42,976gns (€51,893) – resulted in an impressive profitability index of 5.19. Most expensive of the lot was a colt out of the Listed-placed Areion mare Westfalica sold by Mountain View Stud to Federico Barberini for 280,000gns.

2024 yearling ave: 21,666gns/€26,161

2022 covering fee: €5,000

Profitability index: 5.23

Awtaad has been many people’s idea of a bona fide bargain sire since multiple top-level winners Anisette and Anmaat, plus other Group winners Al Qareem, Create Belief and Diamil emerged from his early mainly modestly bred crops.

The Derrinstown Stud-based son of Cape Cross took off last year when his book size grew to 128 from 79 in 2023, and his 18 yearlings who changed hands sold for an average of 21,666gns (€26,161) – a steady enough figure but one that allowed some nice profits for supporters who used him at his fee of just €5,000 in 2022, as it made a profitability index of 5.23. The sire is still available at just €7,500 this year, so might be a sensible choice.

2024 yearling ave: 31,052gns/€37,495

2022 covering fee: £6,000

Profitability index: 5.43

Sergei Prokofiev, a sharp, speedy and strapping son of Scat Daddy, has been a popular working man and woman’s stallion, covering full books of mares at affordable fees since he retired to Whitsbury Manor Stud in 2021. His supporters will have been pleased to see him make an encouraging start with his first two-year-old runners last year, leading the freshman table thanks to stakes winners Arizona Blaze and Enchanting Empress.

Those who used him in his second season at a fee of £6,000 were well paid for correctly predicting he would be quick out of the blocks, with 89 of the resultant yearlings selling for an average of 31,052gns (€37,495), making a profitability index of 5.43. S&R Investments swooped for the most expensive lot, a half-brother to Listed-winning sprinter Great State, for 170,000gns.

2024 yearling ave: 85,395gns/€103,114

2022 covering fee: £6,000

Profitability index: 14.94

Rags-to-riches sire Havana Grey takes the top spot for the second year in a row, and by a huge margin again. He also gives Whitsbury Manor Stud the first and second most profitable sires of 2024, which pays tribute to the value on the Hampshire operation’s roster.

The son of Havana Gold, who has supplied 37 black-type runners including Group 1 performers Vandeek, Arabian Dusk, Jasour, Shouldvebeenaring and Havana Cigar, had 90 lots sell for 85,395gns (€103,114), nearly 15 times his covering fee of £6,000 in 2022. There was no end of big paydays for vendors, with 21 of his yearlings fetching six-figure sums, led by a full-brother to Cornwallis Stakes winner Rumstar sold by Longview Stud to George Boughey for 500,000gns.

Havana Grey will find it harder to maintain his position as the most profitable yearling sire in Britain and Ireland this year, as this crop is the result of him covering at an increased fee of £18,500 on the back of his freshman exploits. There is a good chance he can do it, though, as he keeps delivering on the track and it was widely agreed that his price rise in 2023 wasn’t as steep as it could have been.