Auction races

The following guidelines have been drawn up to ensure that the qualification of horses for these races is clear.

For the purposes of qualifying for Flat Restricted races, horses must have been sold or bought in by public auction at specified sales.  (Note: horses which were not sold at auction may also qualify via their sire’s median auction value, see Restricted races)

For the avoidance of doubt horses which are unsold having failed to reach their reserves do not qualify, nor do private sales.  

(i)     The “specified sales” referred to above for these races in 2025 comprise the following:-

a)     Those yearling sales administered by Arqana (France), Baden- Badener Auktionsgesellschaft (BBAG) (Germany), Goffs UK Ltd. (G.B.), Fasig-Tipton Co. Inc. (U.S.A.), Goffs Bloodstock Sales Ltd. (Ireland), Goresbridge Horse Sales Ltd. (Ireland), Keeneland Association Inc. (U.S.A.), Ocala Breeders Sales Co. Inc. (U.S.A.), Osarus Vente (France), Societa Gestione Aste (SGA) (Italy), Tattersalls Ltd. (G.B.), Tattersalls (Ireland) Ltd. (Ireland), Tattersalls (Ireland) Ltd. Cheltenham (G.B.), Tattersalls (Ireland) Ltd. Ascot (G.B.), Thoroughbid Ltd.

 

b) The only specified sales for horses sold as two-year-olds in 2025 will be sales that are exclusively Breeze Up Sales and held in Europe before 1 June, 2025.

The full list of specified sales for horses sold as two-year-olds in 2025 is the:

• Osarus Breeze Up La Teste 9 April 2025
• Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale 14 – 16 April 2025
• The Goffs Breeze Up Sale 23 – 24 April 2025
• The Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sale 30 April – 1 May 2025
• The Arqana Breeze Up Sale Deauville 8 – 10 May 2025
• The Tattersalls Ireland Breeze Up Sale 22 – 23 May 2025.

ii) The last sale will govern the price if the horse is sold more than once, up to and including the relevant qualifying date as stated above.    

iii) A horse will only be considered as having been sold by public auction (under the hammer) if that sale is subsequently published, or notified in writing to the Racing Calendar Office, by the Sales Company. The auction price used will be the first published/notified sales price from the relevant auction, unless notification is subsequently received from the Sales company indicating that, for a reason acceptable to the British Horseracing Authority, a different Sales price should be used. An amended Sales price will only be used to calculate a horse’s weight in an Auction race if such notification has been received by the Racing Calendar Office and accepted by the British Horseracing Authority no later than 24 hours prior to the first scratching stage deadline in the case of an early closing race or no later than 24 hours before the declaration deadline in the case of a normal closing race.

iv) A horse initially sold under the hammer but whose sale was subsequently cancelled for whatever reason will still be qualified for Auction races. Such instances include the horse failing a veterinary examination, a void sale, disputed bids, etc. The auction price used will be the initial price unless notification has been received from the Sales companies indicating that the horse has been
re-submitted as the result of a void sale. If the horse was not re-submitted it will still be qualified but will be assessed on the auction price of its void sale. 

1. In the case of any dispute the official sale return will be used to determine the validity of the sale. The Authority will be the final arbiters of qualification for entry.
2. Any sale conducted outside the sales ring (private sale) will not be considered to qualify the horse for an auction value.
3. Where horses are sold through the ring at specified sales outside Great Britain, the following procedure will apply:-
4. The purchase price in local currency will be converted to pounds sterling using the rate of exchange published in the Racing Calendar in January 2025. The rate of exchange at the time of the sale will not be used.
5. Since practices differ between sales in Great Britain and those staged overseas in the inclusion or otherwise of Buyers’ Premiums within the published sales price, and in order to reflect more fairly the total price paid, the appropriate Buyer’s Premium, as set out below, will then be added to the converted sterling price. This resulting figure will then be used to determine eligibility, weights, etc., for any relevant race. 

v) For sales staged in Great Britain which sell horses in pounds sterling with an additional Buyer’s Premium, in order to reflect more fairly the total price paid, the appropriate Buyer’s Premium, as set out below, will be added to the price. This resulting figure will then be used to determine eligibility, weights, etc., for any relevant race.

vi) For sales staged in Great Britain which sell horses in guineas sterling, the purchase price will be converted to pounds sterling. This resulting figure will then be used to determine eligibility, weights, etc., for any relevant race.

 

Sales Company	Country	Buyer's Premium %
Arqana	France	6
Baden-Badener AG (BBAG)	Germany	6
Goffs UK Ltd	Great Britain	6
Fasig-Tipton Co. Inc	U.S.A	0
Goffs Bloodstock Sales Ltd	Ireland	6
Goresbridge Horse Sales Ltd	Ireland	7
Keeneland Association Inc	U.S.A	0
Ocala Breeders Sales Co. Inc	U.S.A	0
*Osarus Vente	France	6
Societa Gestione Aste (SGA)	Italy	6
Tattersalls Ltd	Great Britain	0
Tattersalls (Ireland) Ltd	Ireland/Great Britain	6
*Osarus Vente (Sales price of 15,000 Euros or below)	France	7

 

'NATIONAL HUNT' AUCTION MAIDEN HURDLE RACES

For the avoidance of doubt horses which are unsold having failed to reach their reserves do not qualify, nor do private sales. 

 (i) The "specified sales" referred to in race conditions comprise the following:-   

1. a) Those sales administered by Arqana (France), Baden-Badener Auktionsgesellschaft (BBAG) (Germany), Goffs UK Ltd. (G.B.), Fasig-Tipton Co. Inc. (U.S.A.), Goffs Bloodstock Sales Ltd. (Ireland), Goresbridge Horse Sales Ltd. (Ireland), Keeneland Association Inc.(U.S.A.), Ocala Breeders Sales Co. Inc. (U.S.A.), Osarus Vente (France), Societa Gestione Aste (SGA) (Italy), Tattersalls Ltd. (G.B.), Tattersalls (Ireland) Ltd. (Ireland), Tattersalls (Ireland) Ltd. Cheltenham (G.B.), Tattersalls (Ireland) Ltd. Ascot (G.B.). 

1. b) As three or four years old at any sales administered by the above mentioned sales companies, up to and including the day prior to the closing date of the race.

MEDIAN AUCTION RACES

 

This Supplement contains information pertaining to horses whose sire established one or more yearling sales at the main Public Auctions held in Europe and North

America in 2022 and 2023 respectively, and which took place after June 30th of the yearling year.

 

The enclosed Supplement with statistics compiled by Weatherbys shows the Median Values in pounds sterling for the Stallions whose progeny are eligible for these races. Auction prices used in the calculation of the Stallion Median Auction price are inclusive of buyers’ premiums, where applicable, and conversion to pounds sterling.

In the event of any query or dispute arising concerning either a horse’s weight or the eligibility of a stallion’s progeny, Owners and Trainers should, in the first instance,

contact the Weight Adding Department at Weatherbys.

 

This Supplement should be retained until February 2025, for reference when entering Restricted races to establish qualification and a horse’s weight.

 

The “specified sales” will cover the main Public Auction Sales held in Europe and North America (see below) and the stallion median prices will be those as compiled by Weatherbys, and published annually each February/March in a Supplement to The Racing Calendar. From this Supplement Owners and Trainers will be able to establish the weights which their two and three year old horses should carry in Median Auction Races. For older horses, please refer to previous Supplements or contact the Weight Adding Department at Weatherbys.

 

In respect of the Stallion Median Auction prices for two years old of 2024, the “specified sales” are as follows:

 

Arqana (France), Baden-Badener Auktionsgeselischaft (BBAG) (Germany), California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Sales (U.S.A.), The Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society Ontario (Canada), The Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society Manitoba (Canada), Carter Sales Co. Inc. (USA), Equine Sales Thoroughbred Auction Facility of Louisiana (U.S.A.), Fasig-Tipton Co. Inc. (U.S.A.), Goffs Bloodstock Sales Ltd. (Ireland), Goffs UK Ltd. (G.B.), Goresbridge Horse Sales Ltd. (Ireland), Heritage Place Horse Sales Company (U.S.A.), Iowa Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association (U.S.A.), Keeneland Association Inc. (U.S.A.), Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. Inc. (U.S.A.), Osarus Vente (France), Ruidoso Horse Sales Company (U.S.A.), Scandinavian Open Yearling Sale (Denmark) Societa Gestione Aste (SGA) (Italy), Stockholms Aringsauktioner Ekonomisk Fórening (SAEF) (Sweden), Tattersalls (Ireland) Ltd. Ascot (G.B.), Tattersalls (Ireland) Ltd. Cheltenham (G.B.), Tattersalls Ltd. (G.B.), Tattersalls (Ireland) Ltd. (Ireland), Texas Thoroughbred Association (U.S.A.), ThoroughBid Limited (G.B.), Wannamaker’s Online Thoroughbred Auction Sale (U.S.A.), Washington Thoroughbred Breeders Association Sales (U.S.A.).

 

In respect of the Stallion Median Auction prices for three years old of 2024, the “specified sales” are as detailed for the two years old above.

 

In respect of the Stallion Median Auction prices for older horses, the “specified sales” are as previously published in the relevant Supplements to The Racing Calendar.