Trade was down marginally at this year's Autumn Horses-In-Training Sale, with Tattersalls boss Edmond Mahony acknowledging many sectors of the market had been “challenging”, as play came to a low-key close on Friday. The Horse Watchers, well known for unearthing bargains, paid 42,000gns for the most expensive horse sold on the fifth and final day of the sale – that was the winning Kieran Cotter-trained sprinter Arklow Lad (Kuroshio). Martin Dixon confirmed that the Irish recruit would join trainer Mick Appleby, and said, “He hadn't shown a lot in his three starts when the catalogue came out but he has won and run well in the last month. We had an eye on him and thought he could be bought at a competitive price today.“He is a lightly-raced sprinter type, young and progressive, and there are a few angles for improvement – we will geld him and he could step back up to 6f. He is just the sort that Mick Appleby does so well with and he is for The Horse Watchers Syndicate.”All told, the turnover dropped by 5% to 33,867,500gns during the Horses-In-Training Sale while the median fell by 6% to 15% and the average by 4% to 33,565gns. The clearance rate remained the same at 87%.The new yearling section to the sale generated just 224,700gns in turnover and a clearance rate of 57%. Two horses – a Cracksman filly and a Land Force colt – shared top lot honours at only 20,000gns. Tattersalls boss Edmond Mahony commented, “The Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale is a unique event and once again this year featured the largest number of horses in training offered anywhere in the world. Buyers from more than 30 countries joined a domestic bench of Flat and National Hunt purchasers, all drawn by the consistent quality and value on offer. This was exemplified by the continued success of sale graduates on the racecourse, notably last year's top lot Delius, now a dual Group 1 winner in Australia.“Racecourse success remains the key driver behind the enduring appeal of this sale, with a remarkable 173 Group and Listed races won worldwide by purchases from the sale over the past three years. Of those, 59 victories were recorded in Australia, underlining the significance of Australasian buyers who have again been prominent this week, spending more than 3,000,000 guineas on over 25 lots.“They have been joined by Middle Eastern buyers, including significant groups from Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE, whose burgeoning racing carnivals continue to fuel demand. We also pay tribute to our overseas representatives who have brought a diverse array of buyers to Park Paddocks, notably enthusiastic contingents from Italy and Spain.“This year's sale has achieved the third highest turnover in its history and featured the third highest price ever at the sale, with Gladius selling for 950,000 guineas to Blandford Bloodstock's Richard Brown on behalf of Wathnan Racing. The sale also saw a record number of 500,000 guineas lots.”He added, “However, while the headline figures for the 2025 renewal match those of previous years, it must be acknowledged that trade in many sectors has been challenging, with the market not always meeting vendor expectations. Increasingly, ownership and trade in British bloodstock are reliant on overseas support, both in terms of purchasers and ownership. This trend has been exacerbated by the current government's taxation policies and the uncertainty surrounding next month's budget. We reiterate the concerns raised in our 2024 end-of-sale statement and urge the government to listen to the voices across the racing industry. Without meaningful engagement, the existing business model risks long-term stagnation.“We now look forward to the Tattersalls December Sale, one of the bloodstock world's unmissable events, featuring a day of yearlings, four days of Europe's best foals and the three-day December Mares Sale which features an outstanding group of fillies and mares in the fourth edition of the Sceptre Sessions.” The post Tattersalls Chairman Acknowledges “Challenging” Marketplace At Close Of H-I-T Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.