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SARGA.CO - At the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in Newmarket, England, on 6 October 2026, a colt by Night Of Thunder sold for 4.6 million guineas, equivalent to approximately £4.83 million.
In a strong opening session, the sale set a European record for the highest-priced yearling colt and made him the most expensive yearling sold anywhere in the world in 2026. At Tattersalls, only the 5-million-guinea filly Al Naamah, sold in 2013, had previously achieved a higher yearling price.
The colt was bred by Sunderland Holdings, owned by Ling Tsui, and raised at NorelandsStud in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Godolphin, Sheikh Mohammed’s racing and breeding operation, secured him through bloodstock agent Anthony Stroud after a prolonged bidding battle with Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier.
Norelands Stud has been operated by the McCalmont family since 1912, giving it more than a century of experience in the Thoroughbred breeding industry. According to Hamish McCalmont, producing a horse capable of commanding such a price begins with selecting the right mating.
“You need the right stallion, the right mare, he has to match up physically, vet well and then show well,” McCalmont explained to the BBC.
The colt is by Night Of Thunder, one of Europe's leading stallions, and out of My Astra, a daughter of Lope De Vega who finished runner-up in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes. My Astra is also a half-sister to Group 2 winners My Oberon and My Prospero, giving the colt a pedigree that combines proven racing ability with a family of high-class performers.
Norelands' farm manager Matt Gilsenan was delighted with the colt's development. He described him as a standout by an exceptional stallion and out of a mare with her own high-level form, praising the team responsible for raising him.
The Bidding Battle
Tattersalls' October Yearling Sale Book 1 attracts some of the biggest names in international racing and breeding. Trainers, owners, bloodstock agents and stud farms gather in Newmarket to secure prospects for future racing campaigns and breeding programmes.
The Night Of Thunder colt became the centrepiece of the opening day, as once the bidding passed 2.5 million guineas, it narrowed to Magnier, representing Coolmore, and Stroud, bidding for Godolphin. Magnier pushed the price from 3.6 million to 4 million guineas, but Stroud continued bidding until he secured the colt for 4.6 million guineas. Stroud acknowledged that the final price was at the upper end of his valuation. Nevertheless, he highlighted the colt's pedigree, appearance, potential to become a stallion and the reputation of Norelands.
A Risk Worth Taking?
George Boughey, a Newmarket-based trainer and dual Classic-winning handler, told the BBC he attends the sale to find horses capable of delivering results on the track. His priorities range from speed-oriented prospects to horses bred to stay longer distances.
Nicolas de Chambure of France's Haras d'Etreham similarly described how breeders choose sales based on the horses they offer and the buyers they hope to attract. Bringing selected yearlings to Tattersalls allows them to reach an international clientele that may not attend auctions in their home market.
For the Night Of Thunder colt, Godolphin gets the next chapter. His pedigree and physical attributes have already convinced one of the world's most successful racing operations to invest heavily in his potential. But the true measure of the purchase will be when the colt eventually steps onto a racecourse.
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