Irish bloodstock sales jump 21% in first half of 2026
Irish bloodstock sales climbed 21% in the first half of 2026, with HRI also reporting higher prize money, more owners and stronger attendance.
Horse Racing Ireland said its first-half 2026 figures showed the value of horses sold at auction rising 21%, a gain that sat alongside increases in prize money, attendances and recruitment of new owners. The numbers point to a market that kept moving through the spring sales season, with buyers still willing to pay for the right horse and sellers getting firmer returns in the ring.
The 21% jump is especially notable because it came during a period when the Irish market was already busy. Irish Thoroughbred Marketing’s 2026 sales calendar listed the Winter Flat & NH Sale at Tattersalls Ireland on February 3, the February Sale and February P2P Sale at Goffs on February 11-12, and the Derby Sale on February 20. That run of auctions gave the first half of the year a steady commercial rhythm, rather than a single spike tied to one marquee day.
The top end of the market showed its own strength at Tattersalls Ireland’s Historic Derby Sale 2026, where a son of Karaktar made €400,000, the highest price ever paid at public auction for a store horse. Results like that tend to do more than set records: they help reset vendor expectations, support pinhooking margins and show that premium buyers are still active when the horse fits the brief.
HRI paired the sales gains with a broader positive read on the sport, saying on July 23 that first-half figures trended upward across prize money, attendance and ownership recruitment. The governing body said prize money in Irish racing was increasing by €4.3 million in 2026, a cash injection that strengthens the commercial case for owners and breeders at a time when the auction market is also improving.
Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, established in 1991, promotes Ireland as the leading source for the production and sale of quality thoroughbreds worldwide and as a premier country in which to own, breed and buy thoroughbreds. That pitch now lands against a stronger backdrop: a sales market up 21%, a record-breaking €400,000 store horse, and a racing economy that HRI says is carrying more momentum across several measures at once.
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