No matter how much disruption people might claim that Brexit is bringing to the British economy, in Newmarket at least, the markets don’t seem too bothered. Newmarket is the horse racing capital of the UK, if not the world. And every October thoroughbred yearlings – that is, horses who are classified as being one year old, and will turn two on 1 January 2018 – are auctioned off at a Tattersalls auction in the Suffolk town. It’s Europe’s largest yearling sale, and although not everything comes with a ginormous price tag, there are some fairly hefty sums floating around.
Of course, as they are only yearlings, no one knows what these horses are capable of – all that the bidders have to go on is their pedigree and their appearance. And with racehorses, pedigree is what’s important. That’s why stud fees – the amount it costs to breed your mare to a certain stallion – are so high.
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