The Silk Road Journal · Selling · How to sell your racehorse series
How to enter a horse in a bloodstock sale: the seller's step-by-step
Entering a horse in a sale is a form, a fee and a deadline. Miss any of the three and a horse ready for the autumn ends up waiting for spring.
A plain guide for sellers. Faris is invented. Facts are sourced at the end. Nothing here is financial, legal or veterinary advice, and no horse in this article is for sale.
To enter a horse in a bloodstock sale: choose the sale that suits the horse, send the sale company's entry form before entries close (often weeks before the sale), pay the entry fee (about £640-£800 a lot at recent Tattersalls live sales, £160 + VAT at Tattersalls Online in June 2026), set a reserve and have the passport and vet papers ready. If the horse sells, you pay the vendor commission (5% at Tattersalls) plus VAT, and the sale company collects the buyer's money.
Faris (invented) decided on a Tuesday to sell his horse "at the big sale". On Wednesday he learned the catalogue had gone online two weeks earlier. On Thursday he read this guide. Start on Thursday.
Step 1: which sale suits the horse?
Match the horse to the sale where its buyers already are.
| Your horse | Where buyers look | 2026 example |
|---|---|---|
| In training, with recent form | Horses in training sales | Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale, 26-29 Oct 2026 |
| Lower value, or needs a quick sale | Online auctions | Tattersalls Online, GoffsGo, ThoroughBid |
| Yearling | Yearling sales | Tattersalls December Yearling Sale, 23 Nov 2026 |
| Mare or filly leaving racing | Winter breeding-stock sales | The November and December sales in Europe and America |
Not sure? A horse that needs explaining (a long break, a minor vet finding with a good answer) or an owner who wants no public price may do better with a private sale instead.
Step 2: the entry form and the deadline
Entries close before the catalogue is printed, so the real deadline is weeks before the sale.
- Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale 2026: catalogue online 30 September, sale from 26 October.
- Tattersalls December Yearling Sale 2026: catalogue online 28 October, sale on 23 November.
- Tattersalls Online June Sale 2026: entries closed on 22 May, bidding opened on 3 June.
The entry form asks who the vendor (seller) is, who may sign for the horse, and the horse's identity from its passport. If four partners own the horse, the sale company and later the buyer need to know all four agree. Some owners sell through a consignor (a stud or agent who prepares and shows the horse at the sale); others let the trainer present it. Agree who does what, and at what cost, in writing.
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Step 3: what entering really costs
You pay the entry fee whether the horse sells or not, and commission only if it sells.
- Entry fee, live sale: £640 a lot (Tattersalls July 2024 notice), £800 (Tattersalls Cheltenham April 2026).
- Entry fee, online: £160 + VAT (Tattersalls Online June 2026), £49 (GoffsGo).
- Commission if sold: 5% vendor commission plus VAT at Tattersalls; 1.5% at GoffsGo. On ThoroughBid the vendor keeps the hammer price and the buyer pays 5%.
- Bought in (the horse misses its reserve): no commission at Tattersalls Online June 2026 (yearlings pay 2.5%).
- Late withdrawal: £200 without a vet certificate after the deadline (Tattersalls Online June 2026).
- Your own costs: transport to the sale, the consignor's charge if you use one, and keep until sale day.
A worked example (illustrative): a horse sells for 30,000 guineas at a Tattersalls live sale. One guinea is £1.05, so that is £31,500. Commission at 5% is £1,575, plus VAT, plus the entry fee of about £800. Fees change every year, so read the current sale notice before you enter.
Step 4: set a reserve you can live with
The reserve is the lowest price you will accept. Below it, the horse is "bought in" and goes home with you.
Set it from recent results for similar horses, not from what the horse cost or what the family hopes. Our worth guide shows how to find comparable prices. Nobody honest can promise a price, including us.
Not selling is common and public. At the 2025 Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale, 1,157 horses were offered and 1,009 sold, so about 13 in every 100 did not. Some sale companies keep handling offers for a while afterwards: Arqana says it takes private offers on bought-back horses for 10 days after its sales. Check your sale's conditions before you agree anything elsewhere.
The Silk Road Letter
Twice a month: the sales worth watching, one buying tip and one real market number (plus the odd catalogue joke). Free with it: our 2026-27 sale calendar (PDF) and a one-page guide to what a racehorse really costs. We email a link to confirm first. Unsubscribe in one click.
Step 5: passport, vet certificate and the repository
Buyers' vets look at everything before they bid, so put it where they can find it.
- Passport: it travels with the horse, and Weatherbys needs it with the transfer of ownership form.
- Vet certificate: Tattersalls Online asks for one dated no more than 14 days before the sale.
- X-rays and scopes: many sales let vendors place them in an online repository for buyers' vets.
The full list of what buyers ask is in vet, X-rays and passport: what a buyer will ask the seller.
Step 6: sale day and getting paid
At auction the sale company collects the buyer's money and pays you under its conditions of sale.
- At Tattersalls Online the buyer collects within 4 days, or pays you up to £35 a day after that, and the buyer's vet may re-examine the horse by 5pm on the second day.
- Goffs says its conditions pay vendors 35 days after each sale. Check your own sale's terms.
- Check your training agreement too: clause 22 of the British ROA/NTF agreement lets a trainer charge a percentage of the sale price if a rate is written in.
Entering a horse from the Gulf or Asia
You can own the horse in Dubai, Riyadh or Hong Kong and still sell it in Newmarket. You need someone on the ground (your trainer, a consignor or an agent) with written authority to sign, show the horse and deal with the sale office in time. If the sale dates do not suit the horse, or the right buyer is not in the ring, a private sale to buyers worldwide may be the better route. See selling to Gulf and Asian buyers.
Faris made the next deadline. The horse, as usual, was not told.
Entering a sale? Ask us first.
Send "SELL", the horse's name and where it is trained. We tell you honestly whether we would enter it, which sale we would choose, or whether a private sale suits it better. Listing is free, and nobody sees your horse without your written OK.
Email info@silkroadbloodstock.com first, from anywhere in the world. Phone +971 52 311 2385 second. WhatsApp as backup.
Our selling terms: listing is free. We charge 5% of the final price (minimum US$5,000) only if the horse sells to a buyer we introduce, including through our website, within 6 months of that introduction. Nothing to pay if it doesn't sell. If we are ever paid by both sides, both are told in writing first. Our fee is paid by bank transfer or Western Union only. Full details: fees and process.
Are you the trainer?
You stay the owner's contact. If the horse sells to a buyer we introduce, you receive 20% of our fee, paid out of our fee and never added to the price, and the owner is told in writing. Terms for trainers.
Buying instead?
We buy for clients wherever they live and race, from the best sales and private sellers all over the world. 5% (min US$5,000), agreed in writing, and you pay the seller directly.
The "How to sell your racehorse" series
- Racehorse sale agreement: what to put in writing
- How to sell a share in a racehorse
- How long does it take to sell a racehorse?
- How to sell a racehorse in training: auction, private or agent (the main guide)
- How much is my racehorse worth? (2026 guide)
- Selling a racehorse privately vs at auction
- Selling a horse out of training: costs, timing, paperwork
- Selling a racehorse to Gulf and Asian buyers
- Vet, X-rays and passport: what a buyer will ask the seller
- What does a bloodstock agent do? (And what 5% pays for)
Arabic edition: كيف تشارك بخيلك في مزاد خيل انجليزي.
The Silk Road Letter
Twice a month: the sales worth watching, one buying tip and one real market number (plus the odd catalogue joke). Free with it: our 2026-27 sale calendar (PDF) and a one-page guide to what a racehorse really costs. We email a link to confirm first. Unsubscribe in one click.
Frequently asked questions
How do I enter a horse in a Tattersalls sale?
Send Tattersalls' entry form for the sale before entries close, with the vendor's details and the horse's passport identity, and pay the entry fee. Entries close weeks before the sale: the 2026 Horses in Training catalogue was online on 30 September for a sale starting 26 October.
How much does it cost to enter a horse in a bloodstock sale?
Recent Tattersalls live sales charged about £640-£800 a lot to enter, paid even if the horse does not sell. Online sales cost less to enter: £160 + VAT at Tattersalls Online in June 2026, £49 at GoffsGo.
What is the vendor commission at Tattersalls?
5% of the sale price, paid by the vendor (seller), plus VAT. At the Tattersalls Online June Sale 2026 there was no commission on horses bought in, except yearlings at 2.5%.
What happens if my horse does not reach its reserve?
It is bought in and stays with you, and the result is public. You can enter another sale or sell privately once you are free to; some sale companies handle offers on unsold horses for a set time after the sale.
Can I enter a horse in a sale if I live abroad?
Yes. You need someone on the ground, usually your trainer, a consignor or an agent, with your written authority to sign, present the horse and deal with the sale office.
Spotted an error? Email info@silkroadbloodstock.com and we will fix it within 48 hours.
Sources
Checked 25 October 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the source before you decide. Nothing here is financial or legal advice, and no horse in this article is for sale.
- Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale 2026, key information (26-29 October; catalogue online 30 September)
- Tattersalls December Yearling Sale 2026, key information (sale 23 November; catalogue online 28 October)
- Tattersalls Online June Sale 2026, Sale Information Notice (entry £160 + VAT, 5% vendor commission, bought-in rules, £200 late withdrawal, vet certificate within 14 days, collection within 4 days)
- Tattersalls Newmarket July 2024 sale notice (entry fee £640, withdrawal fee)
- Tattersalls Cheltenham April 2026 sale notice (entry fee £800)
- GoffsGo help page (£49 entry, 1.5% vendor commission)
- Racing Post on ThoroughBid (vendor keeps the hammer price, buyer pays 5%)
- Tattersalls, Autumn Horses in Training Sale statistics (2025: 1,157 offered, 1,009 sold)
- Arqana buyer information (private offers on bought-back horses for 10 days)
- Thoroughbred Daily News, 6 January 2023 (Goffs pays vendors 35 days after each sale)
- ROA/NTF training agreement and notes, clause 22 (trainer's commission on sale)