Godolphin smash European record with 4.6m guineas Night Of Thunder colt

Breaking • Horse Racing

Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin operation shattered the European record for a yearling colt on Tuesday after paying an extraordinary 4.6 million guineas for a son of Night Of Thunder at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

The headline-grabbing purchase came on the opening day of Book 1 at Park Paddocks in Newmarket, with Godolphin emerging victorious following a major bidding battle with Coolmore’s MV Magnier.

𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫… 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧

2026’s record price broken again at #TattsOctober Book 1, @godolphin coming out on top at 4,600,000gns for @NorelandsStud Night Of Thunder colt out of the Gr.1 placed My Astra. https://t.co/yfOjmZQylp

— Tattersalls (@Tattersalls1766) October 6, 2026

At 4,600,000 guineas, the colt became the most expensive yearling colt ever sold in Europe and the highest-priced yearling sold anywhere in the world in 2026.

The price also makes him the second-most expensive yearling of either sex ever sold at Tattersalls.

The overall Tattersalls yearling record remains the five million guineas paid for the filly subsequently named Al Naamah in 2013.

Irish connection to record-breaking sale

There was a significant Irish element to the record-breaking transaction.

The colt was offered by Norelands Stud in Co Kilkenny, with the McCalmont family’s operation celebrating one of the biggest results in European bloodstock auction history.

By leading sire Night Of Thunder, the colt is out of the Lope De Vega mare My Astra, a three-time winner who finished runner-up at Group 1 level in the Pretty Polly Stakes.

The combination of pedigree, physical appearance and future stallion potential prompted two of the biggest forces in world racing — Godolphin and Coolmore — to fight for him.

Godolphin’s Anthony Stroud eventually delivered the winning bid at 4.6 million guineas.

Stroud described the youngster as a “really beautiful colt” following the purchase, highlighting his pedigree, looks and potential future value as a stallion.

Godolphin dominate opening day

The remarkable purchase was only part of an extraordinary spending spree by Sheikh Mohammed’s operation.

Earlier in the session, Godolphin had temporarily set the world-high price for a yearling sold in 2026 when paying 3.8 million guineas for Lot 87, a colt by the late Wootton Bassett.

That colt, offered by Croom House Stud, is out of Listed winner Loch Lein.

Just a matter of hours later, Godolphin raised the bar by another 800,000 guineas when securing the record-breaking Night Of Thunder colt.

Godolphin also spent 1.8 million guineas on a Frankel colt out of Get Ahead, who is closely related to Classic winner Chaldean.

A Ghaiyyath colt out of Maria Christina cost another 1.3 million guineas, while Godolphin paid 1.1 million guineas for a Blue Point filly from the high-class family of Magical and Rhododendron.

Godolphin’s expenditure across the opening day reached approximately 15.7 million guineas on 11 lots, underlining the scale of Sheikh Mohammed’s investment in elite European bloodstock.

Night Of Thunder’s rise continues

The record price represents another significant achievement for Night Of Thunder.

The son of Dubawi was himself trained for Godolphin and famously defeated Kingman in the 2014 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket before establishing himself as one of Europe’s most sought-after stallions.

Now one of his sons has become the most expensive yearling colt ever auctioned in Europe.

For Godolphin, however, the attraction went beyond simply acquiring another well-bred racehorse.

With the colt combining Night Of Thunder with a high-class Lope De Vega mare and a powerful female family, his potential value as a future stallion was clearly an important consideration.

Godolphin and Coolmore go head-to-head

The sale also provided another chapter in one of racing’s great bloodstock rivalries.

Godolphin and Coolmore have competed for many of the world’s best horses and bloodlines over several decades, and Tuesday’s auction saw the two operations clash again at the very top of the market.

This time it was Sheikh Mohammed’s team who prevailed.

The 4.6 million-guinea price comfortably eclipsed the previous European record for a yearling colt and brought proceedings at Park Paddocks to a remarkable new level.

It capped an extraordinary opening session for Godolphin, who dominated the upper end of the market and secured several of the most sought-after yearlings in the catalogue.

The Tattersalls October Book 1 sale continues in Newmarket until Thursday, October 8. With two days of selling still to come, the question now is whether anything can come close to the 4.6 million-guinea benchmark established by Lot 130.

For Norelands Stud, Night Of Thunder and Godolphin, however, Tuesday has already secured a place in European bloodstock history.