The Yearling Code 2026

As we come into yearling sale season in the Northern Hemisphere, buyers everywhere are looking for an edge over the competition, and for those who are planning to shop at the upcoming Arqana, Goffs, and Tattersalls sales, Simon Madden of MAX Bloodstock has compiled a truly fantastic resource, which I am thrilled to help deliver to a wider audience1. Simon has meticulously curated data on 10,041 yearlings sold at auction in the UK and Ireland across 23 sales between 2022 and 2024, along with their subsequent racetrack performance, in order to create The Yearling Code, a 170-page report for buyers of all budgets looking to make more informed decisions.

I was lucky enough to have a chance to preview The Yearling Code and was delighted by the depth and clarity of the report. With data on sires, damsires, consignors, and buyers, there is no dearth of invaluable information for buyers. Despite the density of the information, The Yearling Code is presented in an intuitive and digestible format. This is the kind of resource that will give back to you what you put into it, so I would recommend it to those who are willing to take the time to parse through its contents intentionally.

This is a report that would be of particular use to U.S. buyers who are looking to jump into European bloodstock and evaluate the major players in that market in an objective, data-driven capacity. Whether you’re dipping your toes into the UK and Irish sales for the first time and hoping to make sense of all the new names, or already well-versed in the region’s bloodstock but curious to check for personal blind spots, you will find The Yearling Code suited to your needs. The report includes information on the best and worst performing sires, the stallions who outperform their auction prices, and much more.

You can read what Simon has to say about the report, including a preview of some of the available insights, here. The Yearling Code is available to a limited number of buyers for €250 (approximately $289) by reaching out to either myself here on Substack, or directly to Simon via his Substack (which I highly recommend to anyone interested in bloodstock analytics) or on Whatsapp at +35387 7443322.