Foal sold for record 2 mln liras in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

A foal of a champion horse has been sold at a record-breaking price of 2 million Turkish Liras at an auction in Istanbul.

In the auction, which was held for the second time this year at Istanbul’s Veliefendi Racecourse by the General Directorate of Agricultural Enterprises (TİGEM) for the sale of elite foals, Akatahan, the foal of champion horse Özgünhan, was bought by Mehmet Yıldız for 2 million liras.

Meanwhile, Ahen, the other foal of Özgünhan, equaled the previous record holder of Cevher as it sold to Mücahit Yıldızhan for 1.2 million liras.

At the auction, 15 elite purebreds bred in the Central Anatolian province of Malatya were also sold for an average of 681,000 liras.

A record income of 10.22 million liras was achieved, while a record was also broken in the category of “average sales.”

TİGEM has been maintaining thoroughbred Arabian horse breeding since the Ottoman. It is the world’s most rooted institution in terms of registered gene resources.

While evaluating the record sale, Ergün Erol, the deputy head of TİGEM, underlined horse owners also contributed greatly to the record sale.

He congratulated his team for showing patience, great devotion and effort in equine activities.

In the last auction to be held by TİGEM this year, the foals will be presented to the community on Oct. 25 at Veliefendi Racecourse.