The festival atmosphere witnessed during Ladies Day at the St Leger Festival
at Doncaster racecourse spilled in to the sales ring at DBS when a varied
selection of domestic and foreign racegoers gathered to create a unique selling
experience that saw a 33.3 percent rise in median to £8,000, as compared to
£6,000 last year, and a 30 percent rise in the £10,644 average over last year’s
£8,198 average. The £649,300 gross fell 22.4 percent from the 2009 total of
£836,200, but 55 fewer
horses were offered in 2010.
It was a case of saving the best until last when the final lot cataloged to
go through the ring topped proceedings after selling to Peter Doyle Bloodstock
for £65,000. The Royal Applause (GB) filly out of Pretty Poppy (Song) was offered by Wheelersland Stud
as Lot No. 96 and is a
half-sister to Group 1 winner and highweight Kyllachy (Pivotal). She attracted interest from Ed
Sackville, David Armstong and Bobby O’Ryan before Doyle made the final bid with
owners Chris and Julie Wood.
Monsieur Bond’s progeny have had a fantastic few weeks on the racecourse and this fact
was not lost on purchasers. Lot 19, a chestnut colt, sold to Bryan
Smart, who also trained the sire, for £44,000. Consigned by Jamie Railton, the
Monsieur Bond son is out of Tibesti (Machiavellian) and counts as a full brother Move
in Time, who was a winner this year for
the Hambleton trainer and finished third in the Weatherbys Super Sprint at
Newbury.
Though O’Ryan failed to secure the sale highlight, he was active throughout the sale and his spending was topped by a
Cockney Rebel colt offered by The National Stud. The gavel fell at £32,000 for
Lot 68, who is out of Gibraltar Bay (Cape Cross [Ire]) and comes from the same
family as multiple Group 1-winning highweight Mr Brooks (GB) (Blazing Saddles).
O’Ryan also bought a Kheleyf colt who was offered by Harefield Lodge Stud
as Lot 5. The bay, purchased for £28,000, is out of Royal Lady (Royal Academy),
who is a half-sister to Grade 1-placed stakes winner Bouccaneer (Fr) (Hero’s
Honor).
“It is never easy for an Auction House to take the decision to cut a sale in
terms of numbers as that inevitably means a lower turnover and that is what pays
us,” DBS Managing Director Henry Beeby said. “However we feel vindicated on this occasion as, although the turnover is
down as predicted, contracting the sale to one good evening has resulted in a
sale of (relative) strength, an average that has improved by 30 percent on last year
and a median price that has leapt by a third together with a very respectable
clearance rate.
“In the current climate average and median statistics of that
nature are a real achievement and we are content that both the Premier Sales two
weeks ago and tonight have provided cause for some optimism as the autumn sales
season swings into overdrive. Indeed we feel this sale has a proper role to play
and have been heartened by the depth of the trade over the three hours selling to
the extent that we anticipate building on these results next year.
“For the time being the DBS team can pass the mantle to Goffs and I can’t
wait for the end of the month as I am genuinely excited by the catalog we have
compiled for the Orby Sale.”
Full results
are available at www.dbsauctions.com.