DBS

The St Leger Festival Sales, held after racing on two nights of the St Leger Festival at Doncaster Racecourse, carried on from the success of the St Leger Yearling Sales, with a solid trade from start to finish.

Peter Doyle kicked proceedings off in a positive manner when the hammer was knocked down to him at 28,000 guineas for the first lot through the ring, and he was soon active again when he signed for a racy son of TAGULA. Consigned by Rathbarry Stud as Lot number 15, the strong February born Colt was from the family of GOLDEN FLEECE and attracted plenty of admirers, but it was Bobby O'Ryan who was the eventual underbidder before the hammer came down at 50,000 guineas.

Lot Number 15. Tagula Colt who realised 50,000 guineas.

Former DBS graduate and leading first season sire, ACCLAMATION was responsible for another 50,000 guineas horse when David Redvers signed for Lot number 64. Consigned by Rathbarry Stud, the March born filly was from a speedy family, many of whom have been sold through the DBS Sales ring in recent years and included the Group 1 winning AVERTI. He will now go into training with Jamie Osborne.

Whitehall Stud put forward a strong, racy son of MEDECIS who was the subject of a protracted bidding duel before he was knocked down to Bobby O'Ryan for 44,000 guineas. Catalogued as Lot number 75, the March born Colt was from the family of TOULON and had attracted plenty of admirers prior to the sale, but it was Peter Doyle who lasted out as the eventual underbidder.

Throckmorton Court Stud consigned a strong son of PURSUIT OF LOVE who attracted support from many parties, but it was Geoffrey Howson who lasted the longest before the hammer came at 40,000 guineas to a final bid made by Emma Balding, acting on behalf of her trainer son Andrew. Catalogued as Lot number 178, the February born Colt is out of a half sister to the Group 1 winning REGAL ROSE, whose first foal won at Sandown for Willie Haggas.

Only three previous JOHANNESBURG yearlings had been offered at a European public auction in 2007 prior to Thursday evening, when Woodtown House Stud presented a February born daughter of the champion sire. The racy filly was the first foal out of a winner of nine races, who is a half sister to HYMM OF LOVE from a strong black type family. She was knocked down to Bobby O'Ryan for 32,000 guineas with James Stack as underbidder.

DBS Managing director Henry Beeby commented after the sale:

'The St. Leger Yearling Sales is unique as it is the only European Yearling Sales to return record figures for each of the last ten years and our 2007 renewal two weeks ago was spectacular.

We reintroduced the St. Leger Festival Sales this year to provide an alternative for the large number of yearlings who could not be accommodated at the end of August and that has resulted in a solid commercial catalogue of typical St. Leger Yearlings. A number of people have commented to us that trade over the last two evenings has been very like the "old St. Leger Yearling Sales" and we have returned figures at that kind of level to back up the assertion. What has certainly been true is that we have had plenty of bidders for the typical St. Leger Yearlings resulting in a solid trade over the two evenings that enjoyed that unique St. Leger Festival atmosphere assisted by a selling rate of over 30 lots to the hour to ensure the evenings did not drag.

There is absolutely no doubt in our mind that this sale has a real future and will do what we have always done this week which is pump out value for money winners. Therefore, it will become a permanent feature and act as the perfect compliment to our very successful St. Leger Yearling Sales.

We have no figures with which to compare but we have exceeded our expectations going into the sale and have enjoyed a trade that has again reversed the trends witnessed elsewhere. As ever, our heartfelt thanks to our Vendors and Purchasers without whom nothing is possible.'