Qatar interests bought the four highest-priced horses at the two-day Doncaster September sale, and prominent 2-year-old Kool Kompany was purchased privately shortly after he left the sales ring unsold on the final day, Sept. 4.
Middleham Park Racing's two-time group II-winning 2-year-old did not meet his reserve price, but sold a short time later to an Australian client of Mark Player for an undisclosed price. The Jeremy colt is to remain in training with Richard Hannon under his new ownership, identified by Hannon as Neil Werrett, co-owner of Australian superstar sprinter Black Caviar.
"Luckily he is staying with us and will be aimed at something like the Middle Park," Hannon said. "I don't know if he will want to take him to Australia later on, but we're pleased he's still in the yard."
Henry Beeby, managing director of Doncaster Bloodstock Sales, said Kool Kompany represented a chance for the sale company to break its long established record price, which has stood for 10 years at 530,000 guineas.
"So, we would have to concede that we were disappointed not to secure his sale in the ring," Beeby said. "However our job is to sell horses and that we have done as we have concluded a private sale to an Australian client of agent Mark Player. The end result is a happy vendor, a happy buyer, and a sale of some significance at DBS, albeit by a more circuitous route than we originally anticipated."
Qatari buyers posted the four top prices in the sale, with trainer Jassim Ghazali buying a total of eight horses for £411,500 ($671,507), including the sale topper.
Ghazali bought stakes-winning 2-year-old Izzthatright, a son of Moss Vale, for the sale's highest price of £185,000 ($301,892). Ghazali outbid Conrad Allen who was acting on behalf of Qatari trainer Zohair Mohshen.
Izzthatright is out of the winning Alzao mare Miss Adelaide and has won three of his four most recent starts, including the Irish Stallion Farms E.B.F. Ripon Champion Two Year Old Trophy Aug. 25 for trainer Richard Fahey, who offered the colt under his Musley Bank Stables banner.
Overall, 250 horses sold at the two-day auction for total receipts of £2,658,050 ($4,337,842), down slight from last year when 266 horses where sold. The average price of £10,632 ($17,351) was up 10% from last year's sale while median was unchanged at £6,000 ($9,791).
