The average price grew 9.7% from a year ago and the median price increased 1.3% during the Doncaster Bloodstock Sales’ breeze-up auction April 20 in England. A colt from the first crop of Hard Spun topped the sale, bringing £140,000 ($227,910 in U.S. funds).
John Quinn and his son, Sean, purchased the chestnut 2-year-old, which is a half brother to the winners The West’s Awake (by Theatrical), who finished second in the 2006 Prix Turenne in France; Blue Dynasty (by Dynaformer); and Mr. Ryder (by Giant's Causeway ). Their dam, the winning Gone West mare Saudia, is a half sister to Italian group III and English stakes winner Revere (by Dancing Brave).
Saudia and Revere are out of Bint Pasha (by Affirmed), who was a French champion and group I winner, an English group I winner, and an Irish group II winner.
“He had everything -- the looks, the pedigree, and he galloped,” said John Quinn of the Hard Spun colt. “He's been bought for Peter Clay. I think he'll be a six-furlong or seven-furlong type of 2-year-old.”
Cara Bloodstock bought the colt for $15,000 from Pauls Mill, agent, at the 2010 Keeneland September yearling auction. Ben P. Walden Jr. and Hargus Sexton bred the juvenile in Kentucky.
The results for the Doncaster sale included a gross of £3,183,500 ($5,182,520) for the 109 horses that were sold. The average was £29,206 ($47,545) and the median was £20,000 ($32,559). Compared to 2010, the number sold and gross declined 10.7% and 2%, respectively.
The clearance rate of 69% was down from 75.8% last year.
“The DBS breeze-up sale staged a strong comeback last year following a tough sale in 2009, so we are obviously very pleased to have returned another set of improved figures (in the average and median) today,” said DBS managing director Henry Beeby. “Most significant has been the (approximately) 10% rise in average (on top of a similar increase in 2009), which is all the more pleasing when we have sold two less six-figure lots than 12 months ago.
“The drop in the clearance rate has clearly demonstrated that the market remains selective,” he continued, “and this trend very much mirrored that seen in Newmarket last week with fierce competition for the best, good interest in the middle range, but weakness at the bottom. The clear message is that the focus must be on quality and we are extremely grateful to our regular band of vendors who have provided us with a really commercial and classy bunch of 2-year-olds. We have been delighted to see a number of serious pinhooking touches to reward these intrepid speculators”
