Day two of Doncaster’s St. Leger yearling sale generated a gross of £5,036,500 (approximately $9,281,313), which represented a decline of 17.9% from 2007. The £37,868 average price and £30,000 median price, for the 133 horses sold, fell 4.9% and 4.8%, respectively, Aug. 27. The buy-back rate was 16.4%.
A U.S.-bred Elusive Quality colt, which had made $55,000 at Keeneland last November, topped the day’s business when — reoffered from Brendan Holland’s Grove Stud — he was sold for £145,000 ($267,207). Newmarket agent Richard O’Gorman, acting for an undisclosed owner with trainer John Gosden, outbid trainer Bryan Smart for the colt, which is out of Sahara Star.
Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown spent £115,000 ($211,923) on a Night Shift half-sister to this season’s Richmond Stakes (Eng-II) winner Prolific. Produced from Photo Flash, she will join Newmarket trainer Ed Dunlop.
Angus Gold was busy shopping for Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell Estates Company, and his five purchases included £100,000 ($184,281) colts by Dixieland Band(out of Star Queen) and Piccolo (out of Untimely). The latter, consigned through Trickledown Stud, had made just 19,000 guineas as a foal last year.
The sale’s third and final session is scheduled for Aug. 28.