St Leger sale gets underway

The next stop on the European yearling sales circuit, the

annual three-day St Leger Sale in Doncaster, gets underway Tuesday, and officials

hope that Arqana's Deauville success transports itself across the sea. Formerly

entrenched in the week of the St Leger festival in mid-September, the auction's

upwardly mobile status in recent years necessitated a move to avoid a clash with

Keeneland. The Doncaster grads' one-two-three finish in this year's Two Thousand

Guineas (Eng-G1) is the best illustration of how far this sale has advanced.

Things began

to shift at the turn of the century, courtesy of Somnus (Pivotal), Airwave (GB)

(Air Express), Kyllachy (GB) (Pivotal), Reel Buddy (Mr. Greeley) and Fayr Jag (Fayruz), and reached a peak this season

when Cockney Rebel (Val Royal [Fr]) led home fellow bargain purchases

Vital Equine (Danetime) and Prix Morny (Fr-G1) and Middle Park S. (Eng-G1) hero

Dutch Art (Medicean) in the Two Thousand Guineas.

The momentum has been

maintained by St James's Palace S. (Eng-G1) hero Excellent Art (Pivotal), Prix Morny

(Fr-G1) hero Myboycharlie (Danetime), Norfolk S. (Eng-G2) winner Winker Watson (Piccolo) and, most dramatically, by Kingsgate Native

(Mujadil), who just last Thursday became the first juvenile to win York's Nunthorpe S.

(Eng-G1) in 15 years. That colt was purchased for a mere 20,000 guineas in 2006 and

typifies the enduring appeal of this sale. It was given a major boost with the

addition of its £300,000 sales race in 1998, which is now held during York's

Ebor meeting and was won last week by Dark Angel (Acclamation).

The Doncaster St Leger Sale has focused successfully on freshman sires; those

with their first crop advertising their wares in 2007 are Acclamation and

Captain Rio, who were both sold here; as well as Choisir, Hawk Wing,

High Chaparral (Ire) and Oasis Dream (GB).

Leading vendors Catridge Farm Stud

are well represented once again, and one of the picks of their draft is Hip No. 487,

a half-brother by Oasis Dream to 2002 Prix Robert Papin (Fr-G2) winner Never a Doubt

(Night Shift), from the family of Acclamation.

Oasis Dream has started his

career with a bang, and he has 18 yearlings cataloged here, including Rathbarry

Stud's Hip 232, a colt whose dam is a half to Oratorio (Ire).

The full catalog and updates can be found on www.dbsauctions.com.