Vendor is the purchaser

I am afraid it is allowed as a sop to the inevitable!

In any auction situation it is inevitable that there will be a proportion of vendors who will bid up their own product. In a weak bloodstock market there will often be only one bidder for a horse and a vendor will be anxious that the horse has every chance of making the value he/she places on the animal.

Buyers contribute to the inevitability of vendor bidding by being reluctant to bid before the reserve is reached which can prevent a decent auction exchange from even commencing.

Whilst not a perfect situation, I think most people in the industry accept the status quo as being fairer than most as it brings a degree of transparency that allows people to know where they stand.

Almost every kind of auction allows the seller to bid on his/her own property (Read Sotheby's smallprint!!). The auction houses won't ban it because it is a money-spinner. 

Perversely, the process is probably most common in the one place where it is specifically banned - Ebay!

PotM are you not forgetting (in yearling terms anyway) the racing aspect for a horse that goes thru the ring.  Perfectly valid reason for a vendor purchase

No great mystery to it,i send my yearling though the ring to qualify them for auction/sales races, as yer ma suggest's most of the time it's as simple as that.

I'm not sure that the reasons for specific races only  being open to horses offered at public auction have not been lost in the passage of time!

It was perhaps to give the cheaper type of auction animal a series of races where it would not run in to the high class owner/breeder type of horse, or probably more to give a boost to the yearling market.

I suppose you could say that entering a yearling for a sale where you have no intention of selling  specifically to get a qualification for races that morally perhaps your horse should not qualify is perhaps not quite in the spirit of the original intention. 'Perfectly valid'?

But yes ofcourse that is a regular reason for a vendor buy back too mrcombustible but only up to a relatively modest value. I'll leave it to you to decide which aspects might make you frown

Crikey PotM if you're getting moralistic about putting one thru the ring to qualify / set a price for auction races then what must you make of the shenanigans at the top end / stallion owner end of the market.

Yer ma, I've worn out several sets of stirrup irons climbing up on to my high horse

I don't get too wound up about auction races believe me it was just your choice of 'perfectly valid' as a term rather than one perhaps of say 'accepted dodge' or some such!

Ignore me on this one I suggest but don't get me started on the real villany that we have to endure. . .

Your stud season started off ok ? 100% bay colts I trust!

potentialmillionaire,

just wondering off subject here but is your mare and foal Ok now?Did she settle in the end or did you have to get a foster mare in?

Thanks for all the replies

Thanks for your interest Prima. We got there in the end and whilst she is not mother of the year, I have certainly had worse and I imagine she should improve in future years too. The foal is doing really well but is just a bit 'scoury' so I suppose I will have to discuss a bit of ulcer treatment with the vet as given his 1st few days of hassle I imagine that he would be a pretty likely candidate. But all in all good news.

Have you guys welcomed the 2014 Guineas winner into the world yet?

Glad to hear that things are looking up. I have been thinking about it. Gastroguard might help him a little in the circs.

We have had a few foals since we were last talking about them. I don't know about GNS winners but there are a few smart types. Including one by the ever-faithful DD who looks pure class.

What are you using in the end?

Well don't sit on the fence Prima, get out there and win a Guineas with the D.D.

The sire might be cooler than he was, but I'd rather have a great looker by him that most other things around and come next autumn, he'll still be firing in gp. winners and you'll still have a great looking yrlg (we hope!)

The foaled mare in question is still not booked as she would probably have come over to you but for one reason or another I probably wouldn't like to travel her now. I really haven't got much of a clue as I only really like Showcasing over here and I've got one booked and don't really want to put too many eggs in that basket. The mare would be better than that too, but I am mindful of downturn issues and your refrain of keeping ones mare in a lowish bracket. I think I would be a bit crazy to go to something on the light side and wanting proven or 1st season, well nothing really exists! Her 1st foal is a much sharper model than the dam so I'm pleased to have achieved that much. ( But as you know the sire does that [;)] and will the mare do it again with something slightly more scopey/light ?)

Decisions, decisions.

Pot M with the restrictions you are putting on that mare, maybe it is worth looking again at Monsieur Bond? Strong enough type, gets good lookers, sells well in his bracket, has proven to be able to get Grp horses, fashionable sire line, not very much money at all. We have a mare going to him that is currently on her first foal to a stallion that is almost 7x the fee of Monsieur Bond. But we can see that he is an emerging sire with potential to improve and offers a good chance of a return as his starting price is so low. Another in a similar bracket would be Pastoral Pursuits though he is a little more and hasn't quite achieved the Grp success of the other sire.He looks likely to step into his fathers slot as a solid sales sire. I would have thought that both these horses fit you criteria if you want to stay in England and I can understand why you wouldn't want to upset your mare further by sending her on a long trip over here.




Well don't sit on the fence Prima, get out there and win a Guineas with the D.D.

Well it would be nice to win an English GNS! We have had Classic success before but not at NMKT. But lets hope that changes. Who knows your problem foal may be a world beater also...!

I thought about Monsieur Bond but was put off by the covering stats of the last two years. He covered 14 in 2009 and 21 last year, so come sales time in 3 years you won't have had a lot of two year olds running for you in the recent past.

I think next year is the year to go to Monsieur Bond, when he has had a large book from this year running for you when you come to sell.

That's true Race1,but his fee will represent that,there are very good deals for him this year.You sound like others on here 'safety in numbers'brigade,not brave enough now perhaps to land a touch!

Thanks for that Prima. They are 2 stallions not particularly on my radar and I take on board what Race 1 says about the book sizes for Monsieur Bond and indeed it is a big negative. I was stabled next to a really classy filly by Pastoral Pursuits at December sales she was all quality and a great advert for him. I do believe they are quirky though - I had one that was a real Miss. Far happier to commit Harakiri than let you inject her, touch ears etc. etc. etc.

However, as I don't have any great ideas, I'll revisit them both

Now vis a vis Rowley Mile 2014. Can we agree that whoever gets beat in the photo will still be gracious enough to accept a glass of grown up's pop from the victor? [;)]

Pot M,We would of course be the first to congratulate you if you pulled off a success of that level and one things for sure I would also pay for the champagne...............all night long!!!.

B'gger, it's an Irish stallion so no breeders prize to pay for the after show entertainment!

Your offer is very kind but I think you'd better get the verdict, by a nose, then I'll have no compuction about drinking Newmarket dry - Prima Donna style ofcourse.