[NoChanceToDance]

Chapman splashes out
on Fan Club


by Edward Prosser
.


IN THE week his stable star Quito retired, trainer David Chapman on Thursday made his dearest ever purchase when spending 35,000gns at Doncaster's August Sale on Fan Club, a winner in France for owner-breeder Khalid Abdulla.

The three-year-old, who recently finished fourth at Deauville, won a
Maisons-Laffitte maiden last year for trainer David Smaga and Chapman is excited to be welcoming the new recruit to his Stillington yard.

“It's the most I've ever spent on a horse and I'm really thrilled to have got him,” said Chapman. “He's fit and well and ready to go as he ran last week and he's got some really good form in France. I don't have an owner for him at the moment.”

A first-time visitor to Doncaster, Bahrain-based Hussain Ali Ahmed
Bukannan, paid theday's top price when buying Slate for 40,000gns out of Jamie Osborne's yard.

“He's going to race in Qatar, where I have 22 horses,” said Bukannan. “I feel he is a good horse but we will find out when he gets to Doha. I have been to Newmarket before but this is my first time at Doncaster.”

Five two-year-olds who had been bought for 166,000gns by owner Ian Clark at Doncaster's Breeze-Up Sale in April returned to the South Yorkshire sale ring on Thursday having not been paid for.

Clark will be asked to pay 47,000gns to the sales company after the quintet recouped 119,000gns of their original cost.
Trainer Charlie Mann paid 30,000gns for the pick of the group, offered from Jimmy O'Reilly's locally-based yard, when buying a Spartacus colt who had cost 45,000gns four months ago.

“Owner William Harrison-Alan has bought him on my judgement and he'll go back to his place but I'm not sure where he'll be trained,” said Mann.

The three-day sale's highlight was the sale of Feathard Lady to Graham Wylie for 275,000gns on Wednesday and that helped the fixture - the first staged at Doncaster since its merger with Goffs - to show an advance on last year.

“Trade at this week's August Sale has matched the weather - hot!” said Henry Beeby, who remains managing director of Doncaster Bloodstock Sales as well as being Goffs' new chief executive.

“We were naturally delighted to reclaim the world record for a National Hunt broodmare when Feathard Lady realised 270,000gns, which converted to €426,600 and proved, yet again, that DBS can achieve the very best prices for any horse.”

He added: “There is a lot going at DBS at the moment. This was the first sale since we merged with Goffs and I'm pleased that buyers continue to enjoy the same unrivalled hands-on service from the DBS team which was enhanced by some input from a couple of Goffs regulars.

“This is what we promised when we merged and I guarantee that visitors to any Goffs or DBS sale will continue to be met with a service that is unmatched.”

Doncaster's St Leger Yearling Sale begins on August 28.