Harness Racing in the UK: 2016 Season: Week 23

Finally the weekend of Camden Stud/York Sale arrived.

I was asked back at the beginning of August if I would organise the sale on behalf of Camden Stud and York Harness Raceway owner Mick Welling. I have an inability to say 'no', so I said 'yes'. The job may have not been as hard for my predecessors as it seemed to be for me, trying to juggle my full time job and personal commitments with taking sale entries, writing sale details, designing the catalogues and then selling them. But I did it nonetheless, to the best of my ability.

On Friday I took the day off from my 9-5 to drive down to York to get myself set up for Saturday's sale. After four hours' driving with two pit stops I was checked in to my hotel, a couple of miles from the track, and I headed straight over to see what was going on.

I arrived to find Mick, Elsa McKechnie and her partner Peter Holgate washing the yearlings in the purpose-built wash bay at the end of the main stable block. Dawn Forrest was the first to arrive after me and was immediately passed a scraper to help dry the horses. Not long after, David Bevan, wife Nicky and children Lewis and Sophie arrived to chip in. Mick's right hand man Frank was mucking out each stable as the yearlings were brought out to be washed. I set about scanning microchips to verify each horse and collecting passports; when Mick's partner Lindsey arrived we made tea for the troops before Elsa, Peter and Dawn began plaiting up the horses. I left before it began to get too dark so that I could meet friends who had travelled up from the south, and so that I could get everything that was still needing to be done finished so I could have an early night (I didn't end up having an early night after all thanks to John Gill, Rab Wilson, John O'Neil and Ryan O'Neil and the bar staff in The Bay Horse...).

Sale Day was an early start so that I could be at the track to crack on with assigning hip numbers to the lots and scanning microchips of the arriving horses. It didn't seem too stressful a morning but once the people began to arrive it soon became a bit mad and I had to start delegating jobs in the stable block so that I could get the sales office open. A delay on the incoming flight from Dublin to Leeds Bradford Airport forced us to postpone the start of the horse sale, so we kicked things off with the tack sale which included a variety of jog carts, race bikes, wheels, harness, rugs, boots and hopples.

With buyers wanting to settle up immediately after the tack lots were sold, I was unable to actually watch any of the sale although I could hear the auctioneer from the sales office. Then, later on during the day I was unable to watch the racing because I was taking money for the horse sales. Paying vendors and processing STAGBI paperwork meant that it was 7pm before I was able to pack up and prepare to leave the track to come back to Scotland. However, every vendor had been paid, every horse collected, every buyer provided with their correct paperwork. Everything was done.

Without further ado, here are the OFFICIAL sales results from the sale:

LOT 1 - SHOWTIME ARTIST (f, 2015) - Meursault Hanover x Showtime Woman NOT SOLD

LOT 2 - SHOWTIME ROSA (f, 2015) - Meursault Hanover x Majestic Rosa NOT SOLD

LOT 3 - DARCY CAMDEN (f, 2015) - Yankee Lariat x Seven Seas £2800
Buyer: Lee Rix
LOT 4 - NANCY CAMDEN (f, 2015) - Mypanmar x Second Symphony £5500
Buyer: Billy Timmins
LOT 5 - RONNIE CAMDEN (c, 2015) - Bettors Delight x Musical Tone £20,000
Buyer: Chris Wadhams
LOT 6 - BUSKING DOLLAR (f, 2015) - Busking Lad x Shes The Dollar £500
Buyer: Alan Davies
LOT 7 - BUSKING SUE (f, 2015) - Busking Lad x Peterstone Ma Sue NOT SOLD

LOT 8 - GREENTREE ILLUSION (f, 2015) - Hasty Hall x Coalford Magic £2600
Buyer: Chris Thornton
LOT 9 - GREENTREE SEELSTER (g, 2015) - Pierce Seelster x Greentree Fantasy £1500
Buyer: Joseph Mound
LOT 10 - BOBBY CAMDEN (c, 2015) - Art Professor x Rhyds Kayla £21,000
Buyer: Claire Hall
LOT 11 - GEORGIE CAMDEN (c, 2015) - Mypanmar x Yankee Jiffey £9300
Buyer: Peter Davison
LOT 12 - ISABELLA CAMDEN (f, 2015) - Art Professor x Belovedangel £11,500
Buyer: Edward McCarthy
LOT 13 - AYR PAPARAZZI (c, 2015) - Soulofthematter x Poudine Du Pan £2350
Buyer: J R Howard
LOT 14 - AYR PIONEER (c, 2015) - Soulofthematter x Ayr Wing £1600
Buyer: Joseph Mound
LOT 15 - BRYWINS BEACHART (c, 2015) - Star On The Beach x Art Connection £1550
Buyer: Shane Howard
LOT 16 - BRYWINS BEACHLIFE (c, 2015) - Share The Delight x Lifes Magic Girl £2550
Buyer: Gareth Dowse
LOT 17 - IVY CAMDEN (f, 2015) - Mypanmar x Rose Croix £7000
Buyer: Robert Rowan
LOT 18 - ROBYN CAMDEN (f, 2015) - Art Professor x Keystone Havoc £15,200
Buyer: The All Out Syndicate
LOT 19 - TEDDY CAMDEN (c, 2015) - Stonebridge Galaxy x So Hip It Hurts £6700
Buyer: Billy Timmins
LOT 20 - STIRLINGDANCERHALL (m, 2012) - American Ideal x Belle Reve NOT FORWARD

LOT 21 - AGATHE ROYAL (m, 2010) - Johnny Be Good x Indiana Dulef NOT FORWARD

LOT 22 - SANS LIMITES (m, 2006) - General Du Pommeau x Amonga DHilly £800
Buyer: George Button
LOT 23 - VERY CORNUAILLAISE (m, 2009) - Hibiscus Du Rib x Odile D'Anjou £1750
Buyer: Gordon Garnett
LOT 24 - THREE PACK (g, 2007) - Corot x Madone Du Pam NOT FORWARD

LOT 25 - GABRIELLA CAMDEN (f, 2013) - Pro Bono Best x Seven Seas NOT SOLD

LOT 26 - CAENWOOD CLASSIC (f, 2013) - Hasty Hall x Artribute £1000
Buyer: Chris Wadhams
LOT 27 - EPONA STAR (m, 2010) - Hasty Hall x Pirnielodge Epona £1200
Buyer: Chris Wadhams

In total there were 27 horses entered; 24 were presented for sale through the ring. Of these 24, 4 were not sold. The total sale value was £116,400. The average price across all horses forward was £4850. The total sale value of the yearlings was £111,650. The average yearling price was £5,876.36. The Camden Stud yearlings made a total of £99,000. The average price per Camden Stud yearling was £11,000.

I would personally like to thank the following people for their help in the lead up to the sale and also on the day of the sale itself:

Anthony Fettah
Sue Young
David Bevan
Gareth Bevan
Jason Podmore
Kirsty Lee
Gwenan Thomas
Frank & Dave
Lindsey Morley
Mick Welling
Gary Dowse
Elsa McKechnie
Peter Holgate
Dawn Forrest
Craig Stevenson
John Smart
Bernard McGovern
Geoff (the auctioneer)

THANK YOU!