The auction offered overseas buyers as well as Qatari owners an opportunity to pick Show, Endurance as well flat racing horses on the same platform. PICTURE: Juhaim
By Sports Reporter/Doha
The annual End of Season Horse Auction held by the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club concluded yesterday at the Sale Ring of the South Stables. The two day auction was a huge success as it attracted buyers from the GCC and Qatar, which bought most of the 245 horses that came up for sale.
The auction sale which is being held only a few days before the Qatar racing season concludes, offered a fabulous opportunity for the overseas buyers as well as Qatari owners to pick Show, Endurance as well flat racing horses on the same platform. This was an unique opportunity to sell or buy the best Pure Arabians or Thoroughbreds for different needs on the same stage.
There was frantic bidding by buyers from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to buy good horses at a decent price. Interestingly, there was a huge interest for the Thoroughbreds sold in Qatar by buyers from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
The quality and price enticed Bahrain trainer Abdel Abdullah to pick up five horses at the sale. “I am very happy with the quality and price of horses at the sale. We have bought five here and I am sure we will do well them in Bahrain. This is a very well organised Auction and we are looking forward to coming back here next year as well,” Abdullah said. Al Shahania Stud assistant manager Dean Lavy was also delighted with the turnout at the auction. “It is a good turnout and appears like any international sale. To have Tattersals’ auctioner John O’Kelly at the sale was really good. We sold Al Khattaf at a good price yesterday. The sale has been well organized and I am sure it will get better next year.”
Qatar breeder and owner Dhafi Ardhi al-Marri said. “This is an unique auction and we appreciate QREC for hosting such a great auction sale. The horses are getting their value. The organization has been more than excellent and all the guests are happy as well. We hope that the next auction will be better than this one. This time we have buyers from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia more interested in the Thoroughbreds than Pure Arabians. They know the quality and value of our Thoroughbreds, which is really great news for us here in Qatar. I sold a breeding mare as well as a young horse for a good price. We are all delighted with this auction and I am confident that it will be much better next year.”
Al Shahania Stud’s Al Khattaf got the highest bid of qr 550,000 at the auction which was held by renowned Tattersals auctioner John O’Kelly and assisted by Mohannad Jassim al-Yaqout.