THE growing significance of racing in Qatar was highlighted when the country’s leading trainer Gassim Mohammed Ghazali took home the day’s best-priced lot on Tuesday, paying 310,000gns for the three-year-old Pivotal gelding Cloudberry. A four-time winner in 2016, he was bought to stay in Roger Charlton’s yard at this year’s Tattersalls July Sale for just 15,000gns after winning a maiden at Bath on his second start.

He is unbeaten since and Ghazali was buying in association with Will Douglass of Charlie Gordon-Watson Bloodstock. “He is very progressive horse, his win on Friday was a good performance,” said Douglass. “He has gone on good ground, Pivotal’s get better with age and he ticks all the boxes. He came highly recommended by the former connections.”

Charlton’s Beckhampton House Stables also sold Monday’s joint top lot Imperial Aviator who realised 270,000gns. The trainer had mixed emotions and said: “It is a very good sale. The horse [Cloudberry] has blossomed since and has improved a lot. His last win was good and he should continue to do well for his new owners.”

Rated 104, the five-time winning Final Venture is staying in Yorkshire but moving from Alan Swinbank to Paul Midgley for new owner Taylor’s Bloodstock. They paid 260,000gns for the four-year-old gelded son of Equiano. “We’ll take him home and he might be one to take to the [Dubai] Carnival,” said Ian Mayson representing the new connections.

“Andrew Taylor has around 12 horses with Paul now - good horses such as Monsieur Joe, Line Of Reason and Ninjago - but this is the most expensive purchase.”

Stroud Coleman Bloodstock made two six-figure purchases on the day, headed by their 200,000gns spend on the Lope De Vega four-year-old gelding Treasury Notes from David O’Meara’s stables. Winner of five races and with a BHA mark of 100, this was the second time that Stroud purchased the gelding, acquiring him for 54,000gns as a breezer. Later in the day the agency added to their purchases when giving 148,000gns for Twin Sails, a three-year-old son of Sir Percy who won twice last year and was fourth in the Group 2 Vintage Stakes.

The ultra-consistent Yangtze from Sir Michael Stoute’s yard won for the second time before the sale and with six placings from nine starts the three-year-old son of Dansili was the pick of the day for Sam Pritchard-Gordon at 185,000gns. He will now join his stable in Australia. “I went to work in Australia, worked with Gai Waterhouse and then Lee Freedman,” said Pritchard-Gordon. “I set up training around four years ago and we’ve had a bit of success with Buxted who we bought here - he won a listed race.

“This horse will cost me around Aus$280,000, but if he wins a Group 3 he will get all of that back, the prize-money is so good in Australia. And there is such a lot of interest in owning horses - everyone wants to be part of a syndicate.”

One horse with a National Hunt future is Mengli Khan, the 96-rated son of Lope De Vega who cost Mags O’Toole, on behalf of Gordon Elliott but with Eddie O’Leary bidding for his brother Michael, 155,000gns. A full-brother to the Group 1 runner-up Very Special and a half-brother to the Breeders’ Cup winner Chriselliam, the three-year-old won twice for Hugo Palmer but was offered through The Castlebridge Consignment.

Charlie Hills sent Shanghai Glory to the Curragh recently to land the Listed Waterford Testimonial Stakes, his fourth win, and saw his rating soar to 104. It also increased his value considerably and Stephen Hillen secured the three-year-old son of Exceed And Excel for 150,000gns. “He is only a three-year-old and to beat the older horses last time was a good performance,” said Hillen. “He could go for Dubai, or for Group 3s here next season.” Hillen was standing with Fitri Hay’s racing manager Alex Cole.

Another sale entry to win a stakes race since the catalogue was printed was Swift Approval from Kevin Ryan’s yard. His sixth career win came in a listed race at Cologne and the four-year-old son of Approve cost Thomas Morley 110,000gns. Morley has horses in training with Stuart Williams.

Two lots sold for 100,000gns, one from Richard Hannon’s yard and one sent up by John Oxx. The former was Atlantic Sun, a recent winner in France, though the colt won at two in England. His placed efforts include being runner-up in the Listed Heron Stakes. He was the subject of a private sale to Troy Steve Bloodstock for Maryland trainer Niall Saville.

Xebec, a winner at Sligo, Killarney and Bellewstown for John Oxx, was sold to SackvilleDonald for 100,000gns. The Francois Fabre-owned four-year-old son of Mizzen Mast was not beaten far in fifth place in a listed race on his last run.