Racing: Pipe secures shifting Sands

ON THE sort of sultry summer afternoon when thoughts of Cheltenham have yet to stir from their summer hibernation in the average racing fan's consciousness, the great and the good of the jumping world gathered en masse at Doncaster yesterday. The lure was a consignment of 15 young horses, each brimful of promise, sent to auction only because of the recent death through illness of their owner, Lord Swaythling.

Such rich pickings, involving the most genuine of "genuine reasons for sale", come on the market only rarely and trainers and agents almost fought each other for possession. The star of the draft was Wahiba Sands, one of last season's leading novice hurdlers, who made the transfer from one of Flat racing's premiership sides, Team Dunlop, to Martin Pipe's mighty arsenal at a cost of 105,000 guineas.

In terms of the millions spent at one hit on a blue-blooded yearling by the high rollers in Kentucky last month that does not seem a huge sum, but all is relative. Only one proven jumper has ever made more under the hammer; that was the Triumph Hurdle winner Mysilv, sold for 155,000 guineas at the same South Yorkshire venue four years ago.

The five-year-old Wahiba Sands, looking in tremendous nick after his summer hols, came to his date with the auctioneer Harry Beeby as a winner of three Flat races (after being bought as a yearling for 7,800 guineas by John Dunlop) and twice when he tried his luck over hurdles as an afterthought.

Beeby, son of George Beeby, who trained two Cheltenham Gold Cup winners and no bad judge of value, asked for an opening offer of 100,000 guineas but had to descend to a 10th of that before he felt a tug on the line. But for seven minutes thereafter, with no reserve price in play, the piranhas were in there snapping; David Minton, Howard Johnson, Paul Webber, Venetia Williams, Tim Easterby. The final duel, in front of an audience packed shoulder-to-shoulder, was played out between those two avowed trackside rivals, Paul Nicholls, whose offer of the round six figures was not enough, and Pipe. Perhaps the fact that the Nicholashayne maestro's first choice jockey, Tony McCoy, partnered Wahiba Sands to his victories at Leicester and Ascot produced enough inside information to swing the balance.

The tall, handsome bay gelding will in future carry the blue and green of one of Pipe's most successful patrons David Johnson, colours already graced by Champleve, Or Royal and Challenger Du Luc.

Whether Wahiba Sands will join that talented trio over the larger obstacles or have a crack at the Champion Hurdle has yet to be decided. But he has, apparently, already proved himself an exceptional lepper of fences in schooling sessions under a key member of the all-round equestrian team that services Arundel. Step forward Guy Landau, ex-jump jockey and now one of the country's leading young nagsmen. After racing, one of Dunlop's chief pleasures is showing; Landau produces his string in that sphere and has had a wonderful summer in the ribbons at the top level with the likes of the heavyweight hunter Red Hand.

Wahiba Sands and his companions raised a total of 400,300 guineas. But an executors' sale is rarely a happy occasion, and Dunlop watched proceedings with mixed feelings. "The prices were satisfactory," he said, "but the sale was brought about by the death of a dear friend. And I was sad to see Wahiba Sands go; I had had him for so long and he is a lovely horse."

The youngster has, perhaps, a hard precedent to follow. The last major executors' dispersal conducted by Doncaster Bloodstock Sales was at the late Arthur Stephenson's Crawleas five years ago. Among the horses sold then was a promising five-year-old novice hurdler, by name One Man.