All 28 greyhounds who trialled at Yarmouth were sold – including one who was instantly retired as a pet!
The event was run by Yarmouth’s assistant racing manager Ben Mannall, who had almost called the event off after being let down by vendors. But within 24 hours, he was positively buzzing after a hugely successful day.
He said: “We had about 130 people here, sold somewhere between 65/70 carvery lunches and the bars also did great trade.”
24 of the 28 trialists were sold off the bench, the other four were sold privately afterwards. Top lot at 2,100 guineas was Treaty Bell.
Mannall said: “Roughly half of the dogs are staying here, some are going to Crayford and at least a couple to Peterborough. The most bizarre one was a dog called Monbeg Pedro who’d had an old injury and did 30.79. He was sold for 150 guineas. When I was filling in the implant forms I asked the new owner which kennel the dog was going to and he replied ‘he’s not, I’m keeping him as a pet.’
“It turned out a really great day. At sales, people normally pick up their dogs and go straight away. But virtually everybody stayed until the end. We had a young family who had been at the track the night before and just turned up for a carvery lunch and day out. It did make me wonder about a sales day being a good way to get new owners involved.”
So will there be another sale?
Mannall replied: “I have to be honest, I am reconsidering. There was a lot of work involved in the first one, but the next one should be a lot easier. The guys who supplied the dogs are keen to do more, so you never know. I would perhaps look to do one somewhere else.”
