Diana Rose, a dressage rider from New York, USA , purchased the top priced horse called Daddy Cool (Don Primero x Prinz Gaylord, bred by Kerstin Ehlers in Niederlangen) for 261,000 Euro by phone. With total prize earnings of 3,016 Euro, this gelding was the most successful five year old dressage horse in Germany the past show season.
Number two on the price list was Sonderburg. This Sandro Hit daughter (dam by Feiner Stern, bred by Hubert Ratermann in Alfhausen) changed hands for 130,000 Euro to Xavier Marie in France . Xavier will prepare the mare for a career in dressage. The third member in the "hundred thousand club" at this anniversary auction was Uniqua, the Oldenburg Reserve Champion Mare (by De Niro - Figaro) bred by Helmut Kleen, who was sold to the American film producer, Marta Kauffmann, for 100,000 Euro.
The most expensive jumper, a Landkaiser daughter (dam by Wonneberger, bred by Reinhard Voll in Dülmen) was sold to Switzerland for 32,000 Euro.
John French from California purchased two foals: Cha-Cha-Cha (by Chico 's Boy, bred by Gestüt Sprehe in Löningen) for 11,500 Euro and Kingdom (by King Arthur/Trakehner - Justinian xx, bred by Bernard Gerwin in Dingel) for 10,000 Euro. The top priced foal, a filly called Espagnola (by Don Romantic - Feiner Stern, bred by Holly Simensen from West Palm Beach , FL , USA ), was sold to a customer from Baden-Württemberg for 23,000 Euro. The Pidgley's from Britain purchased Flaminio (by Florencio - Freiherr, bred by Hans and Britta Scherbring GbR in Visbek) for 10,000 Euro
The Weser-Ems pony stallion, Harry Potter (by Halifax - Brillant, bred by Janine Ebert in Dötlingen) was purchased by the Braunbarth family in Konstanz for their granddaughter.
32 riding horses were auctioned at the 60 th Oldenburg Elite Auction in Vechta for a total of 1,099,000 Euro, three of which broke the 100,000 Euro sound barrier. The average price was 34,343 Euro. Twelve horses were sold abroad.
The total for the 21 elite foals was 151,700 Euro with an average price of 7,233 Euro. Six of the foals were sold abroad. The two Weser-Ems riding pony stallions were sold for a total of 12,900 Euro.
The 30 year anniversary (and 60th Eite Auction) was festively celebrated on Friday, April 23, 2004 with a party in the adjoining tent. Friends of the Oldenburg horse and the Vechta auctions from home and abroad attended. Among the guests were leading figures from politics, trade and industry such as the former Minister of Agriculture for Lower Saxony and current member of the State Parliament, Uwe Bartels.
All Images copyrighted: Astrid Appels/Eurodressage - No reproduction allowed
Read More: On the Scene Experience of the 2004 Vechta Spring Elite Auction