Verband der Züchter des Oldenburger Pferdes e.V.
Dr. Tanja Becker, Public Relations
 Grafenhorststr. 5. 49377 Vechta, Tel.:+49 (0) 44 41-93 55 68, Cell phone: +49 (0) 160-44 02 257,
Fax: +49 (0) 44 41-91 49 99, email: becker.tanja@oldenburger-pferde.com

P R E S S     R E L E A S E

August 24, 2007

6th Elite Foal Auction in Vechta

An Absolute Sensation:
127,000 Euro for Säbeltanz

• One sensation was perfect just by the time the first half of the 6th Elite Foal Auction which took place at the Oldenburg Horse Center Vechta was over: the Olympic dressage winner, Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff, purchased a bay filly named Elfenschau for 72,000 Euros. That amount has never been paid for a filly before. This Florencio I-De Niro daughter was bred by Ewald Grotelüschen from Wardenburg, who took the cake last year when his Champion Foal Florion was sold to Austria for 52.000 Euros. 

• The second half of the auction was even better. The Sandro Hit-Wolkentanz II son Säbeltanz bred by Lüder Lepenies from Deinste was sold to buyers from South America for 127,000 Euros. A price like that has never been paid for a foal at a German Verband auction, breaking the record price so far of 110,000 Euros for a colt called Fürsten Ball purchased by Lone Boegh-Henriksen from Denmark. 

• The lot of 90 Oldenburg and Oldenburg-International youngsters brought a total of 1,228,000 Euros. The average price was 13,644 Euros. Thirty-four foals found buyers from abroad, six each went to Switzerland and the US, four to Austria and three to the Netherlands.

• Danönchen changed hands for 46,000 Euros and will also be raised at Linsenhof's  Schafhof in Kronberg/Taunus. This Danone-Rohdiamant son bred by Xavier Marie from France is closely related to the filly mentioned above, Elfenschau. The Pidgley couple from Britain put down 45,000 Euros for the Florencio I-Donnerhall son Florimax bred by Clemens-August Graf von Merveldt, Vechta.

• All in all, four foals ranged in the 30,000 to 39,999 Euros price segment, including the most expensive jumper bred foal, Santhago. This Sandro Boy-Carthago son (breeder: ZG Koene/Gr. Macke, Essen) was sold to France for 30,000 Euros.

• The Reipen couple from New Zealand made the farthest trip and picked up, among others, Feuervogel (by Fidertanz-Wandervogel, breeder: Thomas Marlow, Löningen) for 25,000 Euros.

• "The auction in Vechta has once again set standards", said Verband President Wilhelm Weerda at the end of the auction, obviously pleased with the results. "This is an excellent result with a fantastic signal effect for our breeding activities which as of this year have taken place all over Germany." Vechta's star auctioneer Uwe Heckmann was also more than satisfied after the auction marathon which took several hours and announced a new collection of superlatives at the 67th Elite Auction which will take place in Vechta on October 5-6, 2007.