A brilliant finale marked the conclusion of the Verden Auction Online ended When lot #51 was called up early Saturday eveing. The showjumper Störtebecker (Stolzenberg x Graf Top), bred and consigned by Axel Bahn, Maasen, was named after a pirate from the Middle Ages, and certainly swashbuckled his way to the top price of €95,000. He will now be trained by Cian O'Connor and Ashford Farms. Seven years ago, his full sister, Samoe, was one of the pearls of the jumping collection at the Elite Auction and sold to Sweden for €130,000.

The collection of dressage horses was also highly coveted, with 14 bidders keeping an eye on Stella Jones (Sarotti Mokka Sahne x Brentano II), bred and consigned by Dagmar Meyer, Edemissen. The four-year-old Hannoveraner premium candidate was impressive at the pre-selection and during the ten-day training period in Verden with absolute nerves of steel and outstanding basic qualities. The final bid of €50,000 meant the mare will move to a stall in a renowned training stable in Lower Saxony.

Following the provenVerden system, the auction horses could be tried out since last Tuesday, but behind closed doors – a system that was appreciated by numerous interested parties. According to Hannoveraner Verband managing director Wilken True, "We had numerous customer groups. Several renowned showjumpers and trainers took a close look at our youngsters".

The auction carousel in Verden continues from June 3-6 with top foals. Further foal auctions will follow in the online auction series from June 10-13, and July 1-4. The next group of riding horses will be for sale on July 18. These talents can be personally inspected and tried out from July 7 at the Verden training and sales centre.