Vendors left to make new plans after cancellation of Ascot March Sale

With around 180 horses being prepared to find new homes in Thursday's now-cancelled Tattersalls Ascot March Sale, many vendors have been left in a difficult position.

The majority of the catalogue featured ordinary Flat and jumps horses in training, along with a handful of point-to-pointers and unraced two-year-olds. With no racing in Britain planned for the foreseeable future, trainers are open to offers.

Hampshire-based Chris Gordon was due to offer Moromac, a winner of a novice handicap chase on his last start at Lingfield, along with five-year-olds Likeabatoutofhell and Milnthorpe.

"It is a bit of a blow for the owners," he said. "They were horses we were hoping to move on and we’re slightly lumbered with them now.

"It’s a difficult situation as they were ready and looking their best for the sales, and you can’t just put a rug on them and keep them out in the field straight away. I think they’ll have to be slowly roughed off for the next two or three weeks here.

"One of the girls in the office was going to put them up on our Facebook page, that was the first idea we had about it.

"I'd just like them to go to good homes, whether for continuing racing or doing something else, and I’d be very happy if anyone wanted to come and give them a spin if they got in touch."

Chris Gordon has three horses to find new homes forCredit: Steven Cargill

It was a similar story for David Loughnane, whose Rockesbury, Lakeview and Mac Jetes are fresh from all-weather campaigns.

The Shropshire-based Irishman was accepting of the current difficulties.

"We are where we are with it, and there’s nothing that we can say that can do anything about it," he said. "They were horses that we would have liked to have got sold, but we’re in a global situation.

"You can put them out there on social media but at the end of the day, people who are in the game know who the horses are and luckily we have had a couple of agents getting in contact about arranging a private sale already.

"We’re trying to raise the quality of horse at the yard and they were just ones that didn’t quite cut the mustard in terms of what we’re doing. But they’re sound horses who can win races."

Horses are entered in sales for a variety of reasons and Epsom trainer Pat Phelan explained that he would feel it from a different angle altogether.

He was due to offer three two-year-olds for clients from Ermyn Lodge Stud who were set to be the last to go under the hammer.

"It’s a bit of a shame for us as the idea was for them to go through the ring and then they would be qualified for auction races and get an allowance based on sale price," he explained.

"They were all for sale and if anyone wanted them, they could have had them, but I didn’t think that they would sell and now it means they are going to have to run against everyone.

"It’s very difficult - the window to get in auction races will close and I don’t see how I can do this now. We’ll just have to tell Sheikh Mohammed which races to run his horses in!"

The catalogue had contained nine well-bred sorts from Godolphin, who would have been of interest for trainers and breeders alike. Pivotal filly Dubai Sunset had been placed in France, while geldings Clongowes and Racing Country had been competitive from marks in the 90s.

Among 15 two-year-old were representatives from Tom Clover, Jonny Portman and Joe Tuite, while Willie Mullins had put in Kismet Hardy as a wildcard following a disappointing run over hurdles this month.

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