Purr along lines up at Tipperary tomorrow

The four-year-old was bought at Tattersalls late last year in partnership with Newsells Park Stud and got away to a flying start for new trainer Johnny Murtagh when winning the Gr.3 Lanwades Stud Stakes (pictured) at the Curragh's Guineas weekend.

Although beaten twice since, Purr Along was not disgraced when third in the Gr.2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot and fourth in the QIPCO Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket's July Festival. Tomorrow's race is a drop in class and Murtagh has been training the filly with this race in mind for several weeks, believing it will provide an important stepping stone to a return to top-grade competition in the autumn.

Pearl Of Africa, who was also entered in tomorrow's race, skips it in favour of an attempt on the Gr.3 Dance Design Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday.

The first yearling sale of the year in Britain is taking place at Doncaster this week and David Redvers Bloodstock was active on the first day in recruiting new horses for Qatar Racing and associated partnerships.

Redvers landed the top lot on day one of DBS's Premier Yearling Sale, paying £230,000 for a grey colt by Starspangledbanner, sire of this season's leading juveniles The Wow Signal and Anthem Alexander. The yearling's sale was a memorable result for young consignor Peter Parkhill of Ireland's Castletown Quarry Stud, for his family is more commonly associated with breeding jumping horses, and this was the first time he had offered a young Flat horse at auction.

Parkhill had bought the youngster at Tattersalls in Newmarket as a foal in partnership with Eoin Banville for just 13,000gns, but nine months later he had grown from a gangly baby into a very good-looking, embryonic racehorse - and his sire's first offspring had produced the goods on the racecourse.

The action continues in the ring today - and can be followed live at www.dbsauctions.com - and concludes tomorrow with a lower-tier event known as the Silver Sale.