Chepstows, a British-based online auction company devised by Charlie and Anne
Oakshott of Whitsbury Manor Stud, went live on Wednesday with a new, independent
and transparent live online auction site for stallion seasons,
http://www.chepstows.com/.
The site will allow stud farms to market their less popular stallions
alongside others that are oversubscribed, according to the company.
Oversubscribed stallions will have their stud fee set as the reserve, while
undersubscribed stallions will list an agreed-upon reserve. Upon registration,
bidders will be able to use a searchable list of available stallion nominations,
with links to their individual farm pages.
Like items on EBay, seasons will be listed for a set amount of time with
rolling bids accepted. After the conclusion of each auction, stud farms will
deal directly with mare owners.
“The first stallions on-line will be those from Shadwell, and they will be an
excellent demonstration of how the site works for breeders and stallion owners,
with the flexibility to vary terms from those published, in a way beneficial to
both sides,” said Anne Oakshott, Chepstows’s marketing manager. “It will give an
extra opportunity to mare owners, as studs with an oversubscribed stallion will
be able to keep five or so nominations back to be auctioned. We have been
delighted with the positive feedback we have received.”