PIPALONG, the darling of Ryedale racing in recent years, changed hands at Newmarket's Tattersalls Sales on Tuesday for a collosal 600,000 guineas.

The Tim Easterby-trained sprinter, who can now look forward to life as a broodmare, was bought by bloodstock agent Anthony Stroud, acting on behalf of a partnership in Ireland, which will be Pipalong's new home.

For a while, the five-year-old looked likely to be heading to Japan, courtesy of a bid of 575,000 guineas by Katsumi Yoshida, but it was Stroud who got the final nod.

Pipalong enjoyed a truly outstanding career at Great Habton, winning a total of ten races, including the Group One Stanley Leisure Sprint Cup at Haydock, a brace of Group Three events, the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket and the Duke Of York Stakes on Knavesmire. Furthermore, she accumulated more than £400,000 in prize money, carrying the colours of Tom Bennett, a long-standing patron of the Ryedale stable, who shared the superstar with Marjorie Easterby, her trainer's mother.

For a filly who was bought as a yearling for a mere 7,000 guineas, Pipalong has proved the bargain of a lifetime for her connections.

Updated: 12:46 Thursday, December 06, 2001