A total of 53 Northern Hemisphere-bred two-year-olds and Southern Hemisphere-bred three-year-olds were sold for gross receipts of $4,220,557, an average of $79,782, at the Pearls of Dubai International sale held at the Dubai World Cup Quarantine Center at Nad al Sheba racecourse on Saturday. The gross represented a new record for a sale in the United Arab Emirates. The sale topper was Next Knight, an unraced Kentucky-bred son of Royal Academy out of stakes winner Zitkala, by Regal Classic, purchased for $544,588 by trainer Satish Seemar, agent for Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed al Maktoum. Sheikh Rashid is the eldest son of Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid al Maktoum, who oversees Godolphin Racing.

Sheikh Rashid, who has his own extensive racing interests, and Seemar teamed to purchase last year's sale topper, Just Call Me, who went on to win the inaugural Pearls of Dubai Sales Stakes at Nad al Sheba.

"He was a good, clean-looking horse, in my opinion, the pick of the catalog," Seemar said. "Though he wasn't asked to do a great deal at the breeze-up, I thought he showed great potential."

Seemar also bought the second-highest priced juvenile when he went to $381,211 for Dr. Quackenbush, a Deposit Ticket filly who won a $50,000 maiden claiming race at Belmont Park on July 6. She will campaign for Sultan Ali al Subusi.

Graduates of the sale are the only horses eligible for the $136,147 Pearls of Dubai International Sales Graduate Stakes at Nad al Sheba on March 2.

"This year's Pearls of Dubai sale was an outstanding success," said Les Benton, chief executive of the Emirates Racing Association. "The figures have improved from last year's excellent results and should improve again in seasons to come as racing here in the United Arab Emirates grows from strength to strength."

The sale inspired 24 radio listeners to form an ownership syndicate after a local station promoted the idea during breakfast programming. The syndicate went to $38,121 to obtain a Gold Fever gelding.