If last years Pony Drift Sale at Chagford was described as ?quite phenomenal? this year's can only be described as ?stratospheric? say its auctioneers ?as all previous sale records were smashed! The best illustration is the average price per head over the entire sale rising from last year's average of £50 to this year's of £84 (more than 50% up on last year?s average). A spokesman for the auctioneer, Rendells of Chagford, said that disappointingly, once again, there were less ponies forward than actually catalogued but the large company of buyers, from all over the United Kingdom, stayed on until the end of the sale bidding competitively for every lot. There were buyers from South Wales, Hampshire, Yorkshire, Essex, Kent, South Midlands and Northern Ireland as well as a strong company of keen buyers from the South West area. The auctioneers thanked the newly formed Dartmoor Hill Pony Association for their support of the sale and for the ease with which pony passporting issues were dealt with. As is often the case, 'small is beautiful' with the top price of the day (£456) going to a coloured Shetland mare exhibited by Mrs J Mortimore of Chagford. The third highest price of the day and second placed price for a foal was £420 paid for a miniature Shetland filly exhibited by Mary Alford of Tavistock. The plain-coloured Dartmoor types were keenly sought, averaging £33.50 for colts and £66.50 for fillies, with only one colt foal selling for the minimum bid price of the day and none being unsold. Top price for colts was £86, achieved on two occasions, and for fillies £131 for a smart bay filly exhibited by Philip Coaker of Postbridge. It was quite clear, said Rendells, that the plain coloured, and especially brown and bay colts, have only a limited market and that the best demand is for coloured, and especially spotted, ponies. Coloured (piebald and skewbald) averaged £72 with a top of £273 for an outstanding animal exhibited by Mr I Mortimore of Chagford, whilst coloured filly foals levelled at £113 with a top of £191 from the same exceptional herd. Mr J Shears of Chagford once again offered a superb consignment of leopard-spotted foals of the highest quality to top out at £441 for a filly foal with his colts running to £399 and an overall average for his consignment of spotted foals of £272. The day?s high prices and competitive bidding continued through to all ages of pony with spotted yearling fillies selling to £283.50, mares with foals at foot to £315 and geldings to £195. Leading prices were: Mares to £456.75 average £113.66; mares with foals to £315, average £194.25; stallions to £147 average £83.60; geldings to £215.25 average £107.63. Yearlings, coloured fillies to £283.50, average £212.63, colts to £157.50, average £93.45; Dartmoor type fillies to £120.75, average £84.92;colts to £89.25, average £56.05. Foals, coloured fillies to £441, average £150.21; colts to £399 average £63.74. Dartmoor type fillies to £131.25, average £66.58; colts to £86.10 average £33.43. Overall sale average, all classes £84.