Million-pound purchase Rogue Lightning will return to action next year for a top-class sprint campaign for new owners Wathnan Racing.

The bay son of Kodiac has worn the silks of The Rogues Gallery all season, chalking up a hat-trick of five-furlong sprints that culminated with Listed success in the Scarbrough Stakes at Doncaster.

The gelding was then stepped sharply up in grade to take on the Group One Prix de l’Abbaye at ParisLongchamp and was not beaten far when fifth and only a length and a quarter behind the winner Highfield Princess.

He was then auctioned via the Goffs Qipco British Champions Day Sale prior to racing at Ascot on Saturday and fetched an impressive £1million as Richard Brown was the winning bidder on behalf of Wathnan Racing.

Rogue Lightning will stay in the care of trainer Tom Clover and will return to training next season with an eye on a programme of valuable sprint contests.

“It’s absolutely fantastic news, it’s terrific to have a horse like him in the yard,” Clover said.

“He’s been a great horse for the Rogues and for us, as an ambitious yard, to keep him for some fantastic new owners in the yard is very exciting.

“We’ll have to speak to Richard Brown but the plan for now is that we’ll give him a break and bring him back fresh in the spring.

“He’s the type of horse where you’d hope that the programme would work itself out, all the obvious races – King’s Stands, Nunthorpes, who knows?

“He should winter very well, I hope, and should shape into a top-class sprinter.”

Rogue Lightning looks a sprinter going places and could take his chance in Prix de l’Abbaye following a cosy victory in the Betfred Scarbrough Stakes at Doncaster.

Tom Clover’s three-year-old is improving at a rate of knots and since being gelded is unbeaten in three outings.

His last victory came in a valuable Ascot handicap and upped to Listed class on Town Moor he faced only three rivals.

However, one of those was Raasel, a very solid 110-rated sprinter who arrived off the back of a good win at Haydock last week. But he was always fighting a losing battle as Danny Tudhope coaxed Rogue Lightning (9-4) home for a three-quarters of a length success from the even-money favourite.

“He’s always been a horse that we’ve liked,” said Clover. “It’s just fantastic for The Rogues Gallery (winning syndicate) as we’ve got 55 of them here today, Doncaster have been brilliant with them and gave them a box.

“To have a runner at the St Leger meeting with so many here, it means an awful lot.

“We actually put him in the Prix de l’Abbaye with the five-furlong division looking so open. He’s very fast, he’s got so much speed and he’s just a lovely horse. Gelding has obviously helped, he was very keen but relaxes a bit better now.

“If he gets in the Abbaye we’ll probably go.”

Poet Master (9-2) looks another very nice prospect for Karl Burke and took his record to three wins from just four outings in the Betfred City Of Doncaster Handicap.

Well beaten on his handicap debut at Haydock, he seemed suited by dropping back down to seven furlongs from a mile.

Always handy under Sam James, he saw off his rival for the lead, Dark Thirty, and held the challenge of Zouky by two and three-quarter lengths.

James said: “It felt like we went a good gallop, but I was always travelling comfortably the whole way, in my comfort zone.

“I think the better the race he runs in the better he’ll be but he still needs to learn about the game, he was a little bit on it and I struggled to pull him up afterwards but he’s obviously got plenty of ability.

“He’s just got his own ideas a bit and even though he’d won a couple, he’s still green. To me it didn’t feel like he was in love with the ground, but he was still able to travel.

“He’s probably a very decent horse and he’d have to be black type now, the faster they go the easier he’ll win.”

Swift Salian (7-2) ran out a very easy winner of the I Love Julie Parkes Nursery Handicap for David and Nicola Barron.

Fresh from winning a Grade One in Canada on Saturday evening, it looked like William Buick had come to Town Moore especially for Charlie Appleby’s State Of Desire but he was a major disappointment.

Swift Salian kicked clear under Connor Beasley well over a furlong out to win by three and a quarter lengths.

Ala Kaifi justified 100-30 favouritism under Kieran Shoemark in the Hippo Carpet Protector Handicap for Ismail Mohammed.