March, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Grand National-Bound Balko Des Flos Tops Goffs March

Grade 1 winner Balko Des Flos (Fr) (Balko {Fr}), who holds an entry for the Randox Health Grand National on April 5, topped the Goffs Online March Sale with a bid of €110,000 from Peter Molony.

Acting on behalf of racehorseclub.com, Molony indicated that the former Gigginstown House Stud campaigner, who won the G1 Ryanair Chase at the 2018 Cheltenham Festival, would remain in training with Henry de Bromhead.

He said, “Balkos Des Flos is being aimed at the National. He has been bought for an exciting new venture about which there will be further news announced in the coming weeks.”

Molony added, “I found the Goffs Online site and timed auction format extremely user-friendly. I bid on my phone while halfway up a mountain in the middle of Land Rover Sale inspections.”

Held as a timed online auction, the session featured young jumping stock, breeding stock and horses in training, with 32 horses sold for a total of £557,600 and an average of £17,425.

At the conclusion of the day's trade, Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby said, “This was Goffs' second timed online auction, following the Doncaster January Sale which was moved online, and to see both sales topped by six figure sales— £110,000 and £300,000 respectively—is a great endorsement of the role Goffs Online now plays in our overall offering. This method is never the first choice, but time after time since the Covid 19 pandemic began a year ago, Goffs Online has proven to be an invaluable vehicle for our clients with over €8.6 million of business successfully conducted so far.”

He added, “Following the January Sale we reviewed the timed format with vendors and purchasers, and launched a number of improvements to the site prior to today's sale. Since the catalogue was released, over 4000 unique viewers visited the online catalogue, and we accepted 197 bids from buyers in Ireland, the UK and France whilst feedback from clients was overwhelmingly positive in relation to usability and the opportunity to trade that the sale provided.”

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McGarry To Succeed Killeen at Navan

Aidan McGarry will succeed Peter Killeen as the general manager of Navan Racecourse, Horse Racing Ireland announced Wednesday.

Killeen is retiring next week following a career that spanned 40 years in Irish racing. Having joined the Racing Board in 1980, he was involved in the introduction of the Computote betting system adopted by the Tote in the late 80s and was instrumental in the introduction of more recent advances in on-course Tote betting and technology.

Killeen was appointed manager of Tote Ireland operations in 1999 and held that position for 15 years before taking on the role of Navan general manager. He is to remain as an independent director on the board of the Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR).

“It's hard to believe that it's 40 years since I walked through the doors of the Racing Board's offices on Merrion Square, it really does feel like only yesterday,” Killeen reflected. “My first role was preparing the perforated Tote tickets that some people might remember!

“Perhaps people today might shudder at the thought of staying within a specific industry for such a time, but it afforded me opportunities to work in a variety of roles as the industry changed and adapted over the years. I've been very lucky in all that time, I worked with so many great people and many more great characters! Thanks to them all.

“I'm delighted with Aidan's appointment and I know that he will be a great addition to what is a fantastic team at Navan.”

McGarry, who has held a number of managerial roles within Horse Racing Ireland and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, will assume his new role Mar. 29.

He said: “I can't thank Peter Killeen enough for the help and guidance he has given me as I prepare for this exciting new challenge. Navan is renowned as a top-class racecourse and the strength of the racing programme, both National Hunt and Flat, is a particular draw for me. I'm joining a great team and am very much looking forward to working with everyone at Navan.”

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First Mares in Foal to Ocala Stud Stallions

New Ocala Stud residents Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}), Win Win Win (Hat Trick {Jpn}) and Dak Attack (Ghostzapper) have each had first mares scanned in foal.

Charles Fipke's Mine's Perfect (Mineshaft), from the family of Fipke's Grade I winners Forever Unbridled (Unbridled's Song) and Unbridled Forever (Unbridled's Song) and his GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Lemons Forever (Lemon Drop Kid), is in foal to Seeking the Soul. Also a Fipke homebred, Seeking the Soul racked up nearly $3.5 million with his signature win coming in the 2017 GI Clark H.

Bespoken (Bernardini) has been confirmed in foal to Win Win Win, a jaw-dropping victor of last year's GI Forego S. for Live Oak Plantation. Bespoken is out of the Grade I winner Well Chosen (Deputy Minister), who is also responsible for MGISW Telling (A.P. Indy).

Scat Daddy mare My Sweet Dani Girl is in foal to stakes-winning juvenile and $625,000 yearling Dak Attack.

For more information on Seeking the Soul, Win Win Win, or Dak Attack, contact David or Joe O'Farrell at (352) 237-2171 or visit OcalaStud.com.

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Arqana May Breeze-Up Catalogue Online

A total of 158 2-year-olds have been catalogued for the 2021 Arqana Deauville Breeze-Up Sale, to be held Friday, May 14, beginning at 1pm, one day after all the lots will perform their under-tack breezes at Deauville-La Touques Racecourse.

The catalogue is enriched with pedigrees to appeal to an international buying bench, with many prominent sires from either side of the Atlantic strongly represented. European stalwarts include the likes of Dark Angel (Ire), Dubawi (Ire), Exceed and Excel (Aus), Galileo (Ire), Invincible Spirit (Ire), Mehmas (Ire), No Nay Never, Sea The Stars (Ire), the late Shamardal, successful dual-hemisphere stallion Showcasing (GB), Siyouni (Fr) and Wootton Bassett (GB). The young progeny of first-crop sires such as Almanzor (Fr), Caravaggio and Churchill (Ire) are also set to go under the hammer in Deauville.

The May Breeze-Up Sale can proudly boast of having sold American Classic winner War of Will (€250,000, 2018 sale), who added last year's GI Maker's Mark Mile to his victory in the 2019 GI Preakness S. There is no shortage of American horse power in this year's event, as Triple Crown winner American Pharoah–sire of the €1.1-million sales-topping Ocean Atlantique–the reliable Distorted Humor, leading sire Into Mischief, Medaglia d'Oro, More Than Ready, Speightstown and War of Will's sire War Front all feature in the catalogue.

Seven of the sale's offerings are either out of Group 1 winners or are related to top-level scorers, including lot 22, a Dark Angel (Ire) son of G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Jet Setting (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) from the draft of Star Bloodstock; and lot 143, a Caravaggio half-sister to dual South African Grade 1 winner Queen Supreme (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) from Kilbrew Stables.

Brendan Holland's Grove Stud was responsible for last year's €715,000 sales-topping daughter of War Front–Beauty Parlor (Elusive Quality) and that operation will be represented by 10 juveniles, chief among them lot 76, a colt by American Pharoah and the second produce of Queen of the Sand (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), a Grade III winner and Grade I placed in America. A total of 35 vendors will travel from France, Ireland and Britain to Deauville.

Already in 2021, Arqana Breeze-Up graduates have made their mark at the Dubai World Cup Carnival. Al Tariq (Fr) (Oasis Dream {GB}), a €150,000 graduate of the 2018 sale, took out the G3 Al Shindagha Sprint and is one of 14 entered for Saturday's US$1.5-million G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan. Midnight Sands (Speightstown) made a successful Dubai return in the G3 Burj Nahaar S. on Super Saturday Mar. 6 and the €80,000 grad figures to take plenty of beating in the G2 Godolphin Mile earlier on World Cup Saturday. Summer Romance (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), the €800,000 second-dearest lot in 2019 when purchased by Godolphin, added the G2 Balanchine S. to her success in last year's G3 Princess Elizabeth S. at Epsom.

Click here for the complete catalogue.

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