For the third time in as many years, Friday’s Goresbridge Breeze Up will have a different home. Originally developed and hosted by Martin Donohoe’s Kilkenny-based auction house, the sale merged with Tattersalls Ireland last year with proceedings transferring successfully to County Meath. Another switch, this one not of the strategic kind rather more out of necessity, sees the action move across the water to Tattersalls in Newmarket as the sale, originally slated for two months previously, bids to make up for lost time. Between additional wildcards and withdrawals around 150 horses breezed in Newmarket adjacent to the Rowley Mile Racecourse on Wednesday and while there was reportedly a smallish crowd in attendance it is hoped there will be enough interested parties on hand on Friday to allow for some decent trade to take place.
Surprisingly enough trade at the earlier rescheduled European breeze-up sales held up remarkably well given events throughout the world and while it is fanciful to expect Friday’s turnover to match last year’s figure of €5,010,500, Tattersalls Ireland’s Marketing Director Simon Kerins is hopeful another important metric, the clearance rate, will keep tabs on both previous editions and other breeze-up sales held this year.
“All things considered we are reasonably hopeful the sale will go well,” he said. “The Tattersalls team here in Newmarket have been brilliant, they put together a new stabling plan and they have been hugely helpful in accommodating the sale at very short notice. I think the transfer has gone relatively smoothly, obviously there have been challenges, especially for vendors who were working under the expectation that the breeze would be in Fairyhouse with the sale across the road from that in Tattersalls Ireland. That plan was changed at short notice but the breeze seemed to go well on Wednesday and given the amazingly resilient nature of this industry and the fact that trade has held up well at other breeze ups we are hopeful of a good solid sale.”
Last year’s top lot was a son of Lope De Vega (Ire) that Norman Williamson’s Oak Tree Farm sold to Blandford Bloodstock for €175,000 and subsequently named Haqeeqy (Ire). He has done well this summer for trainer John Gosden winning twice at Yarmouth and Newmarket. Meanwhile Parent’s Prayer (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), bought by BBA Ireland for €165,000 in 2019, got off the mark at the third time of asking in a maiden at Ayr for Archie Watson on July 14.
With so many withdrawals from the main catalogue it was a welcome boost for the sale to recently receive a number of well-bred wildcards to make up for some of the shortfall on offer and those late comers include an American Pharoah filly catalogued as lot 254, the last offering of the day. Offered by Tom Whitehead’s Powerstown Stud, the filly was purchased by her vendor as a yearling at Keeneland last year for $67,000. The daughter of stakes winner Innocent Love (Grand Slam) was actually knocked down to Richard Hughes and Paul Shanahan for £100,000 at the Goffs UK breeze-up at the beginning of the month but returns for another shot at it on Friday.
Another wildcard who didn’t find a buyer in Doncaster was Robson Aguiar’s son of Siyouni (Fr) who is offered as lot 251. The half-brother to two stakes performers was a €66,000 yearling purchase by Deuce Greathouse at Arqana last year, but was bought back by Aguiar at Goffs UK for £100,000.
Also among the wildcards, Willie Browne’s Mocklershill offers a couple of well-bred sorts in lot 227, a No Nay Never half-brother to the stakes winning filly We Are Ninety (Ire) (Thewayyouare) and lot 230, a filly by Night Of Thunder (Ire) that Browne bought at the Goffs February Sale this year for €30,000.
In the original catalogue an early lot that could make a splash is lot 28, a filly by Siyouni (Fr) from Brendan Holland’s Grove Stud. The bay is the first produce out of the Galileo (Ire) mare Surprisingly (Ire) who is a full-sister to G3 Balanchine S. runner up Butterscotch (Ire) and a half-sister to the speedy Coach House (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}). However, what doesn’t appear in the catalogue, is the fact that Surprisingly is also a full-sister to Tiger Moth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who broke his maiden last month at Leopardstown before running second to Santiago (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) in the G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby.
The only remaining juvenile in the sale by leading stallion Kingman (GB) is lot 48, a colt out of the stakes winning mare Mary Boleyn (Ire) (King’s Best). Although a relatively cheap yearling purchase at €20,000 by Egmont Stud’s Mark Flannery, the same vendor topped this sale two years ago with a Bated Breath (GB) colt that went from a 5,000gns yearling to a €210,000 breezer, so Flannery certainly knows how to prepare one for this sale. Egmont also offers a well-bred Gleneagles (Ire) filly (lot 153) out of a half-sister to Group 1 winners Excelebration (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) and Lancaster Bomber (War Front).
Johnny Collins is another master of his trade and he offers an interesting 2-year-old as lot 75. The colt is a son of US-based first-season sire Mshawish (Medaglia d’Oro), who Collins also pinhooked in Keeneland, before the horse went on to win twice at Grade I level in America for Al Shaqab Racing. This current pinhook cost Collins $60,000 at Keeneland last year and is out of the stakes producing Invincible Spirit (Ire) mare Refreshing (GB) from the brilliant family of Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy).
Ambrose O’Mullane and Mary Reynolds of Ardglas Stables have enjoyed some good results at this sale in its former guise and they offer a nicely bred filly on Friday as lot 139. The daughter of Footstepsinthesand (GB) is the second produce out of Miss Brazil (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), whose first foal Elaire Noire (Ire), a full-brother to this filly, was a stakes winner in Italy last year and also finished second in the G2 Premio Gran Criterium.
Among those who that caught the eye when being put through their paces on Wednesday was lot 87 from Longways Stables, a colt by Awtaad (Ire) who is a half-brother to four winners including the speedy Miss Elizabeth (Ire) (Intense Focus). She was a dual winner and was stakes placed for trainer Eddie Lynam.
Another reported to have clocked a fast time was lot 155 from Eddie Ahern Bloodstock. This filly by Zoffany (Ire), the sire of a recent stakes winning 2-year-old filly in Minaun (Ire), is out of the 2-year-old winner Limetree Lady (GB) (Selkirk) and whose pedigree traces back to the mighty Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}).
The sale will commence at 10:30 a.m. and there will be live internet bidding with potential purchasers required to register at the following link.
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