With the Irish sales having suffered more upheaval than those in Britain over the last two years, Goffs will be relieved to be starting 2022 in more regular fashion by hosting its three-day mixed February Sale live at Kildare Paddocks.
Last year's event was held in two stages online in February and March, but in easier conditions the sale this week gets underway with a group of horses in training, before progressing to 2-year-olds, short yearlings and then breeding stock, with fractionally over half the 599-lot catalogue consisting of yearlings.
Shadwell played a dominant role in proceedings at Tattersalls last week, and the reduction of its numbers continues at Goffs, with young stock consigned by Derrinstown Stud and Baroda Stud. These include lot 200, a Tamayuz (GB) grandson of the 1000 Guineas winner Natagora (Fr) (Divine Light {Jpn}) foaled last May by the Classic winner's Listed-placed daughter Raaqy (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).
A first-day highlight may be provided by lot 118, Railstown Stud's colt by last season's leading first-crop sire Cotai Glory (GB) who is a half-brother to the G1 Matron S. Winner Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}).
The first foals of Waldgeist (GB) proved popular at last year's Goffs November Sale, and another member of the stallion's same crop is consigned by his home stud, Ballylinch, as lot 160. The April-born colt is out of the dual Listed winner and Group 2-placed Modeeroch (Ire) (Mozart) and hails from the family of champion juvenile and sire Belardo (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}).
The following day Baroda Stud offers the only yearling by Le Havre (Ire) in the catalogue as lot 372. The colt is out of the stakes-winning and Grade III-placed Endless Light (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), whose close family includes the dual Grade I winner Megahertz (GB) and G3 Dahlia S. winner Heaven Sent (GB), both of whom are by Pivotal.
Godolphin also played a leading role at the Tattersalls February Sale, and one of the highlights from a smaller draft from the operation at Goffs could be the G1 Fillies' Mile winner White Mooonstone (Dynaformer). Consigned as lot 564, the 14-year-old mare is in foal to young Darley stallion Blue Point (Ire) on a June 8 cover.
In launching the February catalogue, Goffs Group chief executive Henry Beeby said, “We are delighted to kick off 2022 at Kildare Paddocks with a February catalogue of real depth and diversity.”
That diversity includes a number of yearlings by stallions standing under the National Hunt banner, including Walk In The Park (Ire), whose 5-year-old son Facile Vega (Ire), out of the outstanding hurdler Quevega (Fr), was one of the most dazzling performers of the Dublin Racing Festival over the weekend in the Goffs-sponsored Future Stars Bumper. Walk In the Park's three weanlings in the sale include a filly (lot 187) from the family of the great two-mile chaser Moscow Flyer (Ire).
A pair of breeding rights, to go with the stallion breeding rights in Time Test (GB), Territories (Ire), and Cotai Glory (GB) already announced, were added to the sale on Monday. Profitable (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who was a winner of the G1 King's Stand S. and already has three black-type winners from his first crop, has a breeding right listed as lot 3. His Quick Suzy (Ire) won the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot.
The other late addition is a breeding right in fellow Kildangan Stud Stallion Belardo (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) (lot 4). Already the sire of five stakes winners, including dual group winner Isabella Giles (Ire), G3 Park S. hero Elysium (Ire) and G3 Prix Miesque heroine Lullaby Moon (GB), the European Champion 2-Year-Old Colt has also been represented by the dual Group 2-placed Fonzalette (NZ) in New Zealand.
The sale begins on Tuesday at 11am, with an earlier start time of 10am on Wednesday and Thursday. It is followed immediately by an online sale of breeding rights, which opens at 6 p.m. on Thursday and closes at noon the following day.
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