Goffs Weanlings Online As Irish Restrictions Continue

The second part of the Goffs February Sale, which had been delayed until March 11 in the hope that it could be held as normal, will now be conducted as a live online sale in light of ongoing Covid restrictions in Ireland.

This section of the sale is for weanlings only, with broodmares and horses in training having been auctioned online during the sale's original dates of Feb. 9 and 10. 

On Tuesday, Ireland's Taoiseach Micheál Martin announced that the country would remain in lockdown under Level 5 restrictions until April 5, a move which precludes people attending sales grounds.

“Whilst this is not our first choice, an online option offers an opportunity to trade and several vendors implored us not to simply cancel the sale,” said Goffs Group Chief Executive, Henry Beeby.

“We recognise it will not suit some and that buyers would prefer a physical sale, as would we, but we must react and adapt to the latest Government directives. At this stage we simply cannot say with any degree of certainty when we could hold a physical sale that is both safe and compliant in the short term, and vendors need certainty as they plan their year rather than yet more delays”.

As at previous online sales conducted last autumn for yearlings and more recently for mixed stock, vendors will be asked to upload conformation films and veterinary information to the Goffs website as an aid to potential purchasers.

The weanlings, or short yearlings, will be presented with veterinary certificates against which purchasers can re-examine within 48 hours of the fall of hammer to give added confidence to bidders. Online details for each lot will include a farm location where applicable for potential local buyers to arrange a socially-distanced inspection if required.

Three online sales have been held by Goffs since the start of the pandemic, and its live bidding platform, which has also been in use to support regular sales which have been relocated, has been utilised by bidders in 22 countries, with over €7.6 million of business conducted during that time.

Also in light of ongoing lockdown measures, Tattersalls Ireland has rescheduled its February National Hunt Sale. It will take place at Fairyhouse on Apr. 7.

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Goffs to Ride Online Momentum

Goffs kicks off its 2021 sales season on Tuesday and Wednesday with Part I of its February Sale. Prevailing unprecedented circumstances mean that the mixed sale of yearlings, 2-year-old, fillies and mares and horses in training will take place as a live online auction, with no horses, vendors or purchasers on the grounds at Kildare Paddocks.

COVID-19 safety measures late last year meant that Goffs staged its Autumn Horses-In-Training and Yearling sales in the live online format, and the positive results spoke to the resilience of the bloodstock market as well as the work put in by Team Goffs to perfect the process. The turnover and average at the horses in training sale were up on 2019, with two lots surpassing the prior year's top price, while the yearling sale posted 10% increases in both average and median with 2261 individual online bids.

All this means that the Goffs team can approach their 2021 curtain raiser with added confidence.

“Goffs Online has done us so much good,” said Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby. “Ten years ago we would have been in a far more difficult position. Since we launched Goffs Online as a support to our sales last July at our breeze-up sales, we have sold over €6.3-million worth of horses to 12 different countries and taken something like 6,000 bids online. That is business that would not otherwise have been attainable [last year] had we not had Goffs Online. It may be peculiar and alien to some people but it's been an absolute god send in COVID and pandemic times when people can't travel. It's something we've come to rely on and it's been a great help.”

“With breeding stock and form horses and older horses, I think it's a viable proposition to sell with online videos,” Beeby added. “It's not ideal, it's not what we'd like, but we're making the best of what we've got. We demonstrated with our horses in training sale last autumn that it can work and it can work well. We've sold horses now for up to €300,000 without anyone seeing the horse in the flesh and without anyone being anywhere near it.”

The sale begins on Tuesday with a catalogue of 89 2-year-olds by sires like Australia (GB), Belardo (Ire), Churchill (Ire), Dandy Man (Ire), Decorated Knight (GB), Footstepsinthesand (GB), Make Believe (GB), Mehmas (Ire), New Bay (GB), Oasis Dream (GB), Starspangledbanner (Aus) and Zoffany. Highlights on pedigree include a colt by the recently deceased Zoffany (Ire) whose dam is a half-sister to G1 Ascot Gold Cup winner Big Orange (GB) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) (lot 4); a Mehmas (Ire) filly whose second dam is a full-sister to Fantastic Light (lot 21); and a filly from the first crop of Guineas winner Galileo Gold (Ire) whose second dam is champion and Group 1 producer Red Camellia (GB) (lot 72). Day one concludes with a small section of horses in training, including offerings from the Aga Khan.

Wednesday is dedicated to breeding stock, with standouts expected to include Soft Lips (GB) (Rahy) (lot 140), a dual stakes producer in foal to New Bay; Margarita (Ire) (Marju {Ire}) (lot 141), a stakes producing full-sister to champion Soviet Song (Ire) in foal to Starspangledbanner (Aus); Kitkitty (Fr) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) (lot 145), a 4-year-old filly from the family of champion and sire Konigstiger (Ger); Royal Free Hotel (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) (lot 155), a winning 4-year-old filly from the family of G1 Fillies' Mile and G1 Falmouth S. winner Simply Perfect (GB) (Danehill); Musical Rue (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) (lot 163), a winning 4-year-old filly from the family of champion Finsceal Beo (Ire) (Mr. Greeley); Gracefully Done (Ire) (Australia {GB}) (lot 190), a daughter of GI Matron S. winner Sense Of Style (Thunder Gulch) in foal for the first time to Ten Sovereigns; Shringara (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) (lot 197), a winning 6-year-old whose dam is a half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Youmzain (Ire) (Sinndar {Ire}); Topaz Clear (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) (lot 214), a half-sister to two stakes winners including top stayer Forgotten Rules (Ire) (Nayef) offered by breeder Moyglare Stud in foal to Zoffany (Ire); Rose Tinted Sand (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) (lot 219), a daughter of the well-related Group 3 winner Afternoon Sunlight (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}); Gold Lace (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) (lot 241), a stakes-producing mare in foal to Camelot (GB); and Rubira (Aus) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) (lot 253), a stakes winner in New Zealand in foal for the first time to New Bay.

“The vendors have been very supportive and we're very grateful for it,” said Beeby. “Since the pandemic outbreak our goal has been to continue providing an ongoing marketplace by whatever means we can. Obviously we prefer to have physical sales and we were able to hold those with some very strict protocols last autumn, but there have been a couple of occasions, as now, where that hasn't been possible. So having an online system to back it up is a great help. It's not our first choice but it's certainly a very worthy second choice and it provides a market and allows us to continue to put liquidity into the market.”

“We're grateful to the people who have supported the sale and stood their ground with entries,” Beeby added. “We'll be doing our best and we'd encourage people to engage online. Every online sale we hold we improve the service and we've been very gratified and flattered by the really positive feedback we've had, with people saying our platform is as customer-friendly if not more than any out there.”

Part I of the Goffs February Sale begins online at noon on Tuesday and Wednesday. Part II of the sale is currently set for Mar. 11 as a live sale of short yearlings.

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Goffs February Sale Gains Supplements

A total of 15 horses have been added to the Goffs February Sale Part 1, the sales company announced on Tuesday. The live online sale will take place on Feb. 9-10 at noon each day. The first session offers 2-year-olds, horses-in-training, and older horses, while the second day features breeding stock. Of the eight 2-year-olds that have been added to the sale, one of the highlights is a colt by Starspangledbanner (Aus) (lot 72A) from the family of Group 1 winners Barney Roy (GB) (Excelebration {Ire}) and Gordon Lord Byron (Ire) (Byron {GB}) out of Buzz Off Barroso (Ire) (Big Bad Bob {Ire}). A septet of older runners are also signed on, with a Kodiac (GB) 3-year-old filly, herself a half-sister to black-type winner Ennaadd (GB) (King's Best), set to sell as lot 218A. To view the entire Part 1 catalogue, click here.

There were also four weanlings added to the Goffs February Sale Part 2, which is scheduled for Mar. 11. To view the Part 2 catalogue, click here.

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