Goffs November | Horse Racing Free Tips

Europe’s Finest Bloodlines On Offer: Three Sales, Three Weeks, Three Countries

Sales of breeding stock are just as much a feature of the final couple of months of the year in Europe as they are in North America. In fact, the European sales have been an important fact of American bloodstock life since the early days of the sport, with many breed-shapers having been recruited in Europe before heading west to make history.

Perhaps the most famous graduate of Tattersalls's December Sale remains La Troienne (Fr) (Teddy {Fr}). After a racing career in which, without winning, she notched up some minor placings in both France and England (and, strangely, contested the Poule d'Essai des Poulains) she was sent to the December Sale in 1930 by Marcel Boussac. Bought by Colonel Bradley of Idle Hour Farm in Lexington for 1,250 guineas, she was brought to America, where she became arguably the greatest matriarch the country has ever known.

Almost as influential was Rough Shod (GB), bought at the December Sale in 1951 for 3,500 guineas, in foal to My Babu (GB), by Arthur 'Bull' Hancock of Claiborne Farm, where she went on to change the course of bloodstock history, most obviously as third dam and fourth dam respectively of the legendary Northern Dancer horses Nureyev and Sadler's Wells.

A similarly significant purchase came in 1952 when Martin Benson, proprietor of Beech House Stud in Newmarket, offered the Hyperion mare Lady Angela (GB), a winning great-great granddaughter of Pretty Polly (Ire) who was in foal to the stud's resident stallion Nearco (Ity). She topped the sale, bought by George Blackwell on behalf of E. P. Taylor of Windfields Farm in Ontario. Taylor came to an agreement with Benson that Lady Angela could visit Nearco again the following spring. She was then exported to Canada, in foal, after that subsequent covering. The resultant foal was born at Windfields. As Nearctic (Can), he went on to make an indelible mark on the Stud Book as the sire of Northern Dancer (Can).

It might be asking a bit much to hope that there will be a La Troienne, a Rough Shod or a Lady Angela coming out of the forthcoming round of mares' sales at Goffs in Ireland, at Tattersalls in England and at Arqana in France, three world-class auctions which follow on conveniently one after the other. It could happen, though. What definitely will happen is that some of the fillies and mares sold at the three auctions will go on to breed top-class horses all around the world.

Reduction and Dispersals at Goffs

Goffs' November Sale kicks things off on Nov. 24, immediately after a four-day foal sale whose catalogue includes over 1,000 lots. Lasting two days, the mares' catalogue is more streamlined but the concentration of quality is intense. There are always some notable offerings at this sale, with recent treats having included a Wildenstein dispersal in 2016. The particular treats this time include a mouth-watering draft offered as a result of the restructuring of the Niarchos family's studs and the dispersal of the stock of Gestut Hony-Hof, over and above the usual drafts from such proven sources of class as Ballylinch Stud, Godolphin, HH Aga Khan Studs and Moyglare Stud.

Horses bearing the colours firstly of the late Stavros Niarchos and subsequently of his heirs have been a feature of top-class racing for half a century. In the early days, Stavros Niarchos's champions, such as the aforementioned Nureyev, were bought as yearlings but by the time that the great Miesque (Nureyev) came along in the late 1980s it was very much an owner/breeder enterprise. Numerous champions have borne the family's livery since then and the current on-going restructuring provides a special opportunity for other breeders to tap into the bloodlines which have been developed by this world-class operation over the decades.

Goffs November Kicks off Nov. 24 | Goffs

Consigned variously by Norelands, Baroda and Kiltinan Castle Studs, the 41 Niarchos fillies and mares form a mouth-watering bunch. Daughters of world-class stallions such as Galileo (Ire), Deep Impact (Jpn), Frankel (GB), Dubawi (Ire), Sea The Stars (Ire) and Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) and boasting suitably exalted coverings, the bunch is made up entirely of blue-bloods and includes the G1 winners Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), Alpine Star (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) and Albigna (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), in foal respectively to Sea The Stars, Frankel and St Mark's Basilica (Fr).

A less-heralded landmark at Goffs this year will be the dispersal of the stock of Gestut Hony-Hof, whose 11 mares form part of the Castlebridge Consignment. The nucleus of Gestut Hony-Hof's broodmare band has stemmed from Salve Regina (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) who carried the Hony-Hof colours to victory in the G1 German Oaks in 2002 before finishing second in the G1 German Derby four weeks later. As a full-sister to the German Derby winners Samum (Ger) and Schiaparelli (Ger) as well as to the dam of 2014 German Derby winner Sea The Moon, Salve Regina was a perfect candidate to develop into the great matriarch which she became. The majority of the Hony-Hof mares descend from her, although the best horse whom the stud has bred most recently, 2020 G1 Prix du Cadran heroine Princess Zoe (Ger) (Jukebox Jury {Ire}), comes from another family. Besides Salve Regina's descendants, the draft includes Princess Zoe's half-sister Palace Girl (GB) (Areion {Ger}).

Any Godolphin reduction draft is worth making a long journey to inspect. The operation's consignment at Goffs is no exception, with the G1 winners Ambivalent (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}), Lyric Of Light (GB) (Street Cry {Ire}) and Be Fabulous (Ger) (Samum {Ger}) being of obvious interest. Ambivalent makes particular appeal as she has already bred a Group 1 winner, being the dam of 2021 Prix Vermeille heroine Teona (Ire), and she becomes of even greater interest as she is currently back in foal to Teona's sire Sea The Stars.

Tattersalls Kicks Off Sale With Sceptre Sessions

Tattersalls make it easy for would-be buyers to home in on many of the the most obvious prospects in the December Mares' Sale (Dec. 4-7) by highlighting some of the choicest lots in the two 'Sceptre Sessions', which are named after one of the greatest horses ever to pass through the ring at Park Paddocks, Sceptre earning immortality by contesting all five British Classics in 1902 and winning four of them.

Sceptre went through Tattersalls's ring as both a sale-topping yearling and as a proven Classic winner. Many Classic heroines have graced the arena since then and another will do so this year as last year's 1,000 Guineas victrix Cachet (GB) (Aclaim {Ire}) will be one of the star lots of the second of the two Sceptre sessions.

It is often the case that the ring is subdued immediately before and immediately after a stand-out lot but that won't be the case in this instance. Cachet will be preceded by this year's G2 Lowther S. winner Relief Rally (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and followed by this year's G2 Duke Of Cambridge S. heroine Rogue Millennium (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). All three of these starlets provide a reminder that many of the future broodmares on offer still offer plenty of racing potential. Last year one of the best fillies to go through the ring was 1,000 Guineas place-getter Fev Rover (Ire) (Guitaifan {Ire}) and she has illustrated the point perfectly. She is now looking a bargain at the 695,000 guineas which Tracy Farmer paid for her 12 months ago following her wins this season in the G2 Nassau S., G1 Beverly D S. and G1 E. P. Taylor S.

Cachet is set to sell during Tattersalls's Sceptre Sessions | Scoop Dyga

Other smart fillies straight off the track due to be offered the Sceptre Sessions include the Group 1 winners Lezoo (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}), Prosperous Voyage (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and Poptronic (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). The latter comes in particularly good form as her most recent run was her best, ie her victory last month in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. Another recent Group 1 winner in the second Sceptre Session is Teona (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), successful in the G1 Prix Vermeille in 2021 and now offered in foal to Frankel (GB). Via Sistina features particularly prominently in the catalogue as her dam Nigh (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is also on offer, in foal to Too Darn Hot (GB).

It would be wrong to focus too much on the Sceptre Sessions, however, as each year one of the highlights of the December Sale is the Juddmonte draft. This will again be the case this year. None of the Juddmonte horses are included in a Sceptre Session, the draft being split into two parts with the first part coming immediately before the first day's Sceptre Session and the second part preceding the Sceptre Session the following evening.

Arqana December Gets Underway Dec. 9

It would also be wrong to have exhausted one's budget by the end of the December Sale because following hot on that auction's heels is the Arqana December Sale in France (Dec. 9-12). This invariably provides some superb racing and breeding prospects. Over the years it has proved to be a particularly fruitful source of fillies who have gone on to achieve notable success in the USA. G1 Prix de l'Opera heroine Rougir (Fr) (Territories {Ire}), sold for €3,000,000 in 2021 and subsequently the winner of the G1 E. P. Taylor S. in 2022, is a classic example.

The sale is even more notable as a source of broodmares worldwide. Top-level winners in 2023 whose dams came out of this sale include Feed The Flame (GB), Iresine (Fr) and Trueshan (Fr) in France; Sol Oriens (Jpn) in Japan; Via Sistina (Ire) in Ireland; India (Ger) in Germany; and Gold Trip (Fr) in Australia. Obviously appealing mares on offer this year include the 2019 G1 Prix de Diane heroine Channel (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}), offered in foal to Wootton Bassett (GB), and 2022 G2 Prix du Muguet winner Sibila Spain (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), offered in foal to Dubawi (Ire).

Furthermore, the draft of HH Aga Khan Studs is always a feature of the Arqana December Sale. This consignment is invariably a rich source of notable broodmares for countries all over the world. Another particularly interesting offering in this year's sale is the dispersal of the stock of world-renowned German nursery Gestut Ammerland, the owner/breeder of numerous champions including Hurricane Run (Ire), Lope De Vega (Ire) and Borgia (Ger). A particular treat from that source will come when it offers as consecutive lots Sea The Moon's stakes-winning four-year-old full-sister Sea The Sky (Ger); Lope De Vega's G3-winning Frankel (GB) half-sister Lady Frankel, in foal to New Bay (GB); and Lady Frankel's three-year-old daughter Lightning Lady (Ire) (Kingman {GB}).

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Vibrant Goffs November Sale Concludes

The level of trade during Saturday's second and final session of the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale was meant to take a step down following Friday's electric marquee session, but Baroda Stud's 3-year-old Galileo (Ire) filly Loyal (Ire) (lot 1406) ensured there was still a six-figure bidding battle, with the dust eventually settling in favour of Ballylinch Stud–who bred the filly and raced her in partnership with Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor–for €280,000, the highest price achieved on the second day of the Breeding Stock sale for 15 years.

Loyal ran four times this season for trainer Aidan O'Brien. She is the first foal out of Chartreuse (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), the listed-winning and multiple group-placed mare purchased by Ballylinch from Highclere Stud for 825,000gns at Tattersalls December in 2016. Chartreuse is a granddaughter of Mahalia (Ire) (Danehill), whose descendants include the Group 1-winning brothers Ectot (GB) and Most Improved (Ire); G3 Nell Gwyn S. and G1 1000 Guineas third Daban (Ire), and Purplepay (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}), who doesn't appear on the page but was third in the G1 Criterium International after the publication of the catalogue. Chartreuse's 2-year-old filly Expand The Map (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) is in America, having been bought by Mike Ryan for 230,000gns as a yearling last year, and she finished second in the Klaravich silks in her lone start at Saratoga in July to none other than the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). Chartreuse has a yearling filly by Dubawi (Ire) that was a 370,000gns buyback at Tattersalls October this year and a filly foal by Lope De Vega (Ire).

“Her dam is a lovely young mare and everybody knows how good Galileo is as a broodmare sire and some of his daughters who didn't perform on the track have gone on to be good broodmares,” said John O'Connor, managing director of Ballylinch Stud. “It could all still happen for her in the next few years and we will observe with interest what happens around the family.”

The 2021 renewal of the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale produced results not seen at the auction since the heady days of the Wildenstein Dispersal in 2016 and the Paulyn Dispersal in 2013. The sale was back up to two days this year from one in 2020, making direct comparisons inexact, but there is no denying nonetheless the strength of the past two days. A total of 371 fillies and mares were sold (81%) for €16,219,300, up from the €5,490,600 accrued from 174 sales last year. The average jumped 38% to €43,718, while the median was up 26% to €17,000. Though Alcohol Free's dam Plying (Hard Spun) was the star of the show at €825,000, there was incredible demand for the offerings from Derrinstown Stud, Godolphin and the Aga Khan Studs.

Combining last week's four-day foal sale with the Breeding Stock Sale, 1,106 horses changed hands (82%) for €41,827,300. Last year, 656 were sold for €23,069,200. The average across the two sales climbed 7.4% to €37,819, and the median was up 11% to €20,000.

“Thank you,” said Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby upon conclusion of trade. “It's no secret that Ireland, Irish bloodstock and, by association, Goffs have endured a torrid time over the last while, and so it has been most uplifting to host a sale of such vibrancy, strength, depth and consistency over the last six days. For that we firstly have our vendors to thank and, as ever, we are indebted to each one of them for their support of our sale.

“We commented on a superb Foal Sale on Thursday, but even that amazing trade almost paled into insignificance when compared to the electric atmosphere of our Breeding Stock Sale, most especially yesterday although today's top price is the highest for the session in 15 years. We knew that we had assembled the best catalogue for many years as so many major breeding entities had drafts of note but the tempo, enthusiasm and hunger to buy was just breathtaking as a huge cast of international buyers, both in person and online, battled for mare after mare to highlight the enduring attraction of the best Irish bloodlines. The class of 2021 will disperse around the globe as international breeders tap into the class and quality that was offered, whilst it was also heartening to see so many local stud farms investing in the future.

“Goffs November has long held a significant place in the calendar and the last week has only underlined its importance to Irish breeders, who sell with us safe in the knowledge that they will always get that little bit more, as well as international buyers who are attracted to Ireland by the quality on offer, together with the unique welcome they receive from the Goffs team and our colleagues at Irish Thoroughbred Marketing. Indeed, a trip to Goffs is of course for business but our teams always go out of their way to make it enjoyable at the same time. So our thanks to everyone who has walked through our famous gates this week. Nothing is possible without their patronage and we truly value every lot and each bid.”

Aga Khan, Derrinstown Demand Endures

Offerings from the Aga Khan Studs were popular during Friday's session, and that trend continued on Saturday, with that draft accounting for the second and third highest prices, both 3-year-old fillies. Richie Fitzsimons of BBA Ireland signed at €80,000 for the unraced Rayagara (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) (lot 1349), a daughter of the G2 Debutante S. winner Raydara (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and half-sister to G3 Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial third Ridenza (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

“Mystery Angel, who was second in the Oaks this year, is out of a Dark Angel mare so the cross is an exciting one. She is a nice filly and the mare has already produced a Group 3-placed filly rated 96 with her first runner,” Fitzsimons said.

Tally-Ho Stud, meanwhile, scooped up the twice-placed Sunniyra (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) (lot 1351) for €68,000. She is out of the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial second Summaya (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), from the extended family of her breeder's Derby winner Sinndar (Ire).

The late Sheikh Hamdan's Derrinstown Stud was the clear leading vendor at the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale, culling 40 for €4,508,000. Derrinstown had accounted for five of the top seven lots on Friday and its top seller on Saturday was the winning Shaaqaaf (Ire) (Sepoy {Aus}) (lot 1338), who was sold in foal to first-season covering sire Mohaather (GB) for €60,000 to Tipper House. The 7-year-old Shaaqaaf is out of the listed-winning Burke's Rock (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}). Also hitting the €60,000 mark was Marlhill House Stud's 6-year-old Clifftop Dancer (Ire) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) (lot 1356), who was scooped up by Holloway Thoroughbreds. The half-sister to group winners Bankable (Ire) and Cheshire (GB) is carrying her second foal, by Fastnet Rock (Aus), after producing a Highland Reel (Ire) filly this year.

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Plying A Game-Changer For Jossestown Farm

In life and in bloodstock, the confluence of a few small factors–decisions that may seem minute at the time–can quickly amalgamate into life-changing moments.

Like, for instance, when Martin Cooney and Elaine Shaw opted to raise their hands at €21,000 during the 2018 Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale on an 8-year-old daughter of Hard Spun whose first two foals had not yet found the winner's enclosure; while, simultaneously, another bidder hesitated, and ultimately changed their mind too late.

“Too late, sir,” the auctioneer called, hammering Plying down to Jossestown Farm.

Three years later, Plying will make the return trip from Jossestown Farm in Fethard to the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale on Friday under much different circumstances. Bidders will be much less hesitant on the mare, in foal to Lope De Vega (Ire) (lot 1185), who is now a multiple stakes producer and the dam of triple Group 1 winner Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never). And the final price will be many multiples of what Cooney and Shaw paid for her.

“We'll be sad to see her go,” Cooney admitted. “She's part of the furniture at this stage, but she's worth a lot of money, we hope, and that money could do a lot for us going forward.”

Cooney, who has dabbled in many facets of the business including riding over jumps and working under the likes of PJ Colville-“a great horseman and person to have on your side”–Mouse Morris, Enda Bolger and Harry Fry, has more recently turned his focus back to Jossestown Farm, where he grew up, with hopes of growing his business of breeding and pinhooking a few National Hunt horses to boarding mares and consigning for clients. A Starspangledbanner (Aus) filly and Dandy Man (Ire) colt sold out of Plying have already helped further than dream, and Cooney acknowledged that capital gained from the sale of Plying would take Jossestown Farm to the next level.

“She's one in a million and they're hard to come across,” said Cooney. “As Jossestown Farm is only starting out you'd love to keep her, but if she's to fetch a huge sum of money it could do a lot for us. I'm after putting up a barn and I want to take in horses for clients and do a bit of everything. I like consigning and pinhooking. I have a few mares for boarding, so I want to go down that line. You need a proper facility and I have that just about finished now. That kind of money would finish it off.”

Cooney and Shaw-who currently works at Kiltinan Castle Stud foaling and prepping yearlings after a six-year tenure with Coolmore–arrived at Goffs in November of 2018 “with the idea of buying a mare that would produce you foals and turn over a bit of money.” From an initial shortlist of five they narrowed it down to two, and after the first went above their budget, it was down to Plying.

Bred by Rabbah out of the listed-placed Fairy King mare Nasaieb (Ire), Plying was knocked down to Mark Johnston for $200,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale as a yearling before ultimately going into training with Henri-Alex Pantall for Sheikh Mohammed. Plying started six times at two in 2013, winning twice at Toulouse and once at ParisLongchamp over 1300 and 1400 metres. Offered by Darley at that year's Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale, Plying was bought by Churchtown House Stud through BBA Ireland for €12,000. Michael Gaffney's Churchtown House was, in fact, getting back into the family, having bred Plying's dam Nasaieb and having sold her to Saeed Manana for 100,000gns as a yearling. Gaffney bred Plying's first four foals, Alcohol Free being the last, before putting both Plying and Alcohol Free, as a foal, into the Goffs November Sale of 2018. Plying was bought by Cooney and Shaw for €21,000 in foal to Starspangledbanner, while Alcohol Free fetched €40,000 from Jeff Smith's Littleton Stud the day before her dam sold.

Though Plying's first two foals had not yet won at the time of their dam's third trip through a sales ring, Cooney said it was the quality of her prior coverings that stood out to he and Shaw.

“Plying had had a couple of foals before she went for sale,” he said. “She had had a Camelot, a Zoffany, and Alcohol Free was sold the day before she was. So she had those coverings that we probably couldn't afford, and those sires would have a great chance of producing a winner. That was why she looked inviting, plus she had a Starspangledbanner in the belly, so we were thinking that if she had an any way good-looking foal, and even if it was a filly, she'd nearly pay for the mare quick enough.”

“There were probably five mares we honed in on,” Cooney added. “It came down to two. We went in after one and she made too much money. We went back and looked at Plying again, and it was down to her. Luckily enough the hammer dropped in time; I actually think there was someone else trying to get a bid in.”

Cooney's and Shaw's logic of leaning on Plying's past coverings soon proved out. The mare's second foal, Alexander James (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), won three times the following season including Chantilly's Listed Prix le Fabuleux. The following February, Plying's Starspangledbanner filly made €40,000 at the Goffs February Sale, having missed her original date at Goffs November after colicking on the day of the sale. She was eventually pinhooked by Knockatrina House Stud for 130,000gns and is now in the care of John and Jess Dance, but the €40,000 she brought for Cooney and Shaw nonetheless covered the cost of both Plying and her next mating, to Dandy Man, “so it was like having a free mare,” Cooney reasoned.

Those results alone would have meant a job well done, but just a few months later along came Alcohol Free to rewrite the entire script.

A debut winner for trainer Andrew Balding in August of 2020, the bay filly was second next out in the G3 Dick Poole S., which would have itself been a welcome result for Team Jossestown. What came next, however, changed their lives in a little more than 1:42: battling the speedy Miss Amulet (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) up the Newmarket straight, Alcohol Free took the overall advantage well out in the G1 Cheveley Park S. but nonetheless held off all comers to win by a half-length.

Three months later, Cooney and Shaw sold their Dandy Man colt out of Plying at last year's Goffs November Foal Sale for €80,000 to Joe Foley, who is retaining him to race. They took the word of Balding, who insisted Alcohol Free's Cheveley Park win was not a one-off, and held onto Plying, who was in foal to Gleneagles (Ire). Plying produced a filly this spring–which Cooney described as “probably the best foal she's had so far”-before visiting Lope De Vega.

Balding's prediction proved correct and Alcohol Free held up her end of the bargain, winning this year's G1 Coronation S. and G1 Sussex S. to established herself among the very best of her generation, male or female.

“It's hard to explain,” Cooney said of the excitement of following Alcohol Free. “You're kind of nervous watching, hoping and praying that it might actually happen, but kind of in the back of your mind you're thinking, 'are you half mad? It probably won't happen.' You start doubting it as you get closer.”

Alcohol Free's ascent has also provided solace for the Cooney family, with Martin's father Jim having been tragically killed in a car accident less than two weeks after Alcohol Free's Coronation S. win.

“Dad would have got a huge kick out of that,” Cooney said. “He passed away this year and he was a big part of the whole operation. He would be the reason I got into horses. He was a great horseman and was great with his animals. Even watching him watching, it would give me a huge kick.”

Cooney said that seeing the pride his father took in Plying was as rewarding as anything Alcohol Free accomplished on the racecourse.

“To be honest, watching the big smiling face on him going out to the mare would excite me as much as watching her races,” he said. “He liked breeding National Hunt foals, he had one or two nice ones but he never had anything like that mare. He would have treated Plying as his own; he'd have been watching her like a hawk.”

While one chapter comes to a close with Plying bidding farewell to Jossestown Farm, another is very much being written. Thanks in large part to her contributions, the future looks bright at the Cooney family's farm.

“I suppose I had it in the back of my mind that my father probably wanted me to come home and take over the family farm, so to be honest it was always in my head to come home,” Cooney said. “To be honest I live and breathe Jossestown Farm. I spend night and day on it.

“Myself and Elaine went to buy Plying with the idea of buying a mare that would produce you foals and turn over a bit of money, and it turned out that we bought a queen. She's one in a million and I might never see one like her again.”

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Goffs To Close Strong Season With November Sales

As the bloodstock auction industry rides a wave of resurgence into its final sector of the season, Goffs provides the curtain-raiser in its November Foal and Breeding Stock sales. The action begins next week with four days of foal sales from Nov. 15 to 18, which rolls right into two days of breeding stock on Nov. 19 and 20.

The European marketplace provided some welcome upbeat surprises amid the overall tumult of the pre-vaccine pandemic in 2020, but this year has proven an extreme revelation everywhere, and nowhere moreso than Goffs, where results at the Orby and Sportsman's yearling sales far outpointed their 2020 counterparts and came close to matching some of the sales' headiest past editions. The buoyancy in the yearling market at Goffs trickled down to the recent Autumn Yearling Sale where, even when removing the Derrinstown Stud dispersal that accounted for 24% of turnover, figures were well up on recent renewals.

“We're coming off the back of a strong yearling season, essentially everywhere but none moreso than Goffs at our Orby, Sportsman's, and our most recent Autumn Yearling Sale,” said Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby. “From right at the top of the market, the millionaire level down to the lower level, we've had an extremely successful time.”

Reflecting on the rebounds of 2021, Beeby added, “last year was a very traumatic time for the world. Whilst we recognize we were a lot better off than a lot of other people were, in bloodstock auctioneering terms we had as much of a challenge as any other sales company in Europe and perhaps the Northern Hemisphere. Ireland took a very conservative approach to Covid, and that's not a criticism, that's what our government decided to do and we're very supportive of that. But it made our lives even harder than it did for some of our competitors. So to be able to rebound in 2021 with a very strong Orby sale held at Kildare paddocks was a delight and a relief. We were very grateful to the Irish breeders who had a rough time last year who then still listened to what we had to say, engaged with the new Goffs Million concept and the new agents and the proactive approach we took. We feel like we're back on track and we have a vibrant sales programme to offer at all levels of the market and for all sectors of the market.”

Demand from foal sellers means the Goffs November Foal Sale catalogue is back up to four full days for the first time since 2018, with 1,015 catalogued.

“We've expanded the foal catalogue because we had an unprecedented interest and number of entries from leading Irish breeders,” Beeby said. “It's as good a foal catalogue as there is in our opinion. It's certainly the cream of the Irish foal crop; all the major Irish breeders have sent–if not all of their best–a high percentage of their best to the foal sale. It's a very good catalogue.”

The Goffs November Foal Sale will provide the only opportunity at a European auction house this autumn to secure members of the penultimate crop of Galileo (Ire). There are three Galileo foals signed on, including a filly who is the second foal out of GI Frizette S. winner Nickname (Scat Daddy) (lot 624), whose full-sister topped this year's Orby sale when bought by MV Magnier for €1.5-million. She is offered by Baroda Stud, while The Castlebridge Consignment sends out a Galileo filly who is the first foal out of G2 Queen Mary S. winner Signora Cabello (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) (lot 665), and a Galileo colt who is the second foal out of the G3 Albany S. third Take Me With You (Scat Daddy) (lot 689), whose full-sister sold to Newtown Anner Stud for €360,000 at Orby.

“The jewels in the crown are the three Galileos,” Beeby said. “They read very well–we're very grateful to the vendors for sending them and we think they'll be very appealing to the market. But it's a foal catalogue of depth and diversity. It has something at all levels.”

Also among the highlights of the catalogue are three foals by Galileo's heir apparent Frankel (GB), and those include a half-brother to G3 Chartwell Fillies S. winner and G1 Matron S. second Lily's Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and the listed-winning and group-placed Zurigha (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) (lot 626) and a half-sister to Classic winner and sire Sea The Moon (Ger) (lot 652).

Galileo's brother Sea The Stars (Ire), an outstanding sire in his own right, has 10 catalogued including a half-brother to GI E.P. Taylor S. winner Blond Me (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) (lot 562) and a full-sister to G2 Dahlia S. and G2 Prix de la Nonette scorer Terebellum (Ire) (lot 604).

Other highlights include a Dark Angel half-sister to G1 Prix de l'Abbaye winner Whiz Kid (Ire) (Whipper) (lot 587); a Moyglare Stud-bred Kingman (GB) half-brother to Group 3 winner Carla Bianca (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) and listed winner Joailliere (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) (lot 598) who is the lone representative of his sire in the catalogue; a Belardo (Ire) half-brother to this year's G2 Queen Mary S. winner Quick Suzy (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}) (lot 670); a filly from the first crop of Phoenix of Spain (Ire) who is a three-quarter sister to G1 Phoenix S. winner Lucky Vega (Ire) (lot 642); a Waldgeist (GB) first-crop half-brother to Group 3 winners Brown Sugar (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) and Burnt Sugar (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) (lot 580); and a Best Solution (Ire) half-brother stakes winners Morando (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) and Speak of the Devil (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) (lot 613).

The Goffs November Foal Sale has been a happy hunting ground for both end users and pinhookers. The likes of Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never), Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Blowout (GB) (Dansili {GB}) were sourced by their owners at the foal sale, while River Boyne (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) and this year's G1 Flying Five S. winner Romantic Proposal (Ire) (Raven's Pass) were Goffs November foals pinhooked at the Sportsman's and Orby sales, respectively. This year's Orby sale featured a handful of high-profile pinhooks that were sourced at last year's November Foal Sale, including the Footstepsinthesand (GB) half-brother to Lucky Vega that turned €300,000 into €630,000; a €70,000 foal re-sold for €260,000; a €30,000 foal turned into €150,000 and a €75,000 foal sold for €225,000.

“It's a real pinhookers sale, but it's also a sale that end users have been very successful in,” Beeby said. “It's a very, very good catalogue and we think there will be some very good horses to come out of it, but also, as importantly, some very good pinhooks. We'd be very hopeful going into this year's foal sale that we can return a good trade based on what happened in the yearling market.”

The Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale returns to two days after it was pushed to late December (due to Covid restrictions) and reduced to one session in 2020. The highlight is doubtless Alcohol Free's 11-year-old dam Plying (Hard Spun) (lot 1185), also the dam of listed winner Alexander James (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and in foal to Lope De Vega (Ire), but substantial drafts from the likes of Godolphin, Derrinstown Stud and the Aga Khan Studs mean that there is strength and depth straight through the sale.

“Last year wouldn't be a good example, but the couple years before that perhaps we had a smaller catalogue than we would have liked since the heady days of the Paulyn and Wildenstein dispersals,” Beeby reflected. “It's really bounded back this year. The horse most people will talk about going into it is Plying, the dam of Alcohol Free in foal to Lope De Vega, and we're absolutely delighted to have her as the centrepiece given that we sold Alcohol Free for her breeder. They [Plying's owner/vendor Jossestown Farm] had a very difficult decision to make because there are plenty of alternatives that do a very good job themselves, but it's wonderful to have her in the sale.

“Several other major breeders have also sent us really significant drafts. We have over 100 horses between Godolphin, and Shadwell under the Derrinstown banner. The Derrinstown dispersal continues and we're delighted they're using Goffs for so many good mares. Godolphin has sent us a very significant draft again, and the Aga Khan has sent us another significant draft. Moyglare Stud has also sent us some very good horses, and The Castlebridge Consignment and Baroda have some very nice mares from their various clients.

“We think it's a catalogue that's deeper and stronger than it's been for a number of years. The purchasers will tell us whether we're right, but that's certainly our view and that's been the initial feedback when people have read the catalogue.”

“We're very proud of both catalogues,” Beeby added. “We're very grateful for the support we've had. I think a key part of our message to people at the moment is that Goffs is continuing to provide a deep, very international buying bench for Irish breeders, and we're very gratified and grateful that Irish breeders are supporting us with such quality. We will do everything in our power to repay that and we look forward to it.”

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