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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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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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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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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The Goffs November Foal Sale will take place at Kildare Paddocks from Nov. 15 to 18, with 1015 foals spread across the four days. The format of the sale will be a rising tide of quality from Monday through Wednesday. Trade will return to Monday's more modest levels for Thursday.

The three Galileo foals catalogued for Goffs November are thus far the only progeny of the perennial champion sire catalogued for a European breeding stock sale, and they are a filly out of American Grade I winner Nickname (Scat Daddy) (lot 624), whose full-sister topped this year's Goffs Orby Sale when bought by MV Magnier for €1.5-million; a filly who is the first foal out of G2 Queen Mary S. winner Signora Cabello (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) (lot 665); and a colt out of the G3 Albany S. third Take Me With You (Scat Daddy) (lot 689), whose full-sister was bought by Newtown Anner Stud for €360,000 at Orby.

There are likewise three catalogued by Frankel, including a half-sister to German champion and useful young sire Sea The Moon (Ger) (lot 652) and a half-brother to black-type winners Lily's Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Zurigha (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) (lot 626).

Other highlights on paper include a full-sister to dual Group 2 winner Terebellum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) (lot 604) and a half-brother to GI E P Taylor S. winner Blond Me (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) (lot 562), also by Sea The Stars; a Cotai Glory (GB) half-brother to G1 Matron S. scorer Champers Elysees (Ire) (lot 579); a Dark Angel (Ire) half-sister to G1 Prix de l'Abbaye victor Whizz Kid (Ire) (Whipper) (lot 587); a Kingman (GB) half-brother to dual Group 3 winner Carla Bianca (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) and listed winner Joailliere (Ire) (lot 598), the lone offering by his sire in the catalogue; and a Belardo (Ire) half-brother to this year's G2 Queen Mary S. scorer Quick Suzy (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}) (lot 670).

The catalogue also features a quality offering by sires with their first foals in 2021, and those include G1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Phoenix Of Spain (Ire), whose foals at Goffs include a three-quarter brother to G1 Phoenix S. winner Lucky Vega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) (lot 642). Tally-Ho Stud's Inns Of Court (Ire) has a half-sister to 2-year-old stakes winner Summer Sands (GB) (Coach House {Ire}) set for sale (lot 578); G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe scorer Waldgeist (Ire) has a half-brother to Group 3 winners Brown Sugar (Ire) and Burnt Sugar (Ire) (lot 580); Blue Point (Ire) has a granddaughter of Irish champion 2-year-old filly and stakes producer Damson (Ire) (lot 586); Too Darn Hot (GB) has a half-sister to the listed-winning and Group 1-placed Olendon (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) (lot 690); and the German-based Best Solution (Ire) is represented by a half-brother to black-type winners Morando (Fr) and Speak Of The Devil (Fr) (lot 613).

The Goffs November Foal Sale has developed a reputation as a happy hunting ground for both end users and pinhookers. Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), the world's highest-rated horse of 2020, was a Goffs November Foal graduate, and the likes of Alcohol Free (Ire), Blowout (GB) and Romantic Proposal (Ire) have continued to fly the flag in 2021. Last month's G1 Flying Five S. winner Romantic Proposal was successfully pinhooked at the Orby Sale, while Grade I winner and young sire River Boyne was also a productive pinhook to emanate from Goffs November. This year's Orby Sale included numerous successful pinhooks from the November Sale, headed by a half-brother to the aforementioned Lucky Vega who turned €300,000 into €630,000. Other good results included a €70,000 foal that sold for €270,000, a €30,000 foal that went for €150,000, and a €75,000 foal that sold for €225,000.

“As the premier European foal sale, Goffs is proud to present the very cream of the Irish crop at this year's November Sale,” said Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby. “The 1015-strong November Foal catalogue is sure to draw every major buyer to Kildare Paddocks next month in search of their next Group 1 winner or pinhooking triumph. Our message to vendors this year was to stay close and go far by selling in Ireland at Goffs, and we are thrilled and supremely grateful that so many are sending their best foals to the November Sale once again.”

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The daughter of Fearn Royal (Ire) (Ali-Royal {Ire}) was perfect and untested in six juvenile appearances and ran her overall winning streak to nine before tasting defeat for the first time when beaten a half-length by Night Thunder (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the Westminster Derby (2400 metres) at Sluzewiec Racecourse in Warsaw last July.

Inter Royal Lady returned to winning ways with a 3/4-length success in the Nagroda Liry (Polish Oaks) the following month (see below) and was given big-race entries for the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, won by the Rouget-trained Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), and the G1 Prix de l'Opera. She was ultimately allowed to take her chance against the likes of next-out Breeders' Cup winners Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal) and Audarya (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in the Opera, and while never likely over the unsuitably soft ground, Inter Royal Lady finished a respectable eighth of the 12 runners, beaten just over six lengths.

Bred by Fergus Cousins, Inter Royal Lady was bought back on a bid of €22,000 when offered as a weanling at Goffs in November 2017. She was subsequently knocked down to Bobby O'Ryan, agent for owner Slawomir Pegza, from the Ballybin Stud draft at the 2018 Goffs Sportsman's sale and was trained in Poland by Adam Wyrzyk.

WATCH: Inter Royal Lady wins the 2020 Nagroda Liry (Polish Oaks)

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Frankel fever began to set in around mid-afternoon and it was ignited by the sale of the supplementary lot 663A. The brilliant Juddmonte stallion sired Grenadier Guards (Jpn), the winner of the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity in Japan on Sunday morning, and that fact wasn’t lost on Harry Sweeney, who signed the buyer’s docket. The son of the multiple stakes winner Lily’s Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) will make his way to Sweeney’s Paca Paca Farm in Japan where Sweeney hopes he will build on his sire’s impressive record.

“Frankel has been quite successful in Japan; they are big strong horses and they seem to operate well there,” Sweeney said. “I hoped to get this one for slightly less but he is a fine foal and we look forward to getting him home.”

The next Frankel foal that entered the ring brought the exact same price when knocked down to online bidder Blackstar Bloodstock. Lot 673 was consigned by Des Leadon and Mariann Klay’s Swordlestown Little Stud and was bred by Graeng Bloodstock Ltd out of the G3 Brownstown S. winner Marvada (Ire) (Elusive City). The mare has already bred the top class G2 Dahlia S. winner and G1 Queen Anne S. runner up Terebellum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), while Marvada’s 2-year-old Miss Finland (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) broke her maiden recently for John Gosden.

It was an intense half hour for Swordlestown Little as no sooner had the dust settled on lot 673 than they were back in the ring with another Frankel colt, lot 684. This colt was bred by Leadon and Klay out of Nisriyna (Ire) (Intikhab) and completed the Frankel €440,000 trifecta, this time to the bid of Juddmonte’s Barry Mahon. The 13-year-old Nisriyna has been a star for Swordlestown Little and is the dam of the former prolific Hong Kong runner Dinozzo (Ire) (Lilbourne Lad {Ire}), who after amassing over £1.1-million in his racing career was repatriated back to Swordlestown Little to spend an honourable retirement.

“It’s been some rollercoaster,” said Leadon after the second of his headline sales. “We think the world of this Nisriyna colt, he looks a proper racehorse and he really took to this new environment like a duck to water. Nothing seems to faze him. It’s a wonderful family and the mare really deserved an upgrade in the type of stallion she was visiting. We were delighted that her 2-year-old Qaasid (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}) recently got off the mark for Sir Michael Stoute, who is a dear friend of ours, and we are thrilled that Juddmonte have bought this foal.”

Barry Mahon had been underbidder on an Expert Eye (GB) foal earlier in the session and was determined not to leave without this one. “Prince Khalid was very keen on this colt and he looks a good fit for the Juddmonte programme,” Mahon said. “He also came from a top farm and was beautifully prepped. Frankel has become a true international sire with the horse in Japan this morning another example of what he can do and it’s great for Irish breeders who have supported him to be rewarded like this.”

In a flurry of Frankel sales, lot 685 rewarded the perseverance of successful buyer Gerard Lowry of Oneliner Stables. Lowry had tried hard to buy the previous lot but was more than happy to come away with this son of Noyelles (Ire) (Docksider) when the hammer dropped at €360,000. Similarly bred to the first Frankel sold being a half-brother to Lily’s Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), this colt was consigned by Neilstown Stud on behalf of the foal’s breeders Nick and Alice Nugent.

“Both Frankels were top of our list so we’re delighted to get this one,” Gerard Lowry said. “Frankel is a global commodity, this horse is a half-brother to two good fillies and he will be back for resale next year.”

There may not have been as much international representation as in previous years at this sale, but that didn’t prevent Goffs Scandinavian agent Filip Zwicky getting stuck in on behalf of clients. His purchases were headed by lot 707, a Footstepsinthesand (GB) half-brother to G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner Lucky Vega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) that cost €300,000. Consigned by Baroda Stud, the colt is a grandson of G1 Prix de l’Opera winner Satwa Queen (Fr) (Muhtathir {GB}), and while bought for Scandinavian interests he will be making an appearance at Goffs again next year.

“I bought him for the owner of Swedish Derby winner Bullof Wall Street (Tapizar), who we bought in the Orby two years ago,” Zwicky said. “This is the owner’s first pinhook and the horse will come back here for the Orby next year.”

Philipp Stauffenberg is another who is no stranger to paying big money for foals to resell and more often than not the gamble pays off. He struck for lot 659, a No Nay Never full-sister to both GII Mrs Revere S. winner Nay Lady Nay (Ire) and G2 Coventry S. winner Arizona (Ire). The Ballintry Stud-consigned filly set Stauffenberg back €260,000, but with a pedigree that also features two individual champions further down in Bright Generation (Ire) (Rainbow Quest) and Dabirsim (Fr) (Hat Trick {Jpn}), the filly looks well bought. Bred by Stephen Sullivan out of Lady Ederle (English Channel), the sale is the latest success story for the mare that keeps on giving. Sullivan bought the mare in Keeneland eight years ago for $27,000 and is beginning to really reap the rewards from the 11-year-old.

“I’m delighted, Lady Ederle is turning into a real cash cow but all credit to Joe [Rogers] and his team at Ballintry Stud,” Sullivan said. “He looks after the foals so well and I would recommend him to anyone. The mare is in foal to Frankel (GB) and I imagine we’ll see that foal back here hopefully next year. Goffs do a great job and despite everything happening we are here trading horses.”

Lot 583 from The Castlebridge Consignment already had good credentials being an Acclamation (GB) half-brother to two fast stakes horses in K Club (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and Back To Brussels (Ire) (Starspangledbannner {Aus}), but there could be more to come from the family next year particularly from a yearling half-sister by Mehmas (Ire) that cost £330,000 at the Orby Sale in Doncaster and goes into training with Joseph O’Brien. That was surely at the forefront of JC Bloodstock’s Mick Fitzpatrick’s mind as he traded bids with Gay O’Callaghan with Fitzpatrick eventually winning the battle with a bid of €195,000. The foal was bred by Horse Racing Ireland Chairman Nick Hartery out of the mare Big Boned (Street Sense), who has proved a fine investment since being purchased at Goffs in 2014 by Rathasker Stud for €27,000.

Mick Fitzpatrick added to Kilminfoyle’s pinhooking squad for next year when seeing off a parade ring bidder to secure lot 603 for €225,000. The strapping Camelot (GB) colt offered by Oghill House Stud is a full-brother to the very smart Ado McGuinness- trained Current Option (Ire) and Fitzpatrick said, “He is a very nice foal by a proven stallion and is a brother to a good horse so he ticks plenty of boxes.”

For the foal’s breeder Craig English it was a fine return as he only bought the mare Coppertop (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) at this sale last year for €50,000. She was carrying this foal at the time and in the meantime Current Option (Ire) has won a premier handicap at Galway, a listed race at Cork and the G3 Concorde S. at Tipperary, exploits which have seen his rating climb to 107.

Another Camelot (GB) foal to find favour was lot 708. Bred by Kilcarn Stud, the full-sister to stakes winner Fighting Irish (Ire) was bought by Peter and Ross Doyle for €185,000. Camelot’s popularity was again evident when Oaklawn Stud’s filly, lot 735, was bought by Highbank Stud for €190,000.

Former Curragh trainer Takashi Kodama stepped in to purchase lot 649 on behalf of Japan’s Big Red Farm. The Irish National Stud-consigned son of Invincible Spirit (Ire) cost €210,000 and is a half-brother to a pair of stakes winners by Sea The Stars (Ire) in Chemical Charge (Ire) and Dalgarno (Fr), while the early pace was set by a son of Kodiac (GB) bought by the Tally-Ho team for €190,000. Bred by Michael Ryan and consigned by his Dungarvan-based Al Eile Stud, lot 567 is a grandson of Ryan’s brilliant dual 1000 Guineas winner Finsceal Beo (Ire) (Mr Greely) and out of the winning Galileo mare An Cailin Orga (Ire).

The Goffs November Sale and indeed the reshuffled Irish 2020 sales calendar culminates with the single-session breeding stock sale which begins at 10 a.m. on Monday.

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The most expensive foal of the day saw two branches of a very prominent bloodstock family battle it out with Tally-Ho Stud’s Tony and Roger O’Callaghan eventually getting the better of Grangemore Stud’s Guy O’Callaghan, who was standing with his brother Robert. Lot 279 is by the all-conquering Mehmas (Ire), who the successful bidders stand, and is the second produce out of the unraced Lope De Vega (Ire) mare Vida Amorosa (Ire), who was purchased in this ring in 2017 for just €1,200. Offered by Derek Veitch’s Ringfort Stud on behalf of breeder Tom Lacy, the chestnut colt continued the fine run of form for Ringfort this year both on the track and in the sales ring.

“He’ll come back for sale as a yearling and is a sweet colt,” Tony O’Callaghan said afterwards. “We sold his half-bother earlier in the year but this fella is a better model. The sire has been amazing and we are delighted to have him,” he added.

Mehmas was also responsible for a colt (lot 286) signed up by Paula Flannery late in the session for €40,000.

There has been plenty of publicity the past few weeks about Starfield Stud’s new stallion Far Above (Ire), and a half-brother to that G3 Palace House S. winner led proceedings throughout much of the session on Friday when selling to Avenue Bloodstock’s Mark McStay for €70,000. Lot 73, a son of Dawn Approach (Ire), was consigned by Clare Manning’s Boherguy Stud and is out of the winning Shamardal mare Dorraar (Ire), whose group-winning sprinting son has been her only runner so far. After signing the buyer’s docket Mark McStay commented, “He’s a lovely horse and I’ve had some luck with the sire before. He’s been bought for an existing client who might keep him to race rather than to sell next year.”

Boherguy has 11 foals catalogued this weekend and having got her sales week off to a good start, Clare Manning said, “We sold him on behalf of a client and he is a lovely, professional horse and it was great for our client to get a result like that. It’s a nice start for ourselves as well and hopefully it will continue that way as we have some lovely foals to sell over the next few days.”

Mark McStay was back in the fray later on when he went to €60,000 to secure a colt by Dandy Man (Ire) offered by Arglo House Stud. Lot 208 is a grandson of the G3 Park Express S. winner Danehill Music (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and the dam Rip Van Music (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) has bred a winner from her first and only runner. “He’s been bought for a pinhooking syndicate to be re-sold through Baroda Stud next year,” reported McStay. “He is a lovely foal, one of the standouts today and Dandy Man (Ire) has had another solid year. I didn’t think I’d have to give as much for him as I did but hopefully he’ll be worth it,” he added.

An attractive daughter of Sea The Moon (Ger) caught the eye of Grove Stud’s Brendan Holland and was eventually knocked down to him for €50,000. The Castlebridge-consigned lot 86 is the first foal out of the unraced Exploitation (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}), who is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Rythmique (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}).

Paul McCartan has a habit of striking gold with his pinhooks and it will be interesting to monitor the exploits both in the sales ring and on the track of lot 81. This Mastercraftsman (Ire) filly was bought by the McCartan’s Ballyphilip Stud for €45,000. Offered by Galbertstown Stables, the Liz O’Leary-bred filly is closely related to GI Matriarch S. winner Off Limits (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), while her yearling full-brother made 55,000gns at Tattersalls in October. The dam Eccellente Idea (Ire) (Excellent Art {GB}) also got off to a winning start as a broodmare this year when her second produce won as a 2-year-old in Norway.

Early in the day John Walsh acquired lot 15, a filly by Churchill (Ire), for €42,000. Offered by Oak Lodge & Springfield House Stud, the foal is the second produce out of Alambra (Ire) (Shamardal) a winner in Italy and placed four times in stakes company. The same price was given for lot 255, a colt by Footstepsinthesand (GB) purchased by Tally-Ho Stud.

The Murphys of Redpender Stud are noted judges of bloodstock, and they put their faith in lot 180, a colt by Fast Company (Ire). Offered by Ballyogue Stud, the first produce out of Nisma (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) from the family of group winner and Classic-placed Wind Chimes (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) was knocked down to Kilkenny based Jimmy Murphy for €40,000. “We haven’t had one by the sire before but he’s a proven stallion and this is a good foal with a nice pedigree so hopefully he can come back successfully next year,” he said.

Murphy swiftly added another foal to his 2021 pinhooking team when securing lot 182, a Dandy Man (Ire) filly, for €29,000.

The sale resumes on Saturday morning at 10a.m.

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On Cooney’s shortlist the first day of the sale was the 8-year-old Hard Spun mare Plying, in foal to Starspangledbanner (Aus). A $200,000 yearling, Plying had won three times for Sheikh Mohammed and trainer Henri-Alex Pantall before being culled for €12,000 at the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale in 2013. By the time she resurfaced at Goffs five years later, Plying had produced the placed 3-year-old filly Saguaro (Ire) and the unraced 2-year-old Alexander James (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). She had a yearling colt by Zoffany (Ire), and her No Nay Never filly foal had made €40,000 at the Goffs foal sale two days earlier.

“We went through a good few mares and it came down to one or two that we liked,” Cooney recalled. “Plying had a great walk and a good girth on her. I thought she had a great head on her. She had the frame of being a strong mare and I thought maybe with us, having a smaller number of horses, that she might improve. She was in foal to Starspangledbanner, which was a plus.”

Cooney followed Plying into the ring and was able to secure her on a bid of €21,000.

“I’d say we were lucky on the day; I think someone else at the last second tried to drop in another bid, but the hammer went down and your man said, ‘too late sir.’ From that day on, in fairness, the mare has been lucky.”

That sir, whoever he is, will doubtless be lamenting not raising his hand quicker, as Plying is now the dam of two stakes winners, including the aforementioned No Nay Never filly who was subsequently named Alcohol Free (Ire) and won this year’s G1 Cheveley Park S. for owner Jeff Smith and trainer Andrew Balding. Alexander James had previously bolstered the page last October with a listed victory in France as a 3-year-old.

Cooney, through his Jossestown Farm, brings Plying’s latest foal, a colt by Dandy Man, to this year’s edition of the Goffs November Foal Sale, and he sells during the premiere Sunday session as lot 698.

“He is a cracker,” Cooney said of the April-foaled bay. “He’s got size, he’s got scope, he’s got the looks. I’d be shocked if he doesn’t make a few quid.”

Expanding on the decision to send Plying to Dandy Man, Cooney said, “Plying is American-bred and has a speedy pedigree. Dandy Man is full of speed but as well as that he isn’t an over-big type of horse. She tends to throw them with size, not in a bad way, but we thought the perfect model might come out with the Dandy Man cross. I thought the match would work well and to be honest, it did. He’s correct and he walks. It’s hard to explain, but he is a bull. I wouldn’t change him in any way. He’s strong in every way and he has a good back end to him, which is important for those speed horses that will run five or six furlongs.”

Cooney admitted that anything the Dandy Man colt brings him is a bonus; the Starspangledbanner filly Plying produced for Cooney covered the cost of her dam as well as the Dandy Man covering fee when she brought €40,000 at Goffs February earlier this year. She was pinhooked by Knockatrina House for 130,000gns at last month’s Tattersalls December Yearling Sale.

“Plying had a lovely filly foal by Starspangledbanner,” Cooney said. “She colicked at the first sale she went to [last year’s Goffs November Foal Sale] and we were a bit unlucky because there were plenty of people on her. She went to the November sale and colicked on the day of the sale. It wasn’t the right thing to do to send her through the ring, so we brought her home and minded her and she went to the next sale and made €40,000, which covered the cost of the mare and the covering fee of Dandy Man. And then the updates happened after that.”

Cooney said he followed Alcohol Free’s progress as she was broken in and sent to Andrew Balding’s Kingsclere Stables.

“I heard through the grapevine that she might be going to Andrew Balding’s after being broken, which is always a plus,” Cooney said. “The manager at [Jeff Smith’s] Littleton Stud told me she was a real nice physical and they really liked her.”

Alcohol Free won at first asking on Aug. 15 at Newbury before running a fine race to be second to Happy Romance (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) in the G3 Dick Poole S. at Salisbury on Sept. 3. Sent off at 7-2 in the G1 Cheveley Park S. three weeks later, Alcohol Free narrowly led Miss Amulet (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) through the opening furlongs before drawing further clear at halfway. That rival re-rallied in the closing stages with G3 Firth of Clyde S. winner Umm Kulthum (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) also proving a tough adversary, but Alcohol Free hit the line a half-length the best much to the delight of her connections, not least Cooney.

“To be honest, I nearly had a heart attack watching the Group 1,” Cooney recalled. “I nearly threw the telly out the window watching it. I couldn’t believe it. We were ecstatic. You hope that something will do that, but the likelihood of that happening is slim to none. It doesn’t really happen to an ordinary Joe; usually those pedigrees are always with the bigger operations.

“We have always had horses but we’ve never had a pedigree like that. It’s nice for the small man to get on top.”

Indeed, Cooney said Plying is currently one of two mares in his barn, and he also pinhooks a few foals annually, at both flat and National Hunt Sales. And chances are good he’ll be back at the breeding stock sale next week looking to grow his broodmare band.

“The idea going forward would be to try to find another Plying,” he said. “We’d be interested in going to the sales again and trying to find a gem that maybe we could syndicate, put in foal to a good sire and maybe it just might take off again.”

Cooney acknowledged that sire power was an important aspect of Plying’s page at the time of her purchase, despite the fact she hadn’t yet hit as a broodmare.

“The thing we liked about Plying was that on her page, she had one runner, a High Chaparral that didn’t show much, but after that she had a Camelot, a Zoffany and a No Nay Never, which on any page suggests you have a fair chance for the mare to throw a winner. That really kind of sold us on her.”

Plying is currently in foal to another Coolmore sire in Gleneagles (Ire), and while a 2021 mating hasn’t been set in stone, Plying looks likely to get another upgrade.

“We’re flat out thinking about what would be the right thing to do and where to go,” Cooney said. “I personally would love to go to Kingman (GB). I think she’d have an absolutely gorgeous horse, but there also is the likes of Lope De Vega-he’s another top-class stallion. There’s nothing confirmed yet but we’re thinking the likes of them.”

Cooney began 2020 with a profitable mare in his barn, and is ending the year at the sales with a half-sibling to a 2-year-old Group 1 winner and Classic contender. “The dream is still alive,” as Cooney himself said, but he is nonetheless keeping his feet on the ground.

“The simple and short story of it is that we went looking to buy a mare that could breed winners from,” he said. “She was the one, and it worked out.”

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With current events requiring the sale to be pushed back almost four weeks from its original calendar slot, the action now commences on Friday and consists of three days of foals and a single day of mare trade. Unfortunately for those with very deep pockets, the much-anticipated potential sale topper–the Kingman (GB) colt out of Nightime (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})–has been withdrawn which is a major blow to Goffs given his siblings have topped two of the last five editions of the sale. However, there will be plenty of other foals that will attract the attention of pinhookers and end users alike and as an exasperating year comes to a close, Goffs Group Chief Executive Officer Henry Beeby said he is looking forward to hosting the first flat sale with customers on site at Goffs since February.

“It’s good to be back trading here in Kildare Paddocks; we had the December National Hunt sale last week which was the first sale to take place in Ireland since Covid on its originally scheduled date,” Beeby said. “That obviously is not the case for this November Sale, but we did what we had to do in order to accommodate the most people. At the time when we had to make the decision we wanted to have a clear two weeks for both vendors and purchasers between this sale and the December Sale [at Tattersalls] in order for them to isolate as necessary. It’s not ideal, but this is a case of needs must and it’s a year when you do what you have to do to minimise the problems at hand and I hope it will still allow us to have a vibrant sale.

“We don’t have a Part 2 of foals which reduces the catalogue slightly but I still think we have been very well supported by a lot of Irish breeders which we are very grateful for and we will just have to do our best.”

Beeby said he has been buoyed by the sustained strength of trade at the upper end of the market at foal and breeding stock sales so far in this unprecedented season.

“The resilience of pinhookers is simply awe inspiring,” he said. “Whether they have a good year or not they get stuck in regardless, basically because the majority are lifetime industry professionals and they just have to roll with the punches. That is what we all have had to do this year and we are all in it together and we just hope we can all get out the other side intact. People understand these date changes are necessary and those who attend the sale can all be reassured that Goffs will have done everything to make the complex as safe and as user-friendly as possible. We have a 36-page set of protocols, 30 stewards, one-way systems, hand sanitiser stations and plenty of outdoor areas. These include an outdoor bidding area with heaters, a marquee and the fact that we already have an outdoor covered parade ring is a great help. We will certainly make the best of it and do whatever we can to facilitate as successful a sale as is possible.”

As Beeby pointed out this year’s foal catalogue is slightly reduced to three days which should help the clearance rate but a general trend in this sale is that trade heats up day by day as the standard of pedigree gets stronger, building towards a usually frenetic day of bidding on the final day which in this case falls on Sunday. Despite several high profile withdrawals which also includes some big-pedigreed foals from Moyglare Stud, there are dozens of foals that should ignite plenty of competition from bidders including lot 571 from Knockainey Stud. The New Bay (GB) filly is a half-sister to dual stakes winner Great Page (Ire) (Roderic O’Connor {Ire}) and her yearling half-sister by Kodiac (GB) made 220,000gns when bought as a foal last year by Shadwell. Another foal who has a big-money sibling to work for her is lot 583. This Acclamation (GB) colt’s three parts brother by Mehmas (Ire) fetched £330,000 in the Orby Sale two months ago while the pedigree already lacks little with the dam Big Boned (Street Sense) having produced the Group 3 winner K Club (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and the stakes-placed Back To Brussels (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) from only three runners so far.

Dandy Man (Ire) has been a good friend to a lot of pinhookers and there are a couple of colts by the Ballyhane stallion that could prove popular. Lot 590 from Milestream Stud is from the speedy family of Katla (Ire) (Majestic Missile {Ire}) and Wootton Bassett (GB). Later in the sale Jossestown Farm offers a Dandy Man half-brother to G1 Cheveley Park S. winner Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) as lot 698. The mare Plying (Hard Spun) has also produced the stakes winner Alexander James (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) while her yearling filly by Starspangledbanner (Aus) made 130,000gns last month.

The progeny of Fashionable (GB) (Nashwan) have sold very well at Goffs over the years with the past two offerings out of the mare grossing €510,000 as foals and lot 621 will bid to continue that trend for breeder Ross Moorhead. The Fastnet Rock (Aus) filly is a half-sister to G1 Irish Oaks runner up Jack Naylor.

A filly with lots of residual value as well as obvious racing value is lot 659. Consigned by Ballintry Stud, the daughter of No Nay Never is a full-sister to two high achievers in American MGSW Nay Lady Nay (Ire) and G2 Coventry S. winner Arizona (Ire).

Of the four Frankel (GB) foals originally catalogued two are consigned by Des Leadon and Mariann Klay’s Swordlestown Little Stud. The first of those is lot 673, a filly out of stakes winner Marvada (Ire) (Elusive City) who is the dam of the high-class Terebellum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). The foal received a further pedigree boost when her 2-year-old half-sister Miss Finland (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) broke her maiden at the second time of asking at Chelmsford last week. Swordlestown Little also offers a Frankel colt out of Nisriyna (Ire) Intikhab (lot 684), a mare whose progeny have sold very well as foals in Goffs. Her 2018 offering, now called Qaasid (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}) sold for €170,000 and he also broke his maiden for Shadwell since the catalogue went to print.

The very next foal into the ring is also a Frankel colt, this time from Neilstown Stud and lot 685 should continue the fine work of the mare Noyelles (Ire) (Docksider) who has bred two stakes winners in Lily’s Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Zurigha (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and has proven a fine money-spinner for Goffs Director Nick Nugent and his wife Alice.

Baroda Stud’s final foal offering of the year, lot 707, could also be significant as the Foostepsinthesand (GB) colt is a half-brother to this year’s G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner and Orby Sale graduate Lucky Vega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}).

As the sale draws to a conclusion a pair of Dark Angel (Ire) colts could make their presence felt. Lot 723 from Hill House is a half-brother to the smart pair Inverleigh (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}) and Setarhe (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {Ire}) while lot 745 from AK Thoroughbreds is out of the stakes winner Tarakala (Ire) (Dr Fong) and is closely related to this year’s brilliant GI Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal).

The sale begins at 10 a.m. each morning and as has become the norm on-line bidding will be available to prospective purchasers.

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