The Aga Khan draft, always incredibly popular at the Goffs Autumn Horses In Training Sale, may have been down on numbers but captured the imagination once again with the 77-rated Karakoul (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) (lot 97) selling to Mohamed H K Al Attiyah for €72,000.
That made Karakoul, trained by Johnny Murtagh, the joint top lot of the sale, as fellow maiden Midnight Toker (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) (lot 137) was sold to Marco Bozzi to continue his career in Italy.
Midnight Toker carried Peter Brant's double green silks to place in five of his seven starts for Ger Lyons and, with a rating of 83, the juvenile boasted an attractive level of form without managing to win.
As did Karakoul, notably when running Piz Badile (Ire) (Ulysses {Ire}) close in a Killarney maiden last year and Tom Taaffe, acting on behalf of the Qatari buyers, signed for the Aga Khan gelding.
He said, “He's been bought to go to Qatar for Mohamed Al Attiyah. He liked the horse's pedigree and his form and I liked the horse when I saw him this morning. He has a nice profile for Qatar.”
Late in the session, Bozzi swooped for The Castlebridge Consignment's Midnight Toker, a horse he thinks can do well in Italy.
He said, “We like this horse a lot and have followed him all season. We think he can mature and race well in Italy. He has a very good pedigree and will go into training with Giovanni Colella in Rome for the former owner of (Group 1-winning filly) Grand Glory (GB) (Olympic Glory {Ire}).”
As well as supplying Karakoul, the Aga Khan and Johnny Murtagh offered Shajak (Ire) (Zarak {Fr}), who was knocked down to Tom Malone and Aidan O'Ryan for €52,000.
“He's a very nice horse and he's one that we've had our eye on for some time,” Malone said. “You'd like what he has done on the track so far and I thought he wasn't bad value relative to the horse we hope he could develop into over hurdles. He's going to be going to Gordon Elliott.”
The Aga Khan's third and final offering, Riyami (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) (lot 140), trained by Michael Halford, was snapped up by Denis Hogan for €30,000.
The aggregate of just under €1.4m was up 7% on last year despite the fact there were two six-figure lots in 2021. The average of €16,679 was 24% ahead on last year's figure while the median jumped from €8,000 to €11,000 (+38%). There was also an improvement in the clearance rate which went from 78% to 84%.
Goffs CEO Henry Beeby said, “Although not our biggest or most prestigious sale in the calendar, today's HIT sale fulfills an important need in the market by providing a viable outlet for Horses-In-Training in Ireland. As the forerunner to our big two-day Autumn Yearling Sale, we attract a large and diverse international crowd, and it is fair to say that we would like to grow the catalogue as we consistently deliver for the horses presented. Indeed, this is a low cost, convenient option for Irish owners and trainers when compared to the alternative and benefits from the unique contribution of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing and our network of proactive international agents.”
He added, “We are grateful for the support we receive but can do so much more as is the case in every other category each year. A look at today's buyers list sees horses knocked down to successful bidders from across Eastern Europe, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, the Gulf Region as well as the UK and domestically, and a buoyant trade from start to finish as we continue to exceed expectations. Despite a smaller catalogue every metric has improved headed by an impressive 84% clearance rate and big rises in average and median price. For the next two days we turn our attention to yearlings and our Autumn Yearling Sale that is once again packed full of potential and value.”
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