New British Record At Doncaster Spring Store Sale Opener

A new British record was established during the first of two sessions of the Doncaster Spring Store Sale when Goldford Stud's filly by Blue Bresil (Fr) was hammered down for £210,000. The daughter of Petticoat Tails surpassed the previous mark of £200,000 set at this same event 12 months ago. The Astons' Goldford Stud have accounted for the top seller at the Spring Store Sale no fewer than 10 times, including five years consecutively from 1997-2001. It was an especially poignant transaction for the Astons in light of the passing of Richard Aston late last month and the celebration of life in his honour held at Goldford Stud last week.

A total of 99 horses changed hands for turnover of £2,905,300. The average price of £29,346 represented a 6% decline from 2022, while the median of £25,000 dropped by 4%.

The second and final session of the sale commences Tuesday at 11am.

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Leading NH Figure Richard Aston Dies at 68

Richard Aston, co-owner of Goldford Stud and one of the leading lights of the National Hunt breeding scene, died on Saturday at the age of 68 after recently being diagnosed with cancer.

A former amateur rider over jumps, Aston was also chairman of Bangor-on-Dee racecourse and previously a director of its neighbouring Chester racecourse for eight years. Among his many roles within the bloodstock industry, he was a former member of the TBA's National Hunt Committee and one of the driving forces behind the popular TBA National Hunt Foal Show.

David Futter of Yorton Stud, who worked closely with Aston on the National Hunt Committee, said on Monday, “Richard was a great ally to me, and a friend and confidant. I used to pick his brains and ask for his advice when I was buying stallions. He has been a big part of my life over the last 20 years and it's extremely sad.”

He added, “He was integral to the foal show. If it wasn't for Richard getting it organised and staging it at Bangor we would never have got it off the ground. He's been a great supporter of National  Hunt breeding and very successful at it, and he's been taken well before his time.”

Broadcaster Nick Luck was also heavily involved with the TBA National Hunt Foal Show over the years, both as breeder and master of ceremonies, and he paid tribute to Aston on his Nick Luck Daily podcast, describing him as “a man of great knowledge, great humility, great humour, and enormous wisdom and insight.”

Leading National Hunt bloodstock agent David Minton also shared his thoughts on his friend on the podcast in conversation with Luck. He said, “[Richard] was a wonderful person. I've known him all my life really, as my father used to ride his grandfather's point-to-pointers.

“He was a very competent horseman in his own right. He rode winners and then commentated a bit, and then of course he set up Goldford Stud with Sally, which has become a tower of strength in the National Hunt business, both at Doncaster and at the Derby Sale, which they topped regularly.”

The Astons' hugely successful Goldford Stud in Cheshire has been the birthplace of a raft of decent jumpers, including Cue Card (GB) and, more recently, this season's Morebattle Hurdle winner Benson (GB). Though more readily associated with the National Hunt sphere, Goldford has also featured prominently at Flat sales and is home to mares owned by Allan Belshaw, breeder of G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Newspaperofrecord (Ire). In 2021, Goldford Stud sold her dam Sunday Times (GB) on Belshaw's behalf to Coolmore for 1.8 million gns, making her the third-top lot of the Tattersalls December Mares' Sale.

Richard Aston is survived by his wife Sally and son Charlie, to whom we extend our sincere condolences. 

 

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Newspaperofrecord’s Dam to Sell at The Tattersalls December Mares Sale

Group 3 winner Sunday Times (GB) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}–Forever Times {GB}, by So Factual), the dam of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf heroine Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), will be offered at the upcoming Tattersalls December Mares Sale from Nov. 29-Dec. 2. Carrying a full-sibling to the GI Just a Game heroine, Sunday Times will be consigned by Richard and Sally Aston's Goldford Stud on behalf of Allan Belshaw.

A winner of the G3 Sceptre S. and second in the G1 Cheveley Park S., Sunday Times will be joined by her fourth foal in the Goldford Stud consignment at Tattersalls, the winning Daily Times (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who is also in foal to Lope de Vega (Ire).

“Sunday Times is a truly outstanding broodmare with a great future,” said Richard Aston. “She was a very smart race filly, she has produced a champion 2-year-old, she has a current Classic pedigree which will appeal to breeders from all over the world and she is gorgeous. It is a rare combination and Mr. Belshaw will be racing Newspaperofrecord's yearling own sister and this year's Kingman (GB) filly foal which is why he has decided to sell both Sunday Times and Daily Times.”

A half-sister to the dam of Group 1 winner Latrobe (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), stakes winner and multiple Group 1-placed Pink Dogwood (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and group winner Diamond Fields (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), Sunday Times's first foal was the listed winner Classical Times (GB) (Lawman {Fr}), who was also third in the G3 Chipchase S., while Newspaperofrecord was her third. The latter, who sold for 200,000gns out of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, also won the GII Miss Grillo S., GIII Intercontinental S., and was third in the GI First Lady S. for owner Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown. The latest produce for Sunday Times is a yearling full-sister to Newspaperofrecord and a weanling filly foal by Kingman (GB).

After Newspaperofrecord's Breeders' Cup victory, Brown said, “Today she showed how good she really is and for her to win as easy as she did is remarkable.”

TDN columnist Bill Finley wrote that, “her performance might well be regarded as one of the best in the history of the series.”

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