Henry Beeby Hails “Sensational” November Foal Sale At Goffs

The Havana Grey (GB) train is showing no sign of slowing down and, after a booming debut season at stud that saw his fee at Whitsbury Manor Stud bumped up to £18,500, he supplied the sales-topping filly on the final day of what Henry Beeby described as a “sensational” November Foal Sale at Goffs.

That €68,000 filly (lot 962) was signed for by renowned judge Paul McCartan of Ballyphillip Stud, best known for breeding speedballs Harry Angel (Ire) and Tiggy Wiggy (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), and was consigned by Olive O'Connor Bloodstock.

McCartan said, “She was a beautiful filly out of a Showcasing (GB) mare and there are plenty of 2-year-old winners in the pedigree. I've been very impressed by Havana Grey. I really liked his foals from his first crop as well.”

He added, “I thought there were some lovely foals here this year but they were hard bought. We didn't get all that we wanted. There was great trade here but I am happy with what we have bought.”

It was the younger sires who came up trumps on Thursday where 176 of the 235 foals were sold which equates to a 75% clearance rate in a week where the overall turnover rose 16% to €29,561,000.

The strong figures didn't stop there. The average rose 15% to €40,110 while the median climbed 9% to €24,000. All told, 737 of the 917 lots offered were sold, translating to a 80% clearance rate.

Goffs chief Henry Beeby said, “Sensational. That is the only description of the amazing trade this week headed by an especially vibrant day of sustained demand at the top of the market yesterday.

“As ever we extend our sincere thanks to every vendor as we know we are nothing without their wonderful horses and we are so grateful for the huge support from so many vendors who choose the Irish National Foal Sale for their best foals. That allows us to credibly promote the sale as featuring the cream of the Irish foal crop which drives every serious buyer of foals to Kildare Paddocks.”

He added, “Indeed, we have welcomed a huge group of purchasers headed, of course, by the mighty Irish pinhookers who have been taken on by bidders from the UK and across Europe. They were joined by several significant end-users, not least from Japan, who bought to race all of which led to a trade of strength, depth and vibrancy from start to finish.

“As was very clear at an excellent renewal of the Orby Sale, quality is what is selling best and that was illustrated by the strongest clearance rate of 85% coming on Wednesday and we look forward to offering many of those top foals at the Orby next year following so many great pinhooking successes here in September.

“The unique Goffs Customer Loyalty Scheme makes that option especially appealing as does the depth and diversity of our international buying bench this year. In fact the only real complaint from several overseas buyers at Orby this year was that we ran out of top tier yearlings so that is the target next year. We now turn our attention to our two-day Breeding Stock catalogue which continues to be so well supported by leading breeders and enjoys such a superb record with its graduates' progeny at the highest level.”

Along with the sales-topping Havana Grey, a filly by the Ballyhane-based Soldier's Call (lot 869) sold similarly well at €65,000 from Monanny Farm to Bitzen Bloodstock while the Aga Khan's emerging force Zarak (Fr) enjoyed a good afternoon when lot 843 was knocked down to Fort Middle Stud for €60,000.

That filly, consigned by Browne Brothers Bloodstock, was just the second by the sire to go through the ring at Goffs; the other (lot 283) sold earlier in the week for €52,000 to Guy Pariente Holding from Baroda Stud.

Not only did Far Above (Ire) win the prize for the best promoted stallion on the sales ground at Goffs this week, with shareholder Jack Cantillon and Starfield Stud boss Micheal Orlandi hard to miss in their yellow jackets, but he also posted some solid results in the ring.

The best of which was lot 834, a colt who sold from the Cantillon's family-run operation, Tinnakill House, to Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock for €48,000.

Brown is an advisor for Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum, whose familiar yellow silks were carried by Far Above to Group 3 success on the racetrack, and the leading bloodstock agent revealed how connections were keen to support the horse at stud.

Brown said, “He is a smashing colt by Far Above, who Sheikh Rashid raced, and is from a  family we know well; out of a sister to Perfect Power (Ire). Sheikh Rashid said to me when I was coming over here to let him know that, if I saw a nice Far Above to let him know, which I did. I saw him last night and was keen to have a go. I want to support the stallion as he gave us a lot of pleasure. He was a very good horse, very fast, and we wanted to buy this lad to race. We'll go on to Newmarket and see if we can buy a couple more.”

The post Henry Beeby Hails “Sensational” November Foal Sale At Goffs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Stauffenberg Secures Kingman With “Stallion’s Pedigree” For 550k At Goffs

Philipp Stauffenberg broke new ground at the November Foal Sale at Goffs on Wednesday by signing for a Kingman (GB) half-brother to Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy) for a sales-topping €550,000 on a day where the Juddmonte-based stallion shined brightest.

The Airlie Stud-consigned colt is not just a half-brother to that 2018 champion 2-year-old filly in Ireland but also the promising Charlie Appleby-trained Victory Dance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the €550,000 it took to buy him represented a new record for Stauffenberg.

The fact that lot 727 boasted a stallion's pedigree provided Stauffenberg with the confidence to push on and buy the colt who brought the leading pinhooker's total spend at Goffs this year to over €1 million.

Stauffenberg said, “As the auctioneer said, he has a stallion's pedigree and I was actually the underbidder on the Dubawi (Ire) [Victory Dance (Ire)] as well. I think there is a lot of upside and, from what I hear, the Dubawi is going extremely well. They pushed him a little and thought he was a little bit earlier than he was. If he wins something nice next year, which you would hope he can, it will improve the page again. He definitely has a stallion's pedigree. It's a very good family and if Kingman (GB) comes up with a nice horse I'm not too worried.”

Asked if the significant outlay could make securing a pinhooking profit more difficult, Stauffenberg replied, “On one side, yes, but on the other, how many chances do we have to come up with something like him to go to war with next year? We spent a lot of money but hopefully we spent wisely. Sometimes it is more risky to buy one for €200,000. I think he was a no-brainer. I never gave this much for a foal before but I did underbid one for €1.2 million but didn't get her. She was the first crop of Frankel out of Finsceal Beo (Ire). This is the most expensive foal I've bought.

“Like all the others, he will come back to the farm. I will have to tell my staff that we have quite a valuable thing there. We treat everything the same and he will be raised like all the others then we will make a decision about where we are going, but I think it's an obvious decision about where we will go next year with him.”

Stauffenberg spent €1,113,000 on six foals at Goffs this week, including a Night Of Thunder (GB) colt (lot 601) for €280,000 who was offered from the Irish National Stud.

 

Asked if he was confident that the market would stay strong into the yearling sales next year, Stauffenberg replied, “Listen, who was confident this year? We were blown away with how well the yearling sales went and this is another thing with a horse like him; whether you are a high-end racing owner or someone looking for a stallion prospect, a horse like him will always have a value with his pedigree. I think you can be a little bit safer on that level than on a lower level. Whether I am right or not, we will know next year. I am happy to have him.”

The German-based operator was also happy to snap up the Night Of Thunder colt from the Irish National stud earlier in the afternoon.

On that acquisition, he added, “There aren't many Night Of Thunders on the open market and I've been very lucky with the sire already. I sold a filly by him in Book 1 to Godolphin who was an absolute queen so you could say I'm quite biased towards the sire. This was just an exceptionally good colt and I was keen to get him after missing out on one earlier today.”

That Night Of Thunder colt was owned by the Irish National Stud Mares Syndicate and the dam in question, Persona Grata (GB) (Sire Percy {GB}), a six-time winner including twice at listed level, was a relatively new recruit having been snapped up at Arqana December last year for €190,000.

Cathal Beale, CEO of the Irish National Stud, said, “This is the fourth year of the syndicate. A lot of the foals we are selling are in different syndicates. The Night Of Thunder was in the newest version. We bought four mares last year and, what we try to do is, there are 100 shares and we offer half of them out and we keep the other half. That's what we try to do. It's gone fantastically well.

“We had a Dark Angel (Ire) colt out of Nabeyla (GB) make €78,000 and now this Night Of Thunder colt makes €280,000. We have a Showcasing (GB) and a Mehmas (Ire) that we will sell on behalf of the syndicate as yearlings and the mares are back in foal to different stallions now as well.”

He added, “Hopefully we will try and produce some stakes winners along the way and appreciate the mares if at all possible. We want to try and continue to sell foals profitably. That's the game. We bought this mare for €190,000 at Arqana so, to get the price of the mare back already, you don't fully expect to do that in your first year.

“He was a smashing colt and he's gone to a great home. He will be reoffered and hopefully he can make a good profit for Philipp next year.”

Those sales stood out in an exceedingly strong sale. The aggregate was a whopping €15,242,500, up 27% on last year's figures, while the average jumped 22% to €88,619. The median also rose 16% to €58,000. Of the 203 foals offered, 172 were sold, which represented a clearance rate of 85%.

 

Juddmonte Snaps Up Half To Derby Contender

Just over a month on from Arrest's narrow defeat in the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, Juddmonte paid a handsome compliment to their Derby contender by securing his half-brother by Wootton Bassett (GB) (lot 591) for €340,000 as well as a €530,000 Kingman (GB) colt (lot 606).

Arrest (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) went from strength to strength this season, ending his campaign with a head defeat to Dubai Mile (Ire) (Roaring Lion) in France, and can be backed at odds as big as 40-1 for next year's G1 Derby at Epsom.

 

Juddmonte's racing manager Barry Mahon said after the sale that parallels could be drawn between Arrest and his Swordlestown Little-consigned little brother.

Mahon said, “He's a half-brother to a good one. He [Arrest] was unlucky the last day to get beaten just a head in a Group 1 in France and the Abdullah family were particularly keen to buy him given how well the brother had done for them. I looked at him the other day and felt he was a very nice horse and that we'd be happy to have him. They gave me the confidence to kick on and buy him.”

Asked if there were similarities between the two, Mahon added, “They are both big strong-looking horses. This fella might be a little bit sharper than the brother but they are both good-sized, good-moving quality animals. It was an easy decision with how well the brother has done for us.”

 

The sale capped off a wonderful afternoon's work for Marriann Klay and Des Leadon of Swordlestown Little with their offerings by the sire as, not only did their homebred sell to Juddmonte for €340,000, but they also secured €280,000 for a Wootton Bassett filly (lot 565) from Tally-Ho Stud earlier in the day.

 

Des Leadon said, “Nisriyna (Ire) (Intikhab) is just fantastic. We're just so lucky to have her. She's a wonderful mare with a wonderful temperament and how exciting to sell a half-brother to what may be next year's Derby winner. It's not often you have horses like that and, in their own way, our two Wootton Bassetts in this environment as foals are as precious as the Alpinistas (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Baaeeds (GB).

“These are collectors items and they don't come along very often. We feel very lucky to have Marvada (Ire) (Elusive City) for our very good friend and client Alan O'Flynn and to have Nisriyna ourselves. To have the support of Juddmonte, who have been wonderful to work with, has been brilliant and Nisriyna goes to Kingman next year. We have a Dark Angel in utero and we are very happy to work with such professionals within the industry and, in our own small way, to enjoy everything that it brings to us. It's a very special day.”

Asked what led to the decision to support Wootton Bassett, Leadon said, “Because he was here and that he had done so well. We wanted to use better and better sires because the mare had shown us what she could do. The accessibility of Wootton Bassett was a big factor in our decision.”

Wootton Bassett broke the €1-million marker on the day. The sire of this year's impressive G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. winner Al Riffa (Fr) had six foals sold for an aggregate of €1,345,000 on Wednesday.

On how the Nisriyna story began, Leadon continued, “Mariann and I rode out for John Oxx for many years. That's where we first met the mare. We bought her here in Goffs [for €2,000 in 2010] and tried to develop her as a broodmare from there. We can't do it without the raw material and these Aga Khan families are wonderful. John Oxx was so good with them and it gave us an insight into the thinking of elite stud farms like that and to John's wonderful assessment of horses.”

 

Kingman Reigns Supreme

Kingman reigned supreme at Goffs on Wednesday. Not only did he supply the top lot and the Roundhill Stud-drafted colt who was knocked down to Juddmonte for €530,000 but he completed the clean sweep when The Castlebridge Consignment's filly (lot 688) by the stallion was snapped up by Japanese buyers for €460,000.

Shingo Hashimoto, who has made the trip to Goffs in the past, signed for that Kingman filly on behalf of Katsumi Yoshida.

He said, “She has been bought to race in Japan. Kingman has done well in Japan and has a runner [Schnell Meister (Ger)] in a Group 1 there this weekend. She looked good and the pedigree is very strong. She is lovely. She has been bought for Katsumi Yoshida.”

Honora and Bobby Donworth of Roundhill Stud know a thing or two about selling big ticket items and, in lot 606, the second-highest priced foal of the sale, the perfect suitor was found.

Honora Donworth explained, “I'm so pleased he is going to Juddmonte. For me, that was everything. Everything. He's going where he should be going. We wanted to give it every shot in the world and the mare has been bred to Frankel so fingers crossed. There has been a good horse every year and it goes back to his grandmother who we bought in America. It's the most wonderful family.”

There were just three foals sold at the November Foal Sale at Goffs by Kingman and they filled the top three slots at an aggregate of €1,540,000.

 

No Nay Never Colt Commands 300k

Off the back of a memorable season, No Nay Never had his fee for 2023 increased by Coolmore to €175,000 and progeny by the sire proved popular on the day at Goffs with a colt (lot 602) selling for €300,000 from Rockfield Farm to Rockbank B/S.

A first foal out of Piece Of Paradise (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), who carried owner-breeder Michael O'Flynn's red and yellow silks to victory at listed level, the No Nay Never colt delivered on the high expectations that everybody at Rockfield Farm had for him.

Mitch Barry, the racing and stud manager at Rockfield, said, “It's great and we've always liked the colt, he's been a cracker from day one. When we came up here everything just clicked with him and he came out of his box every day and did everything perfectly. We couldn't be happier. He's been busy but I was humming and hawing whether he'd get to €300,000 but I'm delighted he surpassed that.”

He added, “We're big fans of No Nay Never, he's had a phenomenal season. The mare is in foal to St Mark's Basilica (Fr) and she's a beautiful mare. It's been a great family for Michael and all the O'Flynns and this is a great day for the farm.”

No Nay Never has had an exceptional year with Blackbeard (Ire), introduced on the Coolmore roster at €25,000, Little Big Bear (Ire) and Meditate (Ire) winning Group 1 juvenile races.

Five colts were offered by him on Wednesday, selling for an aggregate of €674,000 and an average of €134,000.

The post Stauffenberg Secures Kingman With “Stallion’s Pedigree” For 550k At Goffs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Goffs Chief Henry Beeby: ‘This Is A Sale People Cannot Afford To Miss’

It was at the November Foal Sale at Goffs in 2015 when Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) shot the lights out at €1.1 million and the wheel will turn full circle this week with the Kildangan Stud-based sire represented by 14 foals in what promises to be another high-class edition. 

The sale takes place from Monday, November 14 at 10am to Thursday, November 17 and will be immediately followed by the two-day November Breeding Stock Sale. 

It was at that sale when Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) was sold for €6.6 million and Goffs chief Henry Beeby is looking forward to what he thinks will be another productive week.

He said, “The Goffs November Foal Sale is the preferred choice for the majority of the foals who come to the market in Ireland. We have the cream of the Irish foal crop and there are some very special pedigrees in there. It's a very big and exciting entry. 

“Anyone who is interested in buying a foal, be they pinhookers or end users, they will be here at Goffs. We're looking forward to it.”

Asked what he is most excited about at the foal sale, Beeby added, “There's a Kingman (GB) half-brother to Skitter Scatter, the Teofilo (Ire) half-sister to Dawn Approach (Ire), the Churchill (Ire) half-brother to Sonnyboyliston (Ire) and the own brother to Sea The Moon (Ger). 

“There's also a Sea The Stars (Ire) brother to Sea Of Class (Ire), a couple of Wootton Bassetts (GB) and a half-brother to Arrest (Ire). You could go on and on. There are so many commercial sires in there and this is a very successful sale for pinhookers. Everyone comes here with fresh order books as this is the first major foal sale and we have something for everybody.

“The days are graded. Monday and Wednesday would be at the commercial end and Tuesday takes a step up. Thursday is when the real blue bloods will be sold.”

Along with Ghaiyyath, Arizona (Ire), Circus Maximus (Ire), Earthlight (Ire), Far Above (Ire), King Of Change (GB), Shaman (Ire) and Sottsass (Fr) are just a number of the stallions represented by their first crop of foals at the sale. But it's not just the first-season sires that Beeby is looking forward to. 

He said, “We have seen a fair few of the foals by first-season sires and are guided by the breeder. We will start looking at them in more detail alongside the buyers from Saturday onwards. It's from Saturday when the excitement really starts to build. 

“It's always fascinating to see the first crop of sires that you were familiar with on the racetrack. We've the last Galileo (Ire) foal being offered at public auction and the first-season sires. The great thing about the November Foal Sale is that it is all about potential.”

The major talking point from the Orby and Sportsman's Yearling Sales at Goffs last month was the presence of international buyers. While the foal sales are predominantly attended by a domestic market, Beeby is expecting international players to turn out in force.

He said, “One of our most famous lines is, 'Goffs is the gateway to the world for Irish breeders.' Of course, the biggest group of buyers at this sale will be the Irish pinhookers. The majority of the buyers don't have to travel very far and they certainly don't have to get on a plane. But we will have a lot of British-based pinhookers and we will have a fair few French, European, Scandinavian and American buyers as well. We have some Japanese buyers engaged and some will be bidding online. It will be another international gathering, that's for sure.”

Chicquita may be the poster girl of the November Breeding Stock Sale but top-class producers have gone through the ring at Goffs in recent seasons.

Beeby explained, “This sale has really punched above its weight. As per all of our marketing, the fact that we have had the dams of Saffron Beach (Ire), Blackbeard (Ire), Little Big Bear (Ire) and Alcohol Free (Ire) come out of this sale says a lot. Ghaiyyath and Alcohol Free were also sold here as well. We can go to people and say, 'look what you can get here.'

“We probably don't have another Chicquita this year but we have a really good bunch who will appeal to an international audience. If there are breeders looking to invest in broodmares, this is a sale they simply cannot afford to miss.”

The post Goffs Chief Henry Beeby: ‘This Is A Sale People Cannot Afford To Miss’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Aga Khan Draft Highlights Goffs Horses-In-Training Sale

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.”

The post Aga Khan Draft Highlights Goffs Horses-In-Training Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights