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Robust Start To Bumper Goffs February Sale

KILDARE, Ireland–A dreich day may have tried its hardest to dampen the spirits, but there was an altogether warmer feel to proceedings in the ring as the sales season sparked into action in Ireland with a bumper mixed catalogue at Goffs.

Extended to three days, with around 600 horses slated to sell, it is tricky to make direct comparisons with smaller and Covid-interrupted sales of previous years, but a healthy median of €10,000, average of €20,235, and turnover of €2,124,700 from 105 horses sold (64%) should be regarded as a decent start to a sale which cleared a little over €4 million in two days just before the pandemic struck two years ago.

Roughly half the horses catalogued for the February Sale have just become yearlings, and a full session of the class of 2021 will be offered on Wednesday, but of those taking their turn during the opening day, it was an AQPS 4-year-old hurdler who topped the list at €150,000.

The Irish-based racing syndicate All About Sunday is making a first foray into the UK and will be represented by the wild card 27B, a Great Pretender (Ire) gelding named Invincible Power (Fr).

“He will be trained by Donald McCain and will be our first horse in training in England,” said All About Sunday founder Darren McGrath. “He seems to have a great temperament, he's a really relaxed horse, with size and scope. His form in France is pretty good and everyone is chasing the French horses.”

Following two placed starts in the French provinces, the Pascal Noue-bred relation to Grade 1-winning hurdler Cilaos Emery (Fr) (Califet {Fr}) was consigned to Goffs by Derryluskin Stud and will now head to Cheshire to join the in-form McCain stable, which was the first to reach the 100-winner mark this jumps season.

A 2-year-old son of Teofilo (Ire) (lot 99) from Shadwell's Derrinstown Stud draft headed the Flat-bred offerings, and the grandson of the dual Grade I winner Fleet Indian (Indian Charlie) will be heading to Jim Bolger's Coolcullen stable after being knocked down to his grand-daughter Clare Manning's Boherguy Stud for €135,000. As the breeder and trainer of Teofilo, Bolger is of course no stranger to the stallion, and he has bred and/or trained six of Teofilo's 22 Group 1 winners. His latest acquisition, out of the dual winner Fleeting Smile (Distorted Humour), has plenty of well-credentialed relations, including American champion 2-year-old Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) and his fellow Grade I winner Flagstaff (Speightstown), both of whom are out of a half-sister to Fleeting Smile.

A Shadwell-bred Teofilo 2-year-old was on the shopping list of Patrick Prendergast, who went to €80,000 for lot 52, a daughter of the Group 3 and Listed-placed Reyaadah (GB) (Tamayuz {GB}) who is already a stakes producer via her Listed-placed daughter Tamreer (GB) (New Approach {GB}).

As the yearlings took to the ring, it was a member of the first crop of Ballylinch Stud's Waldgeist (GB) (lot 160) who commanded the highest price, with the son of the dual Listed winner Modeeroch (Ire) (Mozart) fetching €85,000 when sold to Ronald Rauscher. The agent confirmed that the Ballylinch-bred youngster, from the family of champion 2-year-old Belardo (Ire), had been bought to race for a German owner.

Weanlings by the Arc winner fared well at the Goffs November Sale, with nine sold for an average a little in excess of €54,000. Another two sold on Tuesday, the second (lot 122) being a half-brother to Group 3 winners Burnt Sugar (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Brown Sugar (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), who was bought for €50,000 by David Cox of Baroda Stud.

Saudi Arabia's Najd Stud has made quite an impact when buying horses with form but it got in on the action a little earlier with the purchase of lot 186, a yearling colt by Dark Angel (Ire) from the G3 Prix d'Aumale-placed Pleasemetoo (Ire) (Vale Of York {Ire}), for €82,000. This time around Boherguy Stud was on the other side of the transaction as consignor on behalf of Godolphin.

Ross Doyle conducted the bidding in the company of Najd Stud's Saud Al Qahtani and said after signing for the colt out of the half-sister to Group 3 winners Siyoushake (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Skyward (Fr) (Camelot {GB}), “He'll continue to be raised in Ireland and will probably go into training here. He's been bought to race and he's a good strong colt by a stallion who does it everywhere and from a very good family.”

The team from Tally-Ho Stud stepped in to buy the half-brother to G1 Matron S. winner Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) by their promising young stallion Cotai Glory (GB) for €70,000. Lot 118, was consigned by Railstown Stud on behalf of breeder Archway Stud and is out of La Cuvee (GB) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}), who returned to Elzaam in 2021.

The sale gets underway an hour earlier on Wednesday at 10am.

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Goffs Back In The Swing As Irish Sales Year Begins

With the Irish sales having suffered more upheaval than those in Britain over the last two years, Goffs will be relieved to be starting 2022 in more regular fashion by hosting its three-day mixed February Sale live at Kildare Paddocks.

Last year's event was held in two stages online in February and March, but in easier conditions the sale this week gets underway with a group of horses in training, before progressing to 2-year-olds, short yearlings and then breeding stock, with fractionally over half the 599-lot catalogue consisting of yearlings.

Shadwell played a dominant role in proceedings at Tattersalls last week, and the reduction of its numbers continues at Goffs, with young stock consigned by Derrinstown Stud and Baroda Stud. These include lot 200, a Tamayuz (GB) grandson of the 1000 Guineas winner Natagora (Fr) (Divine Light {Jpn}) foaled last May by the Classic winner's Listed-placed daughter Raaqy (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).

A first-day highlight may be provided by lot 118, Railstown Stud's colt by last season's leading first-crop sire Cotai Glory (GB) who is a half-brother to the G1 Matron S. Winner Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}).

The first foals of Waldgeist (GB) proved popular at last year's Goffs November Sale, and another member of the stallion's same crop is consigned by his home stud, Ballylinch, as lot 160. The April-born colt is out of the dual Listed winner and Group 2-placed Modeeroch (Ire) (Mozart) and hails from the family of champion juvenile and sire Belardo (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}).

The following day Baroda Stud offers the only yearling by Le Havre (Ire) in the catalogue as lot 372. The colt is out of the stakes-winning and Grade III-placed Endless Light (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), whose close family includes the dual Grade I winner Megahertz (GB) and G3 Dahlia S. winner Heaven Sent (GB), both of whom are by Pivotal.

Godolphin also played a leading role at the Tattersalls February Sale, and one of the highlights from a smaller draft from the operation at Goffs could be the G1 Fillies' Mile winner White Mooonstone (Dynaformer). Consigned as lot 564, the 14-year-old mare is in foal to young Darley stallion Blue Point (Ire) on a June 8 cover.

In launching the February catalogue, Goffs Group chief executive Henry Beeby said, “We are delighted to kick off 2022 at Kildare Paddocks with a February catalogue of real depth and diversity.”

That diversity includes a number of yearlings by stallions standing under the National Hunt banner, including Walk In The Park (Ire), whose 5-year-old son Facile Vega (Ire), out of the outstanding hurdler Quevega (Fr), was one of the most dazzling performers of the Dublin Racing Festival over the weekend in the Goffs-sponsored Future Stars Bumper. Walk In the Park's three weanlings in the sale include a filly (lot 187) from the family of the great two-mile chaser Moscow Flyer (Ire).

A pair of breeding rights, to go with the stallion breeding rights in Time Test (GB), Territories (Ire), and Cotai Glory (GB) already announced, were added to the sale on Monday. Profitable (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who was a winner of the G1 King's Stand S. and already has three black-type winners from his first crop, has a breeding right listed as lot 3. His Quick Suzy (Ire) won the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot.

The other late addition is a breeding right in fellow Kildangan Stud Stallion Belardo (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) (lot 4). Already the sire of five stakes winners, including dual group winner Isabella Giles (Ire), G3 Park S. hero Elysium (Ire) and G3 Prix Miesque heroine Lullaby Moon (GB), the European Champion 2-Year-Old Colt has also been represented by the dual Group 2-placed Fonzalette (NZ) in New Zealand.

The sale begins on Tuesday at 11am, with an earlier start time of 10am on Wednesday and Thursday. It is followed immediately by an online sale of breeding rights, which opens at 6 p.m. on Thursday and closes at noon the following day.

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Saudi-Bound Wuqood Leads Strong Final Day At Tattersalls

NEWMARKET, UK–There is a sustained drive by the British racing authorities towards greater inclusivity, and within the relatively small world of people who are keen to buy a racehorse or broodmare, there was certainly an inclusive feel to the proceedings at Tattersalls over the last two days.

Admittedly we tend to focus on the more expensive lots in sales reports. After all, in theory these should be the horses, or indeed their offspring, who are making the headlines in the future. But we all know that theories don't always become reality, and that sometimes an inexpensively bought individual can thrust itself right into the spotlight on racing's world stage. Think, for example, of the hardy Oscula (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}), a 4,000gns Book 4 yearling, thundering to glory at Epsom and Deauville last year, while racing with huge credit and giving her owners marvellous days out at Royal Ascot, the July meeting and on Arc day.

So for those of more modest means there were plenty of horses on whom to pin dreams while not breaking the bank, with at least 20 sold for the minimum bid. There were of course many at the other end of the scale, pushing the sale to a new record median of 10,000gns (+67%), and the second-highest turnover and average for February. The aggregate, incidentally, was also beyond that set for last year's February Sale combined with the later March sale, which was specially arranged for those vendors with horses withdrawn from February when Tattersalls was forced to hold it online during lockdown. A direct comparison to last year's February Sale for turnover is thus difficult, as 328 horses were sold this time, compared to 219 in 2021, bringing a tally of 5,849,100gns. The strength of trade was however indicated by a strong clearance rate of 85%, the aforementioned record median, and the average of 17,833gns, which was up by 52%.

“It is good to have made a positive start to 2022,” said Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony at the sale's end. “Last year's Tattersalls February Sale was conducted under particularly trying circumstances so significant increases in all the key indicators were to be expected, but nevertheless for this year's February Sale to produce a record median, turnover and average bettered only once, and a clearance rate of 85% is a clear indication of a robust market.”

He added, “The quality consignments from Godolphin and Shadwell Estates have again drawn widespread international participation and it is a tribute to the enduring appeal of stock from these two outstanding operations that all of the top ten highest prices at the sale were owned or bred by either Shadwell or Godolphin.

“The obvious highlight of the past two days was the 175,000gns Shadwell-bred Night Of Thunder yearling out of Elshaadin who was the second-highest-priced yearling ever sold at the February Sale, but as is so often the case at Tattersalls sales of this nature, the remarkable diversity of the buyers has been the outstanding feature. Buyers from throughout Europe, the Gulf region and further afield have all made a significant contribution, either in person or bidding online, and the domestic demand has also been a source of encouragement for the wider industry as we look forward to a year of trading hopefully largely unencumbered by the challenges which we have all endured over the past two years.”

Spotlight On Saudi

While the Dubai Carnival continues apace, the international focus will temporarily turn to Riyadh towards the end of February when the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia hosts the third running of the world's richest horse race, the $20 million Saudi Cup meeting.

Clearly demand for bloodstock from Europe remains strong from those based farther afield, with the now-regular fairly large exodus to the Middle East continues to be a strong feature of this and other auctions. For the second day running, a Shadwell-bred horse topped the session when the lightly-raced 4-year-old Wuqood (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) fetched a bid of 170,000gns from Saud Al Qahtani. The buyer was representing Saudi Arabia's Najd Stud, which also made some high-profile purchases during last autumn's Horses-in-Training Sale.

“This horse has a little issue about his wind and other things but we think he might improve on the dirt, especially after castration,” said Al Qahtani. “He will be trained by Abdullah Mishref.”

Wuqood, a son of the G2 Blandford S. winner Tarfasha (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), was previously in training in Ireland with Dermot Weld, for whom he won on debut at two and went on to finish runner-up in the G3 Eyrefield S.

Najd Stud also bought lot 415, the 88-rated Caravaggio 3-year-old Velazquez (Ire), for 67,000gns from the Castlebridge Consignment, which offered him on behalf of owner/breeder Sir Robert Ogden.

Also on the way to Riyadh is the former Marco Botti-trained Habit Rouge (GB) (Helmet {Aus}), who was sold as lot 425 for 78,000gns to Andre Pereira.

“He should act on the dirt and he gets a mile to a 1m2f,” said Pereira. “He was really the one we came for. He's a lovely horse.”

Bought for €20,000 as a yearling by Ambrosiana Razza, Habit Rouge won four times for Botti on the all-weather, reaching a rating of 95 last season.

Super Ted Is Super Busy

Ted Durcan was one of the busiest agents in action at the sale, and the former champion jockey in Dubai doubtless formed plenty of good contacts during his long and successful riding career. He bought five horses under his own name at Tattersalls to make him the third-leading buyer behind Blandford Bloodstock and Najd Stud, and Durcan was also in action on behalf of a Saudi Arabian client, Ahmad Al Abdullatif.

The agent signed for two of the day's leading lots, both from the Godolphin draft, with 3-year-old Perseus Way (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) bought for 80,000gns and Age Of Sail (GB) (Frankel {GB}) for 60,000gns.

Durcan said of the former (lot 342), who has been bought for a syndicate and is out of a Kingmambo half-sister to group winners Master Of The Seas (Ire) and falls Of Lora (Ire), “He is a fine, big, scopey horse–a horse with a future. He'll strengthen up and he vetted out extremely well. He's going to remain here in England but I don't know yet who will train him.”

The similarly well-bred 3-year-old Age Of Sail (lot 343), a grandson of Oaks winner Snow Bride out of a Pivotal (GB) half-sister to Lammtarra, will also remain in the UK to continue his career.

Durcan added, “There's definitely demand for older horses that are still good to race at all levels. I do a bit of work for Saudi and for anywhere else I'm able to, and when a nice horse pops up there's definitely plenty of interest in him or her.”

Sydney To California

Irishman Conall Meegan, who was working in tandem with American-based agent Shawn Dugan, had his eye on just one horse, Sydney Street (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), and waited until close to the end of the sale for lot 417, who ended up as another of the day's leading lights at 85,000gns. The 3-year-old gelding, who has won his last two starts for Hugo Palmer and the Chelsea Thoroughbreds to earn a rating of 87, will now continue his career in the U. S.

“He's for Shawn Dugan and he's going to go to California,” Meegan said. “He looks ready-made for the U.S.–he has a great demeanour, plenty of size and is clean-limbed. He was my pick of the sale, and Shawn's too. Both the public and private markets are so competitive at the moment, and he was the one I came to the U.K. for.”

Social Contact (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), who broke her maiden three weeks ago for Clipper Logistics and Roger Varian, will return to her breeder Longview Stud after being bought for 65,000gns.

“We bred and sold her as a yearling for 44,000gns but as she has now won a race, the boss was keen to buy her back,” said Jim Scallan, who manages Longview Stud for Eugene Daly. He confirmed that the 76-rated 3-year-old daughter of Operettist (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) (lot 331) would remain in training for the coming season.

“She should be a nice broodmare for the future and we wanted a filly out of the mare. She has had three [winners] out of three now and we have a nice filly by Postponed (Ire) out of her in the field. We also have a nice 2-year-old in training with William Haggas, who is also by Night Of Thunder (Ire).”

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Shadwell, Godolphin Drafts Dominate Tattersalls Opener

NEWMARKET, UK–There was a true blue feel to the first day of the Tattersalls February Sale, with the partial dispersal of Shadwell stock and a sizeable draft from Godolphin dominating the leader board and accounting for all five of the six-figure lots to have changed hands during a strong opening session.

Barring 2018, when several members of the Ballymacoll Stud dispersal set new record prices for February, the average of 18,311gns was the highest seen at this sale, and was not far from double the figure set 12 months ago. The day's clearance rate was up 15 points at 82% for 170 sold from 208 offered, bringing a first-day aggregate of 3,112,800gns (+168%). With the sale staged under normal conditions this time, compared to the virtual auction of 2021, the median also improved by 57% to 9,000gns.

Over the next few weeks pinhookers have their final chances to add to their autumn yearling drafts, and one we are likely to see back at Park Paddocks come October was the session's top lot, a colt by Night Of Thunder (Ire) from the dynasty of the top-class producer Magnificient Style (Silver Hawk). Already a half-brother to listed winner Moqtarreb (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and Group 3-placed Khaloosy (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), the yearling also has a 2-year-old half-sister by Shamardal set to race.

The Shadwell colt sparked plenty of interest from potential buyers, but it was the trio of Anthony Stroud, Eugene Daly and James Hanly who had the most staying power, finally securing lot 111 for 175,000gns.

“Night Of Thunder has done really well and the dam has already produced two stakes horses,” Stroud said. “He's got a really good back pedigree and he'll be back here for resale.”

Out of the Dalakhani (Ire) mare Elshaadin (GB), a grand-daughter of Magnificient Style, the colt's relations include the Group 1-winning full-siblings Nathaniel (Ire) and Great Heavens (Ire), both by Galileo (Ire), and their three-parts-brother, the G2 Yorkshire Cup winner Percussionist (Ire) (Sadler's Wells).

Smart Mare For Ardad

The 7-year-old mare Anasheed (GB) (Frankel {GB}), sold for 130,000gns to Richard Brown, was offered barren but already has youngsters on the ground by Siyouni (Fr) and Sea The Stars (Ire) and will likely be covered next by Ardad (Ire). A half-sister to the listed winner Hadaatha (Ire), Anasheed (lot 55) won once in three starts for Owen Burrows.

“She only ran three times but was rated 93 so it's probably fair to say that she was of stakes calibre,” Brown said. “Her first two foals are nice. The Siyouni colt is now with Owen Burrows and the Sea The Stars filly is rated highly. She has a lovely page and a lot going for her.”

Among those from the Shadwell offerings who will be racing on for new connections is Mashaaer (GB), a 3-year-old daughter of Muhaarar (GB) who posted an eye-catching performance on her sole start for Richard Hannon last season when finishing runner-up at Ascot over a mile. Sold as lot 60 for 105,000gns, she won't have far to go on leaving Tattersalls as she will join the Newmarket stable of Henry Spiller for owner Jonathan Sarkar, who plans to breed from Mashaaer in the future.

Acting for Sarkar, agent Jamie Lloyd said, “Jonathan has three mares with us on the farm and horses in training with Henry.”

He continued, “The form of her first race, you don't make private offers on Shadwell horses, but if you had done, you would have been offering in the region of £250,000. We just felt she is a filly that down the road, even at this price, she could look cheap. Jonathan is looking for something a bit better and a bit nicer to add to his string.”

With farther to travel is lot 70, a 2-year-old filly by Exceed And Excel (Aus) who will be heading to Dubai to join the stable of Satish Seemar. Tattersalls' marketing manager Jason Singh conducted the bidding on the trainer's behalf, going to 105,000gns for the first foal of the winning Dubawi (Ire) mare Nawassi (GB).

“Satish is looking for recruits for the next season in the Middle East,” said Singh. “He went through the catalogue himself, put a short list together and got the horses vetted here. She was his pick of the 2-year-olds.”

Memories In the Making

The unraced Sea The Stars (Ire) filly Good Memories (lot 257) topped those sold from the Godolphin draft when knocked down at 100,000gns to Sam Sangster. A daughter of the treble stakes winner Khor Sheed (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), the 4-year-old is from an active family which includes last season's Listed Godolphin S winner, her half-brother Without A Fight (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), while her half-sister Sharja Princess (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) is the dam of stakes winner Avenue De France (Fr) (Cityscape {GB}). Khor Sheed is herself a half-sister to G1 Prix d'Ispahan winner Prince Kirk (Fr) (Selkirk).

“She's been bought for a small breeder and she will go to Tom Blain at Barton Stud,” said Sangster. “She'll possibly go to Pinatubo this year. There are some nice options for her and I think she could be good value.”

With plenty of young stallions on their books, the team from Tally-Ho Stud was busily recruiting new mares for the farm. The group included lot 152, Iconic Look (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), who is out of a Dubawi half-sister to Derby winner Masar (Ire), bought for 60,000gns, and lot 44, Duchess Rose (Ire) (Dream Ahead), for 52,000gns. The latter, who has just turned four, looks particularly well bought as her page was given a major boost last season by her Group 2-winning half-brother Bayside Boy (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), who landed the Champagne S. for Roger Varian and was then third in both the G1 Dewhurst S. and G1 Futurity Trophy. Duchess Rose is also a half-sister to the G2 Huxley S. winner Forest Ranger (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) and she has first-season sire Starman (GB) pencilled in for her initial mating.

Forenaghts At The Double

Caoimhe Doherty made a quick double signing for a pair of well-related mares from the Godolphin draft to add to the team at Tony Smurfit's Forenaghts Stud, where she has been manager for the past year.

The 6-year-old Moment Of Silence (Ire) (Slade Power {Ire}), in foal for the first time to Too Darn Hot (GB), was the first to be added to the fold at 95,000gns. With an official rating of 92 from her win and two placings as a 3-year-old, the mare (lot 169) is a grand-daughter of the Irish 1000 Guineas winner Nightime (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), with her stakes-placed dam Sleeping Beauty (Ire) being an Oasis Dream (GB) half-sister to 2020 Horse of the Year Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).

Following her into the ring was lot 171, Luceita (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}), with an equally appealing cover by Invincible Spirit (Ire), who was bought for 90,000gns. The 7-year-old is a half-sister to G2 Rockfel S. winner and Irish 1000 Guineas runner-up Lucida (Ire) (Shamardal). Their dam Lura (Street Cry {Ire}) is a half-sister to the multiple Grade I winner and sire English Channel (Smart Strike).

“She's a sister to a very good filly,” Doherty said of Luceita. “They were both good race fillies and they are in foal to good stallions. We tried really hard to buy decent race fillies and mares here in December and it's hard to get a filly rated in the 90s.”

Another from the Godolphin draft, Sacred Jewel (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), will be joining Julie Camacho's Yorkshire stable after the trainer went to 95,000gns for lot 164, a daughter of the G2 Temple S. winner Priceless (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}).

Camacho said, “She has residual value as daughter of Dubawi, but hopefully we can have a bit of fun with her first. We've watched all her races, and my husband spoke to Charlie Appleby who recommended her.”

The concluding session of the February Sale gets underway at 10 a.m. on Friday.

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