Selectivity was the watchword for the Goffs London Sale, which returned after an absence in 2020 and was held online for the first time. While Royal Ascot will be able to welcome 12,000 racegoers daily this year, the week will have nothing like the normal buzz about it, with most international travellers prevented from attending.
It is impossible to reproduce virtually the garden party atmosphere of the London Sale which, over the previous six years at Kensington Palace, has provided an enjoyable warm up to the most sociable week of racing in the calendar. The sale's unique selling point has always been the inclusion of horses entered to race during the Royal Meeting.
Just three of the 11 lots were sold this year, but there was still an international feel to proceedings with the buyers hailing from Australia, France and Britain.
It was a dual-purpose prospect, the 3-year-old Zinc White (Ire) (Vadamos {Fr}), who brought the top price of £310,000 and he will now be listed as trained by Oliver Greenall for his engagement in Wednesday's G2 Queen's Vase, having been bought by the trainer with Dan Astbury. A son of the G1 Pretty Polly S. winner Chinese White (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}), he has made five starts for The Lucra Partnership and Ralph Beckett, with his two victorious outings this year marking him out as a highly progressive individual. Sold as lot 5, Zinc White's most recent win at Sandown on May 20 saw him pass the post seven and a half lengths in front of the runner-up, earning him a mark of 87.
The previous lot (4) was the juvenile colt Tipperary Sunset (GB) (Ardad {Ire}), the winner of both his starts for John Quinn who is also declared to run on Wednesday in the Listed Windsor Castle S. The colt is the first foal of the Dark Angel (Ire) mare Cherubic (GB) and was bought by Nicolas de Watrigant of Mandore International Agency on behalf of Alain Jathiere for £200,000. The trainer's son Sean had previously bought him as a yearling for £17,000.
The only other horse to sell was lot 3, the 88-rated Military Mission (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}). The 3-year-old will eventually leave Hugo Palmer's stable to join his old boss, Gai Waterhouse, in Australia having been bought for £170,000 by Johnny McKeever on behalf of Waterhouse and her co-trainer Adrian Bott.
“He may well run on Thursday, Gai and Adrian will decide tomorrow,” said McKeever of the gelding who is entered in both the King George V S. and Saturday's Ascot Golden Gate S. “He will then head down to Australia and be given a chance to settle in and we'll see how he gets on.”
Reflecting on the 2021 London Sale, Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby said, “The London sale has always been a sale like no other and this year circumstances forced us to make it a virtual sale like no other. Like every auction house we have embraced online sales, but we hope that this year's virtual Goffs London Sale which was conducted in the form of a live broadcast from Kildare Paddocks and London broke new ground with its unique approach.”
He continued, “We've always said that we judge this sale by different metrics and so whilst selling three of the 11 lots offered would normally be a disappointment, the London Sale offers an opportunity for owners to cash in before Ascot or run at the Royal Meeting and we wish existing and new connections every success over the next five days. That said, we sold horses to Australia, France and Britain to demonstrate the global appeal of our London Sale.
“Of course next year we hope and pray to be back in the beautiful setting of Kensington Palace Gardens sipping Chateau Léoube and rubbing shoulders with the who's who of international thoroughbred racing”.
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