By Daithi Harvey
Eamonn Reilly of BBA Ireland was responsible for the top lot at the 2016 Goresbridge Breeze Up Sale and the agent was again active at the top of the market during Friday's renewal when giving €210,000 for a son of Bated Breath (GB). Last year's sale posted the best figures since its inception and despite a slightly reduced catalogue this year the aggregate rose to €6,102,500 with the average of €34,477 (+19.3%) also eclipsing the 2016 figure of €28,904 while the median similarly rose 31.3% to €21,000. The 2016 clearance rate of 79% was also comfortably surpassed as 177 of the 209 offered juveniles changed hands for a healthy 86% clearance rate. Another good barometer of the sale was the number of lots making €100,000 or more. There were nine such lots in 2016 but this figure rose to 13 yesterday.
At the close of business Goresbridge managing director Martin Donohoe was perfectly satisfied with proceedings and commented, “Last year was a hard act to follow so I'm delighted with how today went. It seemed a little quiet this morning but it soon picked up and trade looked good and solid all day. To sell 13 horses for over €100,000 was significant and I would think the majority of vendors are happy enough.”
The sale topper, offered by the Flannery family's Egmont Stud as lot 69, is a half-brother to two winners.
Despite Richard Brown making a serious effort to secure the April-born bay, Reilly countered each of Brown's bids and at the drop of the hammer he revealed, “I bought him for the American based E Five Racing Thoroughbreds. He is the first horse they have bought to be trained in Ireland and he is going to Jessica Harrington.” E Five Racing enjoyed success at the highest level when New Money Honey (Medaglia d'Oro) won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita last November.
For pinhooker Mark Flannery it was a dream result, having picked up the colt for only 5,000gns at Tattersalls October Book 2. “I think the sale last year probably came at the wrong time for him, he was just a bit weak but I liked him and thought I'd take a chance on him,” he said. “He has just improved ever since and is a lovely, well-balanced horse,”
Egmont Stud also consigned one of only two lots by Oasis Dream (GB) in the sale and lot 89 also drew the attention of Eamonn Reilly who landed the well-bred filly for €105,000. Reilly purchased her on behalf of Maurice Regan's Newtown Anner Stud as a potential broodmare, though not before she embarks on a racing career in France. Later in the evening Reilly added lot 119 to his haul. The Lexington Stables offered filly by Red Jazz (Ire) fetched €115,000, her value no doubt bolstered by the recent debut win of her half-sister Mollie The Moo (Ire) (Requinto {Ire}).
Trade took a while to warm up on Friday but when lot 23, an attractive bay colt by Kyllachy (GB) entered the ring, the sale moved up a gear. Offered by Mick Murphy and Sarah O'Connell's Longways Stables, the colt eventually came the way of Adam Driver's Global Equine for €90,000 after a protracted bidding duel with Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock. Driver bought two of the higher priced lots last year, both which have subsequently won.
Foley Adds To Clipper String…
Just two lots later local stallion master Joe Foley struck for a Dark Angel (Ire) filly (lot 25) from Baroda And Colbinstown. Foley stretched to €130,000 for the filly out of Tan Tan (GB) (King's Best) who is from the family of Dream Ahead (Diktat).
“She is for Steve Parkin of Clipper Logistics,” he said. “She did a very fast breeze and is a nice filly. She will go to Michael Bell who also has Main Desire for Steve so hopefully this one will be a good addition to the string.”
Agent Stephen Hillen and trainer Kevin Ryan form a potent buying team and they joined forces to acquire lot 31. The colt by Sepoy (Aus) was consigned by Johnny Cullinane's Horse Park Stud having been bought as a yearling by Roger Marley's Church Farm for €30,000 at Tattersalls Ireland last September. It took Hillen's bid of €140,000 to see off trainer Michael O'Callaghan to secure the colt who hails from the family of Iffraaj (GB).
“He clocked a good time, he vetted clean and from a physical point of view he matches what we are looking for. Roger also recommended him so we are happy to get him,” Hillen said.
McCartan's Dream Season Continues…
It has been a season of remarkable pinhooks for Jim McCartan, and his Gaybrook Lodge Stud again hit a homerun when selling a filly by Tagula (Ire) (lot 39) for €100,000. Goresbridge regular David Redvers signed for the filly on behalf of Qatar Racing and when the hammer fell it represented a massive return on the €3,500 she cost McCartan at the Sportsman's Sale at Goffs last autumn.
“That was magic,” said the vendor. “She is a lovely, scopey filly with a great temperament. She never turned a hair throughout her prep and obviously I'm delighted.”
The Stroud Coleman partnership also made their presence felt, acquiring a pair of high-profile lots. Anthony Stroud was seated with Simon Crisford when his bid of €110,000 was enough to secure Grove Stud's Kyllachy (GB) filly, lot 62. Brendan Holland's farm regularly features among the leading vendors at breeze-up sales and this transaction represented another good return on her £42,000 outlay at Goffs UK last year. Crisford will train the filly and Stroud commented, “She is a good filly, from a nice family and from a very good consignor.”
Stroud had earlier picked up lot 34, a filly by Sea The Stars (Ire) who he revealed was for an Indian client, though the €95,000 purchase would remain in Ireland or England to be trained.
Grove Stud achieved another six figure sale when their Elusive Quality colt, lot 92, sold for €120,000. Marco Bozzi, one of a number of Italians participating at the sale, signed the docket and he said, “This is a quality colt, he will be pre-trained in Ireland but no decision has been made on where he will go into full training as the owner keeps horses in England, France and America.”
Colts Destined For Far East…
A colt by Lonhro (Aus) consigned by Kilminfoyle House Stud as lot 113 is destined for Asia after selling via the online platform for €100,000 to Macau based owner Tang Hing Keung. The sale was beamed live into the owners' lounges at both Kranji in Singapore and Taipa in Macau and the initiative certainly paid off with Singapore trainer Stanley Chin purchasing lot 146, a colt by Dandy Man (Ire), for €42,000.
Brown Rewarded For Patience…
After being underbidder on a few of the earlier high-priced lots, Blandford Bloodstock's Richard Brown came out on top for lot 140, a colt by Society Rock (Ire) from Tally-Ho Stud. John and Sean Quinn and Matt Coleman both made early plays for the half-brother to multiple Italian stakes winner Evil Spell (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), but it was trainer Michael O'Callaghan who pushed Brown all the way until Brown's bid of €160,000 sealed the deal. “I saw him at Tally-Ho last week and loved him,” said the agent. “He is a really nice, scopey horse and Roger also recommended him highly. Blandford have had great luck buying from Tally-Ho in the past and it's one of our favorite sources of horses. He'll go to Newmarket but I don't know who will be training him yet.”
Brown again got the better of O'Callaghan when landing a son of Bated Breath for €150,000. Lot 188 was well prepared by Willie Browne's Mocklershill and was a €1,000 vendor buy-back at Tattersalls Ireland last September before being bought by Federico Barberini for €6,000 at Goffs in February. Despite being underbidder on a number of occasions Michael O'Callaghan did not go home empty handed. Among his purchases was lot 73, a colt by George Vancouver that cost the trainer €70,000.
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