By Emma Berry
In 2012, 396 horses were sold at what was then known as the DBS Premier Sale, exactly the same number as changed hands at last year's rebranded Goffs UK Premier Sale. What has changed in the intervening years is that the figures for turnover, average and median have all improved significantly. From £10,645,000 five years ago, last year's aggregate shot up to £17,455,000, while the average rose from £26,881 to £44,078 and the median from £20,000 to £34,000.
Also within that time have come two G1 Darley July Cup-winning graduates–Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}), bought for £44,000 and £41,000 respectively–while Barney Roy (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}), Rajasinghe (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) and Different League (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}) provided the sale with a Royal Ascot Group-race treble in 2017. All things considered, confidence among the Goffs UK team, now headed by affable Australian Tony 'Tubba' Williams, should be sky high as it prepares to tackles its most important three days of the year.
The bloodstock crowd has ignored the traditional British August Bank Holiday and has been hard at work in Doncaster since Saturday. From 470 catalogued for the two-day Premier Sale, which starts today at 10am, 23 had been withdrawn at the time of writing.
Standing her ground is lot 355, a filly from the first crop of Shadwell's Mukhadram (GB) offered by Baroda & Colbinstown Studs. Her recent updates have come from half-brother Beckford (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}), who added a runner-up finish in the G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. to his victory in the G2 Railway S., while Poet's Word (GB) (Poet's Voice {GB}), a half-brother to the filly's dam Whirly Dancer (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), won the G3 Glorious S. at Goodwood.
Denis McDonnell of Parkway Farm sold his homebred treble Group 1 Olympic Glory (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) at Doncaster for £65,000 back in 2011 and returns this year with two yearlings, including a filly by the perennially popular Kodiac (GB) (lot 383). The half-sister to four winners has plenty to recommend her beyond her racing days, too, as she is from a strong Aga Khan family which includes the top-class stayer Alandi (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and former champion 3-year-old Aliysa (GB) (Darshaan {GB}), a full-sister to the filly's grandam.
Meanwhile, Parkway Farm's most famous son, the Haras de Bouquetot-based Olympic Glory, has seven of his first-crop yearlings on offer this week. Among them is lot 246, a colt out of River Test (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}) who is offered by Coulonces sales and is eligible for French premiums. Though the mare was unraced, she hails from a talented Kinsclere Stud family and is a half-sister to 10 winners, seven of whom notched black type, headed by the Group 2 winner Passing Glance (GB) (Polar Falcon).
The story of former sale-topper Gale Force Ten (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) is recounted in The Weekly Wrap and his Invincible Spirit half-sister (lot 250) is included on behalf of her breeder Stowell Hill Stud among a strong draft from Paul and Sara Thorman's Trickledown Stud, which last year consigned both the aforementioned Royal Ascot juvenile winners, Rajasinghe and Different League, while other previous graduates include the dual Guineas winner Cockney Rebel (Ire) (Val Royal {Fr}). Another of the filly's half-brothers, Eynhallow (GB) (Nathaniel {GB}), has won twice this year for Roger Charlton and is rated 92. Like Olympic Glory, Gale Force Ten is among a sizeable batch of first-season sires with yearlings on sale this year and has seven catalogued this week.
With the exploits of Society Rock (Ire)'s progeny having boosted him to the head of the first-season sires' table in Europe, members of the late stallion's second crop are destined to sell at a premium and there are seven up for grabs this week. Tally-Ho Stud, which stood Society Rock and bred his first Group 1 winner Unfortunately (Ire), offers three of the septet, including lot 312, a colt out of the unraced Whipper mare Suffer Her (Ire) who has produced four winners from her first five foals.
Another freshman riding high is Darley's Farhh (GB), who recorded his first Group winner at York last week courtesy of Wells Farhh Go (GB). The son of Pivotal (GB) has had relatively small crops to date and only one yearling has made his way into the Goffs UK sale. Lot 130, from Lynn Lodge Stud, will be well worth a look as not only is he French-bred and thus eligible for valuable owners' premiums, but he is the first foal of treble winner Little Shambles (GB), a daughter of Shamardal whose profile as a broodmare sire is rising steadily.
On the subject of premiums, it's worth remembering that Sheikh Fahad Al Thani developed a lucrative scheme along the lines of the French system upon the retirement to stud of his beloved multiple Group 1 winner Dunaden, who was himself bred in France. The Overbury Stud resident has just two first-crop yearlings catalogued this week–lot 176 in the Premier Sale from Tinnakill House and lot 511 from Catridge Farm Stud in Thursday's Silver Sale. Both are eligible to earn a 64% bonus of any prize-money they earn on the racecourse at two and three.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
