The single-session Goffs Sportsman's Sale wrapped up three days of yearling sales at Goffs on Thursday and while trade lacked the fireworks of its Orby predecessor, business was still brisk with the day posting an impressive 85% clearance with 232 sold of 274 offered. This coupled with both an increase in aggregate and average to €4,834,500 and €20,838 (+7), respectively and a rise in the median to €16,000 (+7), left Goffs CEO Henry Beeby very satisfied with proceedings.
“The Irish Donny” is how we have styled today's sale in recent times as the Sportsman's Sale encapsulates the ethos that evolved in Doncaster over so many years with a focus on the attractive, early type,” said Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby. “Such a billing has been well backed up this year with a string of good 2-year-old winners from last year's sale resulting in a huge application for places despite the catalogue reverting to its most successful one-day format.”
He said, “It is always hard for the electric atmosphere in evidence throughout Orby to be replicated, but we have enjoyed strong competition throughout today leading to another good clearance rate, advances in average and median and the highest price for 10 years at €130,000. As a result, we will continue to work with breeders and consignors to develop Sportsman's as the natural alternative to Orby for the strong commercial type especially given the strong international interest that has been so evident throughout the day with buyers from so many countries competing with a large number of UK trainers.”
Ballylinch Stud enjoyed a fine opening day at the Orby when selling their Galileo (Ire) filly for €1.2m and it was a son of one their stallions, Lope De Vega (Ire), who topped trade on Thursday when selling to Roger Marley's Church Farm for €130,000.
Lot 562 was offered by Denis Brosnan's Croom House Stud out of the stakes-placed mare Pussycat Lips (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}). The dam's first foal and runner, Special Purpose (Ire) (Scat Daddy), is a dual winning juvenile this year and added a valuable update to the pedigree since the catalogue went to print when finishing third in the G3 Dick Poole Fillies' S. at Salisbury earlier this month. An even more significant update could be in the offing after the Qatar Racing-owned filly takes her chance in the G1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket on Saturday.
It was another stallion who began his career at Ballylinch that supplied the second highest price when lot 611, a filly by Dream Ahead, came the way of BBA Ireland for €85,000. The Mount Eaton Stud-offered filly has one of those pedigrees where there is only room for one generation on the catalogue page, such are the exploits of the progeny of the yearling's dam Tanzania (Ire) (Alzao). Mick Donohoe signed the docket continuing his productive week at Goffs.
Donohoe had earlier added lot 527 to his haul. The Camas Park Stud-offered filly was continuing the good impression made at yearling sales so far this year by Coolmore stallion Australia (GB). Breeze-up specialist Johnny Hassett also struck for one of the top-priced yearlings when he secured lot 719 for €75,000. The colt, by Pivotal (GB), was consigned by Lumville Farm out of the Kingmambo mare Ebtisama.
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