By Emma Berry
KILDARE, Ireland—Act one went pretty much to script on Tuesday and when the principal players at the Orby Sale were recalled for Wednesday's second act, the stage was set for yet another repeat performance from last year, with lot 262, Green Room's pretty filly by Galileo (Ire), cast in the starring role.
At €3 million, she sold for slightly less than her full-sister's Orby record-breaking performance 12 months earlier, but she drew a good crowd, most merely onlookers, with a few determined pursuers nestled in strategic huddles around the auditorium.
Amanda Skiffington snared a daughter of the 17-year-old Theatrical (Ire) mare five years ago when buying Signe (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) on behalf of Fiona Carmichael for €1.1 million. Involved in the earlier skirmishes this time, Skiffington eventually withdrew to allow a straight head-to-head between the Godolphin team in the gods, and MV Magnier bidding on the level beneath Anthony Stroud.
A year ago, it was Phoenix Thoroughbreds who left the Orby Sale with the top two prizes—Galileo sisters to Forever Together (Ire) and Alice Springs (Ire) respectively—and this time around, Westerberg's Georg von Opel has that pleasure, though he now shares the overall sale-topper with Coolmore after MV Magnier came out best of the upstairs-downstairs tussle and signed the ticket in joint names.
Vimal Khosla, who bred the filly with his wife Gillian, stood alongside Ballylinch Stud's John O'Connor to watch yet another exciting chapter in the story of the remarkable Green Room, who is already the dam of Classic victrix Forever Together and fellow Group 1 winners Together Forever (Ire)—also by Galileo—and Lord Shanakill (Speightstown).
There are plenty of mares who can produce enough of a show horse to reap the rewards in the ring during the early years of her career but it takes a special one to keep coming up with desirable physical specimens who go on to fulfil the most important element of their existence by being superior athletes.
“Both on the track and in the sales ring, [Green Room] is one of the most consistent mares there has ever been,” said John O'Connor. “She keeps producing really good racehorses and beautiful sales horses. Producing her stock is an honour for us. It's wonderful for the Khoslas—they want everything to be done to the highest standard and they are a pleasure to be involved with.”
He added, “The mare lives at Ballylinch and has been with us since Together Forever was a foal. She's a nice mare but breeds horses even nicer than herself. She now has a filly foal by Sea The Stars, a full-sister to Signe, who is also on the farm and has a Kingman filly for Fiona Carmichael. The Khoslas also have Green Room's daughter by Dansili (GB), Black Ruby, who has a nice filly by Lope De Vega.”
MV Magnier was notably restrained during the first day of the Orby Sale but after warming up with a €525,000 purchase of Glenvale Stud's Australia (GB) half-brother to G2 Superlative S. winner Mystery Power (Ire) (No Nay Never) (lot 255), he soon made his intentions clear when it came to the top lot.
He said, “Firstly I would say that I'm delighted for Vimal and Gillian. It's a great result for them and they've been rewarded for putting a lot of faith in Galileo over the years.
“Obviously it's been a very lucky family for us already with Together Forever and Forever Together, and this mare has produced another Group 1 winner in Lord Shanakill so she's an outstanding producer. We are lucky to be able to buy a filly like this as she really is a collector's item.”
Clearance Rate High
Last year's Orby catalogue had been tightened, meaning only 369 horses went through the ring. An expansion this year took its toll on figures, with 428 offered and 363 sold, bringing an overall clearance rate of 85%—down from 89% in 2018. The median which had risen by 23% last year, fell by 18.8% to €65,000, while the average was down by 11% to €117,899. With 36 more horses sold this year, the aggregate was down by just 1.6% to €42,797,500 after another €19,738,000 was added to the tally from Wednesday's trade of 176 horses.
With four horses exceeding the million-euro mark across the two days, Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby was pleased with the sale's performance. he said, “A superb top price of €3 million heading a quartet of millionaires clearly shows that the Orby Sale sits at the top table of the international yearling market and is the measure of any sale anywhere for the best. We remain eternally grateful that the breeders/vendors of such blue-bloods are prepared to place their trust in the Goffs service and delighted when those decisions are vindicated with such good results.
“Orby 18 was a record-breaker and ultimately proved to be the best performing European yearling sale of the year from a statistical viewpoint. From a smaller catalogue demand grew and vendors were very happy. That success drove an increased application for places this year and the 2019 catalogue returned to previous year's numbers which has probably resulted in a small drop in clearance rate, although we would submit that 85% is still a figure that reads well. Our average and median have not quite kept pace with last year but the average is still 8% ahead of the 2017 level (the median is the same) so we are quite satisfied our trade has proved in line with the year to date, whether we are looking at results from Kentucky, France or the UK, in that the market became stronger the higher the prices climbed. It will be interesting to see whether these trends continue and how the market finishes up later in the autumn.”
More Stars For Aquis
Aquis Farm made significant purchase during the first session, both in their own name and in partnership with Phoenix Thoroughbreds, and through the company's European bloodstock advisor Demi O'Byrne, they added another well-bred colt to the list on Wednesday. Lot 408, a son of Sea The Stars (Ire) whose grandam Helena Molony (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) is a sister to High Chaparral (Ire), was sold from Edie Murray-Hayden's Gormanstown Stud for €550,000 on behalf of Jacqueline Norris and a partnership from Jockey Hall Stud which owns the colt's dam Ownwan (Kingmambo).
Norris is more noted as a vendor of foals, and indeed she consigned the top lot at last year's Goffs November Foal Sale, a Kingman (GB) filly who sold for €350,000. This colt was among that same draft but failed to reach his reserve of €100,000.
“He was very immature, very babyish,” Norris recalled. “He just matured beautifully—he's by Sea The Stars and they can just do this. We brought two sons of Sea The Stars to the foal sales last year. We sold the other one for €290,000 to Timmy Hyde and he sold for €400,000 yesterday so I am very proud of that.”
She continued, “This colt is out of a Kingmambo mare, it's a beautiful cross, and he's from the family of High Chaparral. Demi O'Byrne is one of the best judges in the business who bought High Chaparral himself, and he waited all day to buy him with Sheikh Hamdan as underbidder. I want to say a big thank you to my staff and to Edie Murray-Hayden, who prepared him beautifully for me. He was straightforward, he never missed a beat. Sea the Stars is just phenomenal, he's a super stallion.”
Sea The Stars In Demand
Sheikh Mohammed was seen heading out to his helicopter around lunchtime but members of his team remained in place to bid for lot 391 on Godolphin's behalf, going to €500,000 to secure the son of Sea The Stars (Ire).
Consigned by Castlebridge for co-breeders Kilcarn Stud and Sunderland Holdings, the colt is the second foal of the listed-placed treble winner My Spirit (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), a half-sister to the five-time group winner Banimpire (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}).
Sheikh Hamdan's team also continued their recruitment drive on Wednesday and stepped in for a first-crop son of the operation's Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Awtaad (Ire), who just happens to be a half-brother to the winner of the same race this year, Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}).
Issuing his assessment of lot 345, Derrinstown Stud manager Stephen Collins said, “Obviously we stand Awtaad and we already have some very nice stock by him at home. Sheikh Hamdan is keen to support him both here and over the coming weeks, and this colt is a particularly good sort from a Classic-winning family. In shape and profile he is very similar to his sire and Sheikh Hamdan felt that he was one of the best individuals that he saw here this week.”
As ever, the Maktoum influence on the sale was significant, with Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell operation buying eight yearlings across the two days for a total of €2,495,000 while Godolphin signed up another four at €2,360,000.
Freshman Watch
Derrinstown stallion Awtaad (Ire), winner of the Irish 2000 Guineas for Kevin Prendergast, was well represented at the Orby Sale and, with eight yearlings sold from 11 offered returning an average of €118,375.
The first crop of the dual juvenile Group 1 winner Shalaa (Ire) has found solid popularity with buyers, both as foals and yearlings, and that continued this week, with six of seven offered sold for an average price of €109,167.
While their established elders dominated the higher echelons of the Orby leaderboard, among other freshmen with some decent returns for yearlings were the Aga Khan's Derby winner Harzand (Ire), whose daughter from the family of Canford Cliffs (Ire) (lot 165) sold from Kildaragh Stud to SackvilleDonald for €135,000.
Eddie O'Leary and Mags O'Toole pinhooked a weanling by The Gurkha (Ire) last November for €65,000 and the grandson of former champion juvenile filly Red Camellia (GB) (Polar Falcon) returned to Goffs as lot 458 to sell for €300,000 to China Horse Club.
Concluding his debrief of the sale, Henry Beeby added, “One of the real stories of Orby '19 has been the huge international interest and we have welcomed buyers from across the globe following our increased investment in buyer recruitment and the hard work of the Goffs team working in tandem with Irish Thoroughbred Marketing. It was wonderful to welcome HH Sheikh Mohammed back to Goffs along with his brother HH Sheikh Hamdan as well as several new faces of note, whilst we remain indebted to MV Magnier and the Coolmore partners for their tremendous support year in, year out.
“Those big names naturally garner headlines but we are extremely grateful to every buyer at every level of the market and to each vendor for allowing us to handle their yearlings. As ever we are nothing without the horses and appreciate every one along with each bid they attract.”
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