Irish Record For Dubawi Colt At Goffs

They say that death and taxes are the only two certainties in life. To expand that expression for the bloodstock industry, there's also Dubawi (Ire) and Galileo (Ire).

Sales-ring appearances by Dubawi's young stock are becoming ever more infrequent, but when one does take a turn, John Ferguson is never far away. The Darley maestro's appearance on the Goffs complex this morning will have been a welcome sight for Henry Beeby and his team, and indeed Ferguson's principal aim was to ensure that the regally bred colt (lot 1129) out of Galileo's first-ever Group 1 and Classic winner Nightime (Ire) was added to Sheikh Mohammed's team of nascent racehorses. That mission was accomplished after €1.1 million was exchanged and a determined attempt by Ibrahim Araci and his bloodstock advisor Rob Speers was dispatched, their battle ensuring that the prized colt became the most expensive weanling of his sex ever to be sold at auction in Ireland.

Heading a strong final day of trade for the foal section of the Goffs November Sale, the colt was one of 155 foals sold on Friday, representing a clearance rate of 84% at an average of €80,894, which fell by 8% compared to the final day of the 2014 auction, and median of €55,000, which was up by 6%. The session's turnover contributed €12,538,500 to the sale's total of €25,847,500, which was down by 6% on last year's aggregate of €27,492,700 for 67 fewer foals sold in 2014.

Average and median figures for the sale as a whole both declined, as expected under the increased numbers, at €31,950 (down 14%) and €18,000 (down 18%), while the clearance rate fell from 85% last year to 77%.

“We are of course delighted to have smashed a foal record for the second year in succession,” said Goffs' Chief Executive Henry Beeby. “The Dubawi was the highlight of another superb Goffs Foal sale that enjoyed a trade of depth, consistency and real fireworks. Whist we have not quite kept pace with the records set last year [turnover up 52%, average up 41% and median up 29%], the statistics are the second-best on record, which is the cause for some celebration although it must be noted that the clearance rate is less than 2014, which mirrors the trends seen throughout the autumn at the yearling sales to an extent.”

Ferguson Heads Buyers' List…

Commenting after buying the record-breaking Dubawi colt, John Ferguson said, “I don't really need to say anything about the sire, and Nightime was an exceptional mare. Fingers crossed we have a racehorse on our hands. Dick O'Gorman and the team had seen the colt on the farm over the summer and we liked how he's progressed.”

Dermot Weld, whose late mother Marguerite bred Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Nightime and her listed-winning daughter Zhukova (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), was the first to congratulate Ferguson on his purchase. In fact, it was the second of Nightime's offspring bought by Darley this year as Ferguson also signed for her yearling daughter by Raven's Pass for 450,000gns at the Tattersalls October Sale.

It wasn't just the Dubawi colt that sparked Ferguson's interest on the final day of foal trade. Also among the Darley list of nine purchases was Springfort Park Stud's colt by Dark Angel (Ire) (lot 1201) out of a winning half-sister to top sprinter Kingsgate Native (Ire) (Mujadil) at €300,000. Oghill House Stud's Invincible Spirit (Ire) half-brother to listed winner Dusky Queen (Ire) (Shamardal) (lot 1162) was bought for €280,000, and he was joined by another Invincible Spirit colt (lot 1023), the first foal of listed winner Boastful (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}), acquired for €190,000 from the Irish National Stud. A colt by Kodiac (Ire) (lot 1055) out of Foxland Stud's homebred listed winner Duchess Of Foxland (Ire) (Medecis) also made the cut at €170,000.

€475,000 For Sole Galileo Foal…

Des Leadon and Mariann Klay of Swordlestown Little Stud bought nine-furlong winner Sogno Verde (Ire) (Green Desert) from Lady Clague for 60,000gns back in 2005, and the grand-daughter of champion stayer Dark Lomond (GB) (Lomond) has proved to be an inspired purchase. Her second foal was G2 Railway S. winner and young sire Lilbourne Lad (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) and four of the mare's offspring to have passed through the ring since then have all returned six-figure sums. The latest, her colt foal by Galileo (Ire) (lot 1182) and the only one by that sire in the sale, is the most expensive to date and sold for 475,000gns to pinhooker Eugene Daly as the extended five-day auction drew to a close on Friday evening.

Jim Bolger's champion juvenile and Classic winner New Approach (Ire), now a stud-mate of Dubawi at Dalham Hall Stud, provided the most expensive filly of the sale (lot 1165), and it was Bolger's Redmondstown Stud that offered the daughter of the proven black-type producer Scribonia (Ire) (Danehill). The 14-year-old's offspring include G1 1000 Guineas runner-up Cuis Ghaire (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and her full-sister Scintillula (Ire), winner of the G3 Jockey Club of Turkey Meld S. Dermot Farrington signed the ticket at €450,000 for an undisclosed client and said, “She's just a lovely filly with a great page. She has everything really. She's been bought as a long-term racing and breeding prospect.”

Twelve months ago, Farrington played his part in a new record price for an Irish foal when the Frankel (GB) filly out of dual Classic winner Finsceal Beo (Ire) (Mr Greeley) was sold by Al Eile Stud for €1.8 million. The agent was able to issue an update on the filly, whose racecourse debut will be eagerly awaited.

“She left Ireland about a week ago and she's now in the north of England, under tack and being broken in. She will stay in England to be trained but it has not been decided who will train her,” he commented.

Herald the Dawn…

Joining his father New Approach among the stallions in the top 10 on Friday was freshman Dawn Approach (Ire), who had a number of high-profile weanlings go under the hammer at Goffs. The overall leader at €300,000 was Esker Lodge Stud's colt out of the listed-placed Simonetta (Ire) (Lil's Boy) (lot 1178) and from a Jim Bolger family that includes the stallions Intense Focus (Ire), Sholokhov (Ire), Soldier Of Fortune (Ire) and Heliostatic (Ire). The April-born colt was another to be bought by the Darley team, while Shadwell also got involved when buying lot 1070, a half-brother to stakes winners Forthefirstime (GB) (Dr Fong) and Pyman's Theories (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) for €180,000. We Bloodstock and Phillip Stauffenberg also opted for colts by Dawn Approach, going to €160,000 (lot 1021) and €125,000 (lot 1013), respectively.

Araci Digs Deep For Dark Angel Colt…

Though Ibrahim Araci and Rob Speers were denied on the top lot, they had earlier outlasted Ferguson in their attempt to buy a Dark Angel (Ire) colt (lot 1115) whose family has special resonance for the Turkish owner-breeder. The hammer fell at €370,000gns for the grey son of G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner Miss Beatrix (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), affording the Balintougher Stud offering his own record as the most expensive weanling by his sire, whose popularity in the sales ring has gone though the roof this season.

Prices at this level usually mean that even the boldest pinhookers aren't involved, and Speers explained that Araci had taken the decision to buy a handful of select foals owing to the strength of the yearling market at the top end. He said, “It's hard to compete at the top level in Book 1 so we're delighted to have bought such nice prospects. We'll take home this colt and the Camelot colt we bought earlier and look forward to putting them into training in a year's time.”

Speers added, “We had a Galileo out of Miss Beatrix in training with Henry Cecil but he sadly got injured, and her son Tamga (Ire) is a Group 1 horse in Turkey so it's a family we know well.”

Araci and Speers also selected one of the members of the first crop of Camelot (Ire), which have been well received this week. Their selection was lot 1039, a half-brother to G1 Metropolitan H. winner Magic Hurricane (Ire) (Hurricane Run {Ire}) who was sold another good sale for the Killourney Mor Farm draft when knocked down at €180,000. Click here for an audio interview by Dave Keena with Rob Speers.

A Kodiac For Corduff…

James and David Egan's Corduff Stud enjoyed a terrific autumn at the yearling sales with their mixture of homebreds and pinhooks, and the father-and-son team reinvested some of their profits in lot 1068, a colt by Kodiac (Ire) bought for €260,000 through Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock. The second foal of Four Eleven (Arch), a half-sister to G1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Summertime Legacy (GB) (Darshaan {GB}), was bred by Nelius Hayes of Knockainey Stud, whose graduates include this season's G3 Prix du Calvados winner Great Page (Ire) (Roderic O'Connor {Ire}). Brown said, “Nelius is a top-class breeder and this was a smashing individual with a wonderful back family. David, James and I all saw him and he hit us straight between the eyes. His sire goes from strength to strength.”

The first session of the two-day November Mares Sale at Goffs begins today at 10 a.m.