Goffs UK

There was high drama at the beginning of Saturday's G3 Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham S. at Newbury when Frankie Dettori parted company with G1 Dewhurst S. hero and leading G1 2000 Guineas contender Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) upon exiting the stalls, which allowed Manton Thoroughbreds VII's reopposing Dewhurst seventh Isaac Shelby (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}--Kentucky Belle {Ire}, by Heliostatic {Ire}) a free run to make all for a second pattern-race triumph in the seven-furlong feature. Last term's G2 Superlative S. victor was swiftly into stride, away...

Wednesday's G3 Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn S. at Newmarket was a wide-open affair beforehand, but became a full-on dress rehearsal for HQ's G1 1000 Guineas as Amo Racing's Mammas Girl (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}--Mamma Morton {Ire}, by Elnadim) delivered a devastating turn of acceleration in the closing stages to pulverise her 14 rivals in the seven-furlong staging post. The 16-1 chance had previously debuted with an impressive two-length triumph over course and distance in October and was immediately quoted at odds as low as 6-1 for the Rowley Mile Classic...

On a day when Ronnie Bartlett's Banbridge landed a Grade 1 over fences, the leading owner snapped up the £260,000 Nativehill (Ire) at the Goffs UK Aintree Sale after racing. Nativehill, a half-brother to multiple Grade 1 winner Bellshill, was knocked down to Ian Ferguson on behalf of Bartlett for £260,000. The Flemensfirth gelding, who was a late addition to the catalogue, bolted up in a point-to-point at Loughanmore on Easter Saturday for Colin McKeever. A total of 19 horses sold for six-figure sums and others to feature were D...

No shortage of hard work and bundles of perseverance lie behind Johnny Collins's achievement in turning his Brown Island Stables into one of the finest nurseries of equine talent there is. It is all the more remarkable in that he achieved this with no racing background and just his own eye and pocket to get the whole thing off the ground. Competitive and ambitious, the 46-year-old counts several million euros worth of stock at his County Cork base, which is the culmination of over 15 years producing top-class horses over...

Rathmore Stud's winning point-to-pointer Rockstown Native (Ire) (Califet {Fr}) brought £82,000 to top the Goffs UK January Sale which concluded on Wednesday. Purchased by Stroud Coleman/Jonjo O'Neill as lot 295, he was one of 43 horses to sell on the day of 57 offered (75). The aggregate was £434,500 and the average and median both increased by double digits-£10,105 (+26%) and £5,500 (+16%), respectively. At the close of trade over the two-day stand, 158 of 281 (56%) lots found new homes for a gross of £2,019,000. The average climbed 24%...

Grade 2 winner The Glancing Queen (Ire) (Jeremy) topped the first day of the Goffs UK January Sale at Doncaster on Tuesday. Selling for £150,000 to Dahlbury, the Mill House Stud-consigned bay won the G2 Goffs Nickel Coin Bumper at Aintree's Grand National Festival. Second on the buyers' sheets was Cap Soleil (Fr) (Kapgarde {Fr}), who is in foal to Crystal Ocean (GB) and was sold from Throckmorton Court Stud. Peter Molony of Rathmore Stud snapped up the 9-year-old for £75,000. A new record top price for a National Hunt...

The dual winner Have Secret (Ire) (Havana Gold {Ire}) (lot 80) topped the Goffs UK October HIT and Yearling Sale at £100,000 on Wednesday. Consigned by Richard Fahey's Musley Bank Stables, he was picked back up by that trainer for different owners. His dam was twice stakes placed in France. Another horse-in-training, Open Champion (Ire) (Postponed {Ire}) (lot 76), made £70,000 to Highflyer Bloodstock and Thurloe Thoroughbreds. Part of Roger Varian's draft, the bay is out of the G3 Sceptre S. heroine Nargys (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}). At the close of...

The 156-strong Goffs UK October HIT & Yearling Sale catalogue is now online. A total of 65 yearlings and 92 horses-in-training will go through the ring at Doncaster from 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19. Several smart past graduates include the G2 Coral Hurdle hero Buzz (Fr) (Motivator {GB}); the G3 Swinton H. Hurdle victor N'golo (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), as well as the Grade 1 winner Silver Streak (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). There are a wide variety of trainers bringing drafts to the sale, including Charlie Hills, Charlie & Mark...

George Boughey is rarely seen without his right-hand man, Sam Haggas, and the pair sat down with Brian Sheerin at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale at Doncaster this week.    From making the Classic breakthrough with Cachet in the 1,000 Guineas, to recruiting Missed The Cut and Inver Park for relatively small money to win at Royal Ascot, Boughey and Haggas provide a fascinating insight to what goes on behind the scenes at one of the most impressive outfits in Britain and Ireland.  Brian Sheerin: I saw this week...

With another 60 yearlings standing out in the field at home in Westmeath, it was important for the team at Tally-Ho to begin the domestic sales season with a bang, and that's exactly what they did in sending out the top lot at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale--the Blandford Bloodstock-bought lot 278, a filly by Night Of Thunder (Ire).  Mark McStay went to £230,000 to secure a colt by the stallion [170] on Tuesday but it was Tally-Ho's first foal out of the five-time winner and listed-placed Thiswaycadeaux (Ire)...

The opening day of the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale followed a familiar theme with Mark McStay, who was busy at the first European yearling Sale of the year at Arqana just over a week ago, once again opening his shoulders back to secure the top lot at Goffs UK-170, a colt by Night Of Thunder (Ire). The sire of last Friday's breathtakingly-good G1 Nunthorpe S. winner Highfield Princess (Fr), Night Of Thunder was labelled a rock solid stallion by McStay, who felt lot 170-for all that he looked like...

Not since Elon Musk became infatuated with space has there been so many rockets assembled in the one place at any given time than at Doncaster ahead of the Premier Yearling Sale.  These particular starships have been bred to fly and, lurking among the 411 yearlings getting ready for takeoff at Goffs UK over the next few days could be the next Acclamation (GB), Dark Angel (Ire), Wootton Bassett (GB) or Tasleet (GB), all of whom are graduates of this sale.  Joe Foley knows a thing or two about rockets....