Forever Together's Sister Tops Orby At €3.2m

KILL, Ireland—It's rare in the racing world that everything goes exactly according to plan, but in the case of the sister to Investec Oaks winner Forever Together (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), there was no deviation in the widely-read script which had her billed as the star performer of the Goffs Orby Sale.

The Vimal and Gillian Khosla-bred daughter of Galileo and Green Room (Theatrical {Ire}), with the elegance and athleticism to match her top-drawer page, can for now hold the accolade of being the highest-priced yearling in the world this year, and she also holds the record price for a yearling filly at Goffs after selling for €3.2 million.

The bidding took a while to build to a level at which such a filly could reasonably be expected to be sold, but once into seven figures, only Amanda Skiffington remained to offer any meaningful competition to MV Magnier and Amer Abdulaziz. Eventually Skiffington's run petered out to leave auctioneer Henry Beeby pivoting on the rostrum as he took competing bids from the Coolmore team to his right, immediately countered by Phoenix Thoroughbreds on his left.

“A look at the front of the catalogue tells you all you need to know about this filly,” said Beeby as lot 318 entered the ring. The cover shot showed her sister storming clear for Classic glory at Epsom—the dream for so many major owner-breeders but available only to the few at this level. Still, any potential multi-million-euro purchase will not go unexamined by the buyer, and the filly raised at and consigned by Ballylinch Stud clearly bore close scrutiny.

“The more complete a package you have the more relaxed you are and I felt pretty relaxed in this particular case as she's just done everything we wanted her to do,” said Ballylinch Stud's managing director John O'Connor. “She has the pedigree: by an outstanding sire, from an outstanding dam, and she's a superb walker and a great individual. Really, she had everything a sales horse should have, and most importantly she has everything a racehorse should have.”

It's not just this year's Oaks winner who enhances the claims of the sale-topper but also her confusingly named sister, the G1 Fillies' Mile winner Together Forever (Ire), while half-brother Lord Shanakill (Speightstown) completes the hat-trick of top-level winners for Green Room.

O'Connor continued, “All three of her Galileo fillies were raised at Ballylinch. We know the family pretty well now. The Khoslas also have a full-sister foal back at the farm and the mare is now in foal to Sea The Stars (Ire).”

Regarding the Orby market in general, he added, “The superior individuals with good pedigrees have been very easy to sell. Everybody who needs to be here to generate a big price has been here.”

Dermot Farrington, who signed the sheet on behalf of Phoenix Thoroughbreds, was entitled to feel a little wistful. “The funny thing is that I used to own this mare once upon a time,” he said. “She's done it time after time. Her first foal was Lord Shanakill and then she's produced those two fantastic fillies by Galileo. For a mare to breed three horses of that calibre speaks volumes. This filly is very special and everyone else thought so, too. You know when you are going to try to buy a filly like this one that you are going to have to pay.”

“Wow” Is The Word

Amer Abdulaziz, who heads the investment fund which operates in the name of Phoenix Thoroughbreds, has not been afraid to signal his intent, both in word and deed, to build a world-class breeding operation. His presence, along with Farrington and Tom Ludt, had a significant impact on the success of the Orby Sale, the organisation's six purchases adding almost €6 million to the turnover of €43,474,000, which was up by 7% on last year's haul but from 46 fewer horses sold.

But he was far from the only major player, with eight different buyers spending at least €1 million, including Godolphin, which bought eight yearlings for just over €3 million.

“Wow,” said Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby in his closing statement. “What an amazing couple of days we have enjoyed at Goffs as the Orby Sale reached unprecedented heights with a trade that was simply extraordinary. To set a new record for a yearling filly at an Irish sale at €3.2 million was the highlight amongst a sale of tremendous highs that saw all the average and median make double-digit gains to buck the trend of the European sales season so far, and all from a stunning clearance rate of 89%. We are indebted to our vendors without whom we are nothing, and I would especially single out Vimal and Gillian Khosla, the breeders of the top lot, who placed their faith in the Goffs service and were rewarded with the highest yearling price in the world so far this year for their gorgeous filly who was so well presented by Ballylinch Stud. In addition we would like to extend our thanks to Ciaran Conroy's Glenvale Stud and the vendors of the 'other' Galileo filly whose price of €2 million was also something quite special.”

The tightened catalogue certainly helped in achieving a clearance rate of 89% for the 327 horses sold from 369 offered. The overall average for the Orby was up by 22% to €132,948 and the median was given a similar boost, by 23%, to €80,000.

From the second session, the clearance rate was also 89%—with 160 of 179 horses sold—with an average of €121,075, median of €76,500 and aggregate for the day of €19,372,000.

Beeby added, “We took the conscious decision to tighten the catalogue numbers to really focus on quality this year and it is clear that our huge array of buyers from home and abroad agreed with that move. Our vendors sent us a stellar selection and we were delighted to welcome so many major buyers to Kildare Paddocks over the last few days. That HH Sheikh Mohammed made his first visit to Goffs for 13 years was a huge vote of confidence in Irish bloodstock and he joined his brother HH Sheikh Hamdan who has been such a great supporter for so many years. Our leading buyers Phoenix Thoroughbreds were a revelation in the sales ring and we hope their bold bidding is rewarded with top-level success on the racecourse in future years. They have been a pleasure to do business with and their enthusiasm is infectious. It would also be remiss of me not to record our ongoing appreciation of MV Magnier and the Coolmore team who remain stalwart supporters of Goffs year in, year out.”

Coolmore Youngsters In Demand

Coolmore's Camelot (GB) and No Nay Never lead the second- and first-crop sires' tables, respectively and a representative of each will join the Godolphin string for next year with Anthony Stroud acting on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed, who was not present at Goffs for the second day of the Orby Sale.

The agent swooped first for lot 291, a son of No Nay Never pinhooked by Eddie O'Leary for €82,000 and sold on through his Lynn Lodge Stud for €350,000. The colt's half-brother Istanbul Sultan (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), a rare Flat runner for leading jumps owners Isaac Souede and Simon Munir, won last year at two and was the first foal of Far Away Eyes (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), herself out of a sister to former Haras du Quesnay stallion Bellypha (GB) (Lyphard).

Four lots later Stroud was back in his position on the balcony on the opposite side of the ring to Shawn Dugan, his main rival for Glenvale Stud's daughter of Camelot (lot 295) out of the juvenile winner Flawless Beauty (GB) (Excellent Art {Ire}). As Dugan walked away the hammer came down at €500,000 for the filly bred by Rob Speers from a family which has brought the agent and breeder much success in recent years.

Speers bought the filly's grandam, the Gainsborough Stud-bred Desert Classic (GB) (Green Desert) for €24,000 at the Goffs February Sale of 2006. Three years later she produced a High Chaparral (Ire) colt who was subsequently named Wrote (Ire) and won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. His dam was sold the following year to Greg Goodman's Mt Brilliant Farm for 875,000gns when back in foal to High Chapparal.

“The family has been very kind to me,” he admitted. “I retained Flawless Beauty as a yearling the year that Wrote won the Breeders' Cup. She narrowly missed out three times on gaining black-type but she was a useful filly and I felt that she would make up into a nice broodmare. The foal sale last year just came too soon for this filly and I'm glad I bought her back. She has turned into a wonderful filly with a good step and everyone loved her. I hope she's really lucky for Sheikh Mohammed. I'm now into the third generation of this family and I will enjoy following the filly's progress.”

After signing for the filly, Anthony Stroud said, “She was one of Sheikh Mohammed's picks and she's by a very good stallion but we probably ended up paying a bit more than we expected. She's a very nice filly though and will be a lovely broodmare later on.”

He added, “The trade so far has seemed pretty strong. It's great when the owners are actually here. It adds to the atmosphere and generates enthusiasm.”

Camelot was also the order of the day for BBA Ireland's Eamonn Reilly, who went to €480,000 for Frank Fahy of Gerrardstown House Stud for lot 277, a filly from the Juddmonte family of G1 Dewhurst S. winner Distant Music (Distant View) and top-class sprinter African Rose (GB) (Observatory).

A daughter of Enharmonic (E Dubai), bought from Juddmonte for 90,000gns in 2014, the filly was bred by Samac and Summerhill Bloodstock and consigned by the Hyde family's Camas Park Stud.

“Pedigree and physique,” were two very good reasons put forward for purchase by new owner Fahy, who added that she would be taken home to his stud to be broken in by his son, former jockey Donal Fahy.

Newsells Park Returns To Goffs

Newsells Park Stud returned to the Orby Sale after a long absence to sell a Galileo filly (lot 397) through Baroda & Colbinstown Studs for €525,000 to David Redvers.

“We have 56 horses back at the farm getting ready for the Tattersalls October Sale so it made sense to consign through someone else as the sales are so close together,” explained Newsells Park Stud manager Julian Dollar. “Peter Molony and Henry Christie [of Goffs] were very keen for us to send her here and we wanted to support the sale with something nice. She's a good, racy filly and her sister looks quite useful.”

The filly is the second foal of the dual Group 3 winner Maureen (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}). The mare's first foal, also by Galileo and an 800,000gns yearling at Book 1 last year, made her debut for Princess Haya and John Gosden last month to finish second in a novice race.

HKJC Double Up

The strength of the market over the last two days was the source of much discussion, with a number of potential purchasers finding it tougher to buy the horses on their lists.

Mark Richards and Grant Pritchard-Gordon have been in bat for the Hong Kong Jockey Club and signed for two colts during the second session. Richards concurred with the general feeling at the sale, saying, “It's been very strong and it's been hard to buy the horses we wanted. Nice horses here are making plenty but we're delighted with the two we've bought today.”

Croom House Stud's Exceed And Excel (Aus) colt (lot 352) was one which fell within budget at €360,000, and though by a top sire of sprinters, he is also related to one of the best stayers of recent years, Order Of St George (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who is a half-brother to the colt's dam Kitty Love (Kitten's Joy).

Richards added, “They are two very different types of horse, and the Exceed And Excel colt had a bit more scope than you usually expect from the sire, but they are both suitable in their own way.”

The second of the team's purchases—bringing the tally to four throughout the sale—was a Holy Roman Emperor colt (lot 337), consigned by Mark Dwyer's Oaks Farm Stables. Dwyer will have been delighted with his yearling price of €300,000 as he bought the colt last November for €60,000 from his Italian breeder Allevamento La Nuova Sbarra. The colt's dam, the Elusive City mare Icebreaking (Ire), was placed in the Italian 1000 Guineas and is a half-sister to the 12-time winner Kaspersky (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) whose has notched four group wins in Germany and Italy.

Alles Gut

There's an increasing number of sons of Dark Angel (Ire) at stud and among them, Gutaifan (Ire), who stands alongside his sire at Yeomanstown Stud, has his first yearlings for sale this autumn. His Orby offerings were crowned by the last of his yearlings in the catalogue, the Thomas Hassett-bred half-sister to G2 Premio Roma winner Anda Muchacho (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}). Consigned by Monksland Stables, lot 413 was bought by Alastair Donald for €360,000.

Ten of 11 Gutaifan yearlings to pass through the ring over the last two days have sold for an average of €101,900.

Action continues today at Goffs with the one-day Sportsman's Sale from 10 a.m.