By Brian Sheerin
Philipp Stauffenberg broke new ground at the November Foal Sale at Goffs on Wednesday by signing for a Kingman (GB) half-brother to Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy) for a sales-topping €550,000 on a day where the Juddmonte-based stallion shined brightest.
The Airlie Stud-consigned colt is not just a half-brother to that 2018 champion 2-year-old filly in Ireland but also the promising Charlie Appleby-trained Victory Dance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the €550,000 it took to buy him represented a new record for Stauffenberg.
The fact that lot 727 boasted a stallion's pedigree provided Stauffenberg with the confidence to push on and buy the colt who brought the leading pinhooker's total spend at Goffs this year to over €1 million.
Stauffenberg said, “As the auctioneer said, he has a stallion's pedigree and I was actually the underbidder on the Dubawi (Ire) [Victory Dance (Ire)] as well. I think there is a lot of upside and, from what I hear, the Dubawi is going extremely well. They pushed him a little and thought he was a little bit earlier than he was. If he wins something nice next year, which you would hope he can, it will improve the page again. He definitely has a stallion's pedigree. It's a very good family and if Kingman (GB) comes up with a nice horse I'm not too worried.”
Asked if the significant outlay could make securing a pinhooking profit more difficult, Stauffenberg replied, “On one side, yes, but on the other, how many chances do we have to come up with something like him to go to war with next year? We spent a lot of money but hopefully we spent wisely. Sometimes it is more risky to buy one for €200,000. I think he was a no-brainer. I never gave this much for a foal before but I did underbid one for €1.2 million but didn't get her. She was the first crop of Frankel out of Finsceal Beo (Ire). This is the most expensive foal I've bought.
“Like all the others, he will come back to the farm. I will have to tell my staff that we have quite a valuable thing there. We treat everything the same and he will be raised like all the others then we will make a decision about where we are going, but I think it's an obvious decision about where we will go next year with him.”
Stauffenberg spent €1,113,000 on six foals at Goffs this week, including a Night Of Thunder (GB) colt (lot 601) for €280,000 who was offered from the Irish National Stud.
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Lot 727, the Kingman @JuddmonteFarms half-brother to G1 winner Skitter Scatter, sells to @StauffenbergBS for €550,000 @Goffs1866 November Foal Sale. He was consigned by @airliestud. pic.twitter.com/y1XeVwK3d9
— TDN (@theTDN) November 16, 2022
Asked if he was confident that the market would stay strong into the yearling sales next year, Stauffenberg replied, “Listen, who was confident this year? We were blown away with how well the yearling sales went and this is another thing with a horse like him; whether you are a high-end racing owner or someone looking for a stallion prospect, a horse like him will always have a value with his pedigree. I think you can be a little bit safer on that level than on a lower level. Whether I am right or not, we will know next year. I am happy to have him.”
The German-based operator was also happy to snap up the Night Of Thunder colt from the Irish National stud earlier in the afternoon.
On that acquisition, he added, “There aren't many Night Of Thunders on the open market and I've been very lucky with the sire already. I sold a filly by him in Book 1 to Godolphin who was an absolute queen so you could say I'm quite biased towards the sire. This was just an exceptionally good colt and I was keen to get him after missing out on one earlier today.”
That Night Of Thunder colt was owned by the Irish National Stud Mares Syndicate and the dam in question, Persona Grata (GB) (Sire Percy {GB}), a six-time winner including twice at listed level, was a relatively new recruit having been snapped up at Arqana December last year for €190,000.
Cathal Beale, CEO of the Irish National Stud, said, “This is the fourth year of the syndicate. A lot of the foals we are selling are in different syndicates. The Night Of Thunder was in the newest version. We bought four mares last year and, what we try to do is, there are 100 shares and we offer half of them out and we keep the other half. That's what we try to do. It's gone fantastically well.
“We had a Dark Angel (Ire) colt out of Nabeyla (GB) make €78,000 and now this Night Of Thunder colt makes €280,000. We have a Showcasing (GB) and a Mehmas (Ire) that we will sell on behalf of the syndicate as yearlings and the mares are back in foal to different stallions now as well.”
He added, “Hopefully we will try and produce some stakes winners along the way and appreciate the mares if at all possible. We want to try and continue to sell foals profitably. That's the game. We bought this mare for €190,000 at Arqana so, to get the price of the mare back already, you don't fully expect to do that in your first year.
“He was a smashing colt and he's gone to a great home. He will be reoffered and hopefully he can make a good profit for Philipp next year.”
Those sales stood out in an exceedingly strong sale. The aggregate was a whopping €15,242,500, up 27% on last year's figures, while the average jumped 22% to €88,619. The median also rose 16% to €58,000. Of the 203 foals offered, 172 were sold, which represented a clearance rate of 85%.
Juddmonte Snaps Up Half To Derby Contender
Just over a month on from Arrest's narrow defeat in the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, Juddmonte paid a handsome compliment to their Derby contender by securing his half-brother by Wootton Bassett (GB) (lot 591) for €340,000 as well as a €530,000 Kingman (GB) colt (lot 606).
Arrest (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) went from strength to strength this season, ending his campaign with a head defeat to Dubai Mile (Ire) (Roaring Lion) in France, and can be backed at odds as big as 40-1 for next year's G1 Derby at Epsom.
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Bobby & Honora Donworth of Roundhill Stud are excellent breeders and their Kingman @JuddmonteFarms colt had a timely update ahead of the @Goffs1866 November Foal Sale. pic.twitter.com/4MJ6FcL6Mo
— TDN (@theTDN) November 16, 2022
Juddmonte's racing manager Barry Mahon said after the sale that parallels could be drawn between Arrest and his Swordlestown Little-consigned little brother.
Mahon said, “He's a half-brother to a good one. He [Arrest] was unlucky the last day to get beaten just a head in a Group 1 in France and the Abdullah family were particularly keen to buy him given how well the brother had done for them. I looked at him the other day and felt he was a very nice horse and that we'd be happy to have him. They gave me the confidence to kick on and buy him.”
Asked if there were similarities between the two, Mahon added, “They are both big strong-looking horses. This fella might be a little bit sharper than the brother but they are both good-sized, good-moving quality animals. It was an easy decision with how well the brother has done for us.”
@mariannklay consigned lot 591, a colt by Wootton Bassett @coolmorestud, who sold for €340,000 to @JuddmonteFarms. Mariann Klay and Des Leadon sold a filly by the sire a little earlier for €280,000. pic.twitter.com/HftQaOxXG9
— TDN (@theTDN) November 16, 2022
The sale capped off a wonderful afternoon's work for Marriann Klay and Des Leadon of Swordlestown Little with their offerings by the sire as, not only did their homebred sell to Juddmonte for €340,000, but they also secured €280,000 for a Wootton Bassett filly (lot 565) from Tally-Ho Stud earlier in the day.
✨ ᴀ ᴡᴏᴏᴛᴛᴏɴ ʙᴀꜱꜱᴇᴛᴛ ꜰɪʟʟʏ ʙʀɪɴɢꜱ €280,000 ᴀᴛ ɢᴏꜰꜰꜱ@mariannklay consigned lot 565, a filly by @coolmorestud's Wootton Bassett. She is a half-sister to Gr.2 winner Terebellum and has been bought by @HoStud @Goffs1866 November Foal Sale. pic.twitter.com/HNeKPcKZAy
— TDN (@theTDN) November 16, 2022
Des Leadon said, “Nisriyna (Ire) (Intikhab) is just fantastic. We're just so lucky to have her. She's a wonderful mare with a wonderful temperament and how exciting to sell a half-brother to what may be next year's Derby winner. It's not often you have horses like that and, in their own way, our two Wootton Bassetts in this environment as foals are as precious as the Alpinistas (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Baaeeds (GB).
“These are collectors items and they don't come along very often. We feel very lucky to have Marvada (Ire) (Elusive City) for our very good friend and client Alan O'Flynn and to have Nisriyna ourselves. To have the support of Juddmonte, who have been wonderful to work with, has been brilliant and Nisriyna goes to Kingman next year. We have a Dark Angel in utero and we are very happy to work with such professionals within the industry and, in our own small way, to enjoy everything that it brings to us. It's a very special day.”
Asked what led to the decision to support Wootton Bassett, Leadon said, “Because he was here and that he had done so well. We wanted to use better and better sires because the mare had shown us what she could do. The accessibility of Wootton Bassett was a big factor in our decision.”
Wootton Bassett broke the €1-million marker on the day. The sire of this year's impressive G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. winner Al Riffa (Fr) had six foals sold for an aggregate of €1,345,000 on Wednesday.
On how the Nisriyna story began, Leadon continued, “Mariann and I rode out for John Oxx for many years. That's where we first met the mare. We bought her here in Goffs [for €2,000 in 2010] and tried to develop her as a broodmare from there. We can't do it without the raw material and these Aga Khan families are wonderful. John Oxx was so good with them and it gave us an insight into the thinking of elite stud farms like that and to John's wonderful assessment of horses.”
Kingman Reigns Supreme
Kingman reigned supreme at Goffs on Wednesday. Not only did he supply the top lot and the Roundhill Stud-drafted colt who was knocked down to Juddmonte for €530,000 but he completed the clean sweep when The Castlebridge Consignment's filly (lot 688) by the stallion was snapped up by Japanese buyers for €460,000.
Shingo Hashimoto, who has made the trip to Goffs in the past, signed for that Kingman filly on behalf of Katsumi Yoshida.
He said, “She has been bought to race in Japan. Kingman has done well in Japan and has a runner [Schnell Meister (Ger)] in a Group 1 there this weekend. She looked good and the pedigree is very strong. She is lovely. She has been bought for Katsumi Yoshida.”
Honora and Bobby Donworth of Roundhill Stud know a thing or two about selling big ticket items and, in lot 606, the second-highest priced foal of the sale, the perfect suitor was found.
Honora Donworth explained, “I'm so pleased he is going to Juddmonte. For me, that was everything. Everything. He's going where he should be going. We wanted to give it every shot in the world and the mare has been bred to Frankel so fingers crossed. There has been a good horse every year and it goes back to his grandmother who we bought in America. It's the most wonderful family.”
There were just three foals sold at the November Foal Sale at Goffs by Kingman and they filled the top three slots at an aggregate of €1,540,000.
No Nay Never Colt Commands 300k
Off the back of a memorable season, No Nay Never had his fee for 2023 increased by Coolmore to €175,000 and progeny by the sire proved popular on the day at Goffs with a colt (lot 602) selling for €300,000 from Rockfield Farm to Rockbank B/S.
A first foal out of Piece Of Paradise (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), who carried owner-breeder Michael O'Flynn's red and yellow silks to victory at listed level, the No Nay Never colt delivered on the high expectations that everybody at Rockfield Farm had for him.
Mitch Barry, the racing and stud manager at Rockfield, said, “It's great and we've always liked the colt, he's been a cracker from day one. When we came up here everything just clicked with him and he came out of his box every day and did everything perfectly. We couldn't be happier. He's been busy but I was humming and hawing whether he'd get to €300,000 but I'm delighted he surpassed that.”
He added, “We're big fans of No Nay Never, he's had a phenomenal season. The mare is in foal to St Mark's Basilica (Fr) and she's a beautiful mare. It's been a great family for Michael and all the O'Flynns and this is a great day for the farm.”
No Nay Never has had an exceptional year with Blackbeard (Ire), introduced on the Coolmore roster at €25,000, Little Big Bear (Ire) and Meditate (Ire) winning Group 1 juvenile races.
Five colts were offered by him on Wednesday, selling for an aggregate of €674,000 and an average of €134,000.
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