Mission Accomplished As Goffs UK Praised For Initiative

DONCASTER, UK–There is little doubt that the decision to hold the Goffs UK and Arqana Breeze-up Sales in the same place on the same day has reaped dividends for vendors and the sales companies alike. In times of trouble, anything that can make life a little easier for those longing for some return to normal business practices has to be applauded.

As emphasised by bloodstock agent Richard Brown after he signed for an American Pharoah colt at £175,000, the international resale market remains reassuringly recession-proof, which in turn has emboldened some owners and syndicates to stay in the game.

“The market seems to be absolutely bouncing,” said Brown at roughly the halfway stage for the Goffs UK sale, which was the first of the day. “I think it's worth saying that, in this industry we are all competitors but when things go wrong, such as COVID or in someone's personal life, it's extraordinary how people rally round. Goffs and Arqana have worked so hard to get this sale on and they have done an amazing job. It's phenomenal how people pull together in difficult times.”

As with any sale, there will be tales of woe alongside the profitable pinhooks, and closer reflection on the middle and lower-market tiers will be required when the dust settles on this belated breeze-up season but it must be said that the level of trade at the 'Donny breeze'–the original sale in this sector in Europe–was surprisingly strong, with some decent prices paid by buyers from America, Qatar, Thailand, Scandinavia and closer to home.

A reduced catalogue through an understandably high number of withdrawals led to 99 horses being offered in the ring, 83 of which sold to bring a clearance rate of 84% and turnover of £3,869,900. The average improved on record trade last year by 2% to £46,625 and the median was up by 15% at £30,000.

Destination California

Off to California will be the sole Kingman (GB) 2-year-old of the sale (lot 31), who will carry the colours of Calvin Nguyen when he begins racing from the stable of Richard Baltas. After signing the ticket for the top lot of the sale at £290,000, Jamie Lloyd, the British-based partner in Meah Lloyd Bloodstock, said, “He's been bought with my partner David Meah for one of our clients in America, Calvin Nguyen. The sire is well known to them over there and he's a half-brother to two highly-rated 2-year-olds.”

Those half-siblings are the dual winner and Group 3-placed Marsh Hawk (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and the G2 Queen Mary third Hairy Rocket (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who is also the winner of two races. Bred by the Keswick family's Rockcliffe Stud, the colt is out of the listed-placed Asaawir (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}) and was bought as a yearling for £120,000 in the same ring by Jim McCartan, who consigned him for the breeze through his Gaybrook Lodge Stud.

Nicolas de Watrigant was one of a decent number of agents and trainers who had travelled from France for the sales and he made his presence felt when signing for lot 97, a colt by Dandy Man (Ire) out of Light Glass (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), at £200,000 on behalf of Al Shaqab Racing. Bred by Drumlin Bloodstock and sold to Glenvale Stud for 80,000gns as a foal, he was retained as a yearling at 75,000gns and reoffered here through Willie Browne's Mocklershill.

“He breezed well and he's a scopey colt, more typical of Lope De Vega than Dandy Man,” said Browne. “The market certainly seems to be good for the right horse.”

The colt, whose fourth dam is the Irish Oaks winner and influential matriarch Helen Street (GB) is from a family in which Shamardal looms large, both as a grandson of Helen Street and the sire of the dam's three-parts sister, the listed winner Shamtee (Ire).

The Triple Crown winner American Pharoah is a sire with transatlantic popularity and so it proved for lot 69, a colt out of treble listed winner Gitchee Goomie (City Zip), who sold from the Star Bloodstock draft for £175,000.

“He's going to David Simcock,” said agent Richard Brown after signing the ticket. “The stallion is exceptional. This colt is not over-big but he has quite a bit of growing to do and we will give him a little bit of time. He's been bought for our resale syndicate, Never Say Die, and this is far more than we've ever given for a horse so some of the share-holders might be having a heart attack. There are 10 shares and Star Bloodstock are staying in for a share, that's how much they believe in him.”

Never Say Die's biggest result on the racecourse to date came through former breezer Teppal (Ire) (Camacho {GB}), winner of the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches in 2018 and Brown said the syndicate wanted to reinvest despite the wider difficulties in the world at present. He continued, “We thought long and hard but the resale market seems to be completely unaffected by what's going on in the world. Obviously it's a big risk but he's by a properly international stallion and is he's good enough he will appeal to Hong Kong or America.”

Alastair Donald struck early in the day for a colt by first-season sire Mehmas (Ire) (lot 28), who will join Andrew Balding's team for King Power Racing after being bought for £165,000.

“His breeze was the second-fastest breeze and he did it very easily,” said Donald. “He's just a very well-made and well-balanced individual from a speedy family and the stallion has had a solid start.”

The sale was a good result for former National Hunt jockey Andrew Lynch, who consigned the colt under his County Meath-based Kilbrew Stables.

He said, “We're delighted with that. He's a gorgeous horse. I met the man who was selling him [as a yearling] just as he was coming out of the sales ring and I bought him privately. My wife Fiona and I do them together and we only have a handful of horses.”

Reflecting on a frenetic day of trade for both sales companies in action on Wednesday, Goffs UK Managing Director Tim Kent said: “We couldn't have predicted that. It's been a very long journey to enable us to hold this sale and there have been many twists and turns along the way but we are absolutely delighted with what has been achieved today. To deliver those results is way beyond what we could have imagined, and the timing could not be better with the yearling sales not far away.”

He continued, “It has been a huge team effort to get to this stage and it has been a real joy working with Arqana to hold this event. The original [Doncaster] and the best [Arqana] have come together to outperform any similar sales in Europe this year but none of this could have been done without the huge support of the BHA, Doncaster Racecourse and Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council. All three of these organisations have been extremely proactive during the planning of this sale and a special mention must go to Roderick Duncan and his team at the racecourse who have prepared some of the best ground ever offered. We must also mention the local hotels who have opened especially for our clients and we could not have held the sale without them.

“However, the real credit for today's achievements lie with the vendors. They have been extremely supportive during the planning of today's sale and have kept these horses in top form for an extra two months before today. Many have resisted the temptation to sell privately and have instead shown huge faith in what we're doing, only to be well rewarded as a result. We are nothing without our vendors and this has never been more evident than in the last three months, meaning that we are indebted to them for their loyalty.

“So it's fair to say that this has been worth the wait and we look forward to today's graduates racing very soon, where we will be in the strange position of cheering home those sold by Goffs and Arqana–something else that I would not have predicted.”