Goffs Postpones Breeze-up; 2020 London Sale Cancelled

The Goffs Group has issued a revised calendar for its spring sales and has announced that it will suspend the Goffs London Sale for one year amid uncertainty for racing and sales during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Goffs UK Breeze-up Sale, which was originally scheduled to take place on Apr. 22 and 23, will now be staged on either June 13 and 14 or June 14 and 15, immediately prior to the start of Royal Ascot on Tuesday, June 16. The venue for the delayed sale is yet to be confirmed, but Goffs is discussing the option to stage the breeze-up close to London. The company previously held a breeze-up sale at Kempton Park racecourse for several years.

Since 2014, the eve of the Royal Meeting has been the slot of the London Sale, which had the unique selling point of offering a selection horses in training with entries for Royal Ascot.

Goffs and Goffs UK also hold National Hunt store sales in May and June at their venues in Doncaster and Kildare. The Goffs UK Spring Sale of HIT/Point-to-Pointers and the Goffs Land Rover Sale will now take place in the weeks commencing 27 July and 3 August respectively.

Explaining the revision to the sales schedule, Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby said, “In these uncertain times we must plan as best we can but accept that time is going to be required before any degree of normality returns to our lives. With that in mind we have revisited our sales calendar and listened to the directives and information coming from our governments and the aspirations of the racing authorities in both countries. We do not feel it would be sensible to attempt to sell any category until such time as racing returns in some form in the UK and/or Ireland and hope this revised schedule allows the time for that to happen and for the dream of racehorse ownership to be reignited in potential purchasers.”

He continued, “The Breeze-up Sale will utilise a highly successful date in the Goffs calendar and follows a proven formula for sales ring and top-class racecourse success. Meanwhile the alternative store sales dates recall a time when the best stores used to be sold at that time of year. Indeed, I remember working my first DBS sale in August 1978 when the cream of the crop was offered. These later dates also provide the opportunity for some point-to-pointers and horses in training to be marketed to a willing market.

“We hope that this revised schedule gives some clarity to our clients whilst recognising that there are no ideal solutions to a situation no one foresaw just a few weeks ago. However we are grateful to the industry for their assistance and assure every Goffs client that we will work tirelessly to provide the best possible opportunities to sell and buy.

“Finally, I want to thank the Goffs teams in Ireland and the UK for their commitment and proactivity whilst we operate our work from home policy to ensure that we keep everyone safe and play our part in trying to halt the spread of this awful virus.”