Liss House had cause to celebrate again at the conclusion of the second and final session of the Goffs Arkle Sale Part 1 on Wednesday, having sold a gelding by Tunis (Pol) to Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins for €210,000. That followed the consignor's other significant result during Tuesday's opening session when Ian Ferguson purchased their gelding by No Risk At All (Fr) for €160,000.
Already named Leader Des Bordes (Fr) (lot 317), the Tunis gelding is a half-brother to the top-class French chasers Utopie Des Bordes (Fr) (Antarctique {Ire}) and Victoire Des Borde (Fr) (Antarctique {Ire}), plus Kopek Des Bordes (Fr) (No Risk At All {Fr}), an impressive bumper winner for Mullins during the latest season.
Lot 360, Lakefield Farm's filly by No Risk At All (Fr) out of the G3 Prix Exbury heroine Pearl Sky (Fr) (Kahyasi {Ire}), was another highlight of Wednesday's session when selling to Aiden and Olly Murphy for €125,000, while lot 274 also commanded a six-figure sum when selling to Grandville Racing for €110,000. A gelding by Goliath Du Berlais (Fr), he was consigned by Brown Island Stables and is fittingly set to join Martin Brassil, trainer of the multiple Grade 1 winner Fastorslow (Fr) (Saint Des Saints {Fr})–a half-brother to this horse's dam.
From a marginally smaller catalogue than in 2023 the clearance rate dropped by 9% to 80%, with 340 lots being sold over the course of the two sessions for a total of €16,529,000 (-19%) at an average of €48,615 (-7%) and a median of €42,000 (-12.5%).
Reflecting on the sale, Henry Beeby, Goffs chief executive, said, “The Arkle Sale is truly the first-choice sale for so many of the leading NH Store vendors and consignors these days and we were proud to assemble a catalogue that accounts for the lion's share of the best on offer once again this year.
“It is no secret that there was a feeling of trepidation as the sale approached as it has been a tough year in several ways, not least with the weather that played such havoc with the point to point season, but the overriding vibe from the two days was a sale of vibrancy and strength with the familiar refrain that it is 'hard to buy the good ones' regularly heard.
“While the statistics are behind last year, they have only been bettered by the last two amazing renewals of the sale and we must put the trade into the context of the world today which is a much different place to 12 months ago so therefore derive a level of satisfaction from the results.”
The Goffs Arkle Sale Part 2 begins at 10am on Thursday. The catalogue can be viewed here.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
