By Brian Sheerin
If there is one criticism about this bloodstock game of ours, it's the fact that we never seem to need a second invitation for a backslap and oftentimes we can portray things as being rosey in the garden when the opposite may well be true. Not at Goffs on Wednesday where the highest-ever turnover, average and median was achieved at the November Foal Sale.
Even the biggest of hitters in this business, like Coolmore's MV Magnier and Baroda Stud boss David Cox, admitted to being genuinely bowled over not only by the demand for foals at Kildare Paddocks, but by the huge cohort of young pinhookers and traders who rolled up their sleeves and got in on the action.
It was Cox who sold the most expensive foal through the ring at Goffs on Wednesday, a Sea The Stars (Ire) colt that went the way to Godolphin for €1 million. A brother to Group 1 winner Teona (Ire), he was sold on behalf of Yuesheng Zhang's Yulong operation, who sourced the dam [Ambivalent (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}), herself a Group 2 winner] carrying the foal at Tattersalls last December for 925,000gns.
It was a result befitting of what has been extraordinary trade and Cox, not a man who goes all soppy easily, said he was blown away by the level of trade at every level this week.
Speaking about the top lot, he said, “When you get a foal that looks like he does, with his quality, strength and movement, and then you x-ray him a week before the sale and find out he's clean and has a good scope, it's some relief. You come here thinking you have a chance of having the best foal in the sale. When I got here, it was pretty evident after a couple of days that we did have the best foal in the sale.”
It was Anthony Stroud, bidding on behalf of Godolphin, who saw off another powerhouse owner-breeder in Juddmonte for the blue chip colt.
Stroud commented, “He is a very nice individual [who] walked very well. [He has] a lot of presence and a lot of body. He is by Sea The Stars who is a Derby winner and he is out of a Group winner who has produced a Group 1 winner. All of the stars aligned. He has a wonderful temperament. We looked at him on many occasions and saw him in the pre parade ring and he was very relaxed. The pedigree and the conformation matched together. I think, from that point of view, he's a horse who will complement our homebreds. It [the market] looks very competitive. Prices are good and people are getting well paid if they have a nice horse.”
The fact that two major outfits locked horns on the colt came as a relief to Cox who admitted to being unsure how to price the top lot prior to the sale. He also went on to offer his tuppence worth as to why he thinks foal buyers turned out in their droves at Goffs this week.
He said, “It was hard to price him and I'm delighted that Juddmonte and Godolphin took each other on and that he made his money. Fair play to Mr Zhang, Paul Curran and Vin Cox, they have supported us and that's the second millionaire we've had for them this year. We sold a Frankel (GB) at Tattersalls earlier on in the year to Amo Racing and, as I said, we're grateful for the support.
“Mr Zhang paid 925,000gns for the mare and they've got their money back with one foal. She's back in foal to Sea The Stars and is carrying a colt. This sale gives them options. It's a worldwide operation and, with Vin leading the charge and Paul looking after Europe, they buy and sell mares, foals and yearlings.”
On the market, Cox continued, “Goffs is especially unique to any other sales house and maybe it's an Irish thing as well. We've all grown up with ponies and are a bit closer to farm life than the English. There are more people involved with horses in Ireland and, every year, I see new faces all with the same dream of buying a foal and turning it into money as a yearling. That's what keeps the game going at the middle to lower levels. This year, we had foals there with 150 first shows. I mean, the dream is really alive the further you are from putting on the saddle! You get to the yearling sales and it narrows [the amount of buyers] and then on to the breeze-ups it's narrower again. Like, we'd an ordinary foal the other day with 130 first shows. He wasn't a good-looking foal so he didn't get many second looks but for him to get that many first shows was amazing and illustrates just how many people were here this week. I think it's something that English people must be worried about. They don't seem to have as many young people coming through in the game as we do in Ireland. It's the same with staff. When you go to the sales in America or Australia, you see all the Irish faces working the sales. We're very close to the horse and are exporting a lot of good horse people as well as horses.”
There is still one more day of foals on Thursday, but at the close of play on Wednesday, Baroda Stud had netted €1,618,000 for 17 lots sold. The Sea The Stars became the second millionaire lot the outfit sold in 2024 following on from the 1.1 million gns sale of the Frankel colt to Amo Racing at Book 1 last month. Of course, days like Wednesday are tinged with sadness given David's Dad Dermot passed away earlier this summer.
Cox concluded, “We were involved in the Niarchos dispersal last year and I can remember thinking, 'how are we going to find another millionaire horse?' It's happened twice this year and it was days like this where I'd get the text off Dad saying 'well done'. I miss those texts. I'd a point-to-pointer who sold well last week and I know he'd have been on the phone straight away after that. Days like that are tough. But look, it's been a good year business wise and we have a great team with Padraic Gahan, Noel McDonnell and all the staff. It's a travelling circus, really, and we're on the road the whole time.”
Of the 180 lots offered on Wednesday, 158 were sold at an 88% clearance rate. The turnover rested at €18,246,500, which is up 47% on last year. Meanwhile, the €115,485 average was up 61% and the median climbed by 64% to €82,000.
€1,000,000 from Godolphin buys Baroda Stud's Sea The Stars own brother to Group 1 winner TEONA, out of Group 1 winner AMBIVALENT.@nickluck spoke to Anthony Stroud about his stellar purchase at #GoffsNovember. pic.twitter.com/6ZhdZg2SLF
— Goffs (@Goffs1866) November 20, 2024
Magnier: 'It's Great To See The Amount Of Young People Coming Into The Business'
MV Magnier echoed Cox's sentiments regarding the vibrancy of the sales ground this week after signing for a Camelot (GB) half-brother to Mother Earth (Ire) from Grenane House Stud for €420,000. It's been an amazing year for the stallion, who deserved his €25,000 bump to a 2025 covering fee of €75,000 after a slew of high-class winners, most notably with Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Bluestocking (GB).
Magnier commented, “He's a very nice horse. Sure Mother Earth was one of those special fillies and Camelot is enjoying the best year he's had since he's gone to stud. In fairness, Adrian and Mark [Wallace] have been great supporters of ours and we're just delighted to be able to support them. Mother Earth has a Frankel foal at foot and is in foal to Justify. The Camelots have been selling well all year and he's just gone into that elite status now. He can get you a high-class Classic type of horse.”
On trade, he added, “It really is fantastic how it has gone from Monday, Tuesday–the whole way through. From the lesser foals up to the better-bred horses on Wednesday, it really has been very strong. The best thing about it is the amount of young people around here. That's the best sign–the amount of young people coming into the business. It's a great thing to see and, in fairness to Goffs, they have been encouraging these young lads and girls to buy horses. It can't always be about us old lads anymore!”
Memorable Trade For Young Vendor With Three Six-Figure Lots
At just 30 years of age, Adam Morgan of Greenville House Stud ranks as one of the youngest vendors on the sales circuit. Youth proved no barrier to success as Morgan enjoyed a banner sale with three six-figure lots–a Lope De Vega (Ire) filly to Newtown Anner Stud for €450,000, a Blue Point (Ire) colt to Sumbe for €320,000 and a Mehmas (Ire) colt to Katsumi Yoshida for €100,000–going through the ring within the space of just 20 lots of each other. Indeed, Morgan was destined to make it in this business. The son of Isaac, who bred Fast Company (Ire), Morgan spent time working at Rathasker Stud and clearly wasn't walking around with his eyes closed.
He commented, “It's only a small farm at home and we try to do the simple things right. We're just lucky that breeders and owners have stuck by us and sent us good stock.
Dad [Isaac] bred Fast Company while my aunt [Mary Morgan] bred [Cheltenham Festival winner] Shattered Love. We've been quite lucky with our breeding. The broodmare band has always been quite small at home. I spent time with Maurice Burns and I learned a lot there.”
He added, “We never expected what happened here today. The footfall has been crazy and it's only when you come out the other side of the ring when you realise how good of a horse you had.”
The Lope De Vega rightly created the biggest stir. Out of proven producer Ayr Missile (GB) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}), who is the dam of two high-class horses by Bungle Inthejungle (GB), lot 574 was very much the jewel in Greenville's crown.
Morgan said, “Patrick Burns owns Ayr Missile. She wasn't an expensive mare and he sent her to Bungle Inthejungle and she came up with Living In The Past and then Jungle Drums won a Listed race earlier this year. It's just been a very lucky family for him and he bought her Lope De Vega. It was an end user's foal. A lot of the pinhookers wanted to get her but, at the end of the day, she's a breeding prospect. You dream of these sorts of things.”
He added, “We were very busy. Some people were left waiting a little longer than they should have but the staff we have are excellent and all of the buyers were very understanding. A special thanks must go to my partner Jillian Murphy who plays a massive role in the operation. She's a massive part of my life and what she does for me.
“I think everyone has been very happy with the trade overall. In other years, there might be some people who had a good sale but they'll say it was great. Others will have had a bad sale and they might say it was fine. But I do think across the board that everyone has got their fair share of money. It's been a great week.”
Talking Points
It wasn't just the domestic pinhookers who were out in force at Goffs this week. In fact, it was Scandinavian buyers John Christensen and Alice Weiste of the JC Organisation along with Goffs agent Filip Zwicky who lit the touch paper on Wednesday when going to €550,000 to secure a Night Of Thunder (Ire) colt out of a full-sister to Group 1 winner Gear Up from Castlebridge. Connections have one eye on a return to Goffs Orby Book 1 next year where a tried and trusted path to success may be followed. “We had our eyes on the Kingman [half-sister] in Japan and we are looking forward to bringing him back to Goffs next year,” Zwicky said. “We will see what happens and how he develops. He will board here in Ireland and we will see how he goes. Obviously a few years back we took a chance on a €300,000 pinhook and now we have upped the game.” That €300,000 at the 2020 Goffs November Foal Sale for a Footstepsinthesand half-brother to Lucky Vega returned to Goffs the following autumn and connections more than doubled their money when selling the colt to Yulong for €630,000.
You don't see key figures jumping by 50 and 60 per cent very often. But that's the kind of mind-boggling market we were dealing with at Goffs this week. The extraordinary became the ordinary. The scary thing is that trade could have been even better had some of the higher-profile lots not been withdrawn.
There was nobody nipping out to the car parks early on Wednesday, which was good, because Philip Stauffenberg added some excitement deep into the session when going to €440,000 for a Night Of Thunder (Ire) colt bred by Swordlestown Little. Lot 753 is out of a sister to Lilbourne Lad (Ire) and represents the most expensive lot that Stauffenberg, who has spent €910,000 on seven foals this week, added to his haul. He said, “I was waiting for that colt the whole day. I think he's a standout colt–very well-muscled and well-made Night Of Thunder. We have been very lucky with Night Of Thunder and bought Romantic Style (Ire) here as well. She was a little bit cheaper at €240,000 but she turned out to be a good pinhook [sold for 550,000gns] and a good racehorse so hopefully we can do it again.”
Alice & John Weiste Christensen of the JC Organisation & Goffs Scandinavia Agent @FilipZwicky secured a Night Of Thunder Colt for €550k from @TheCastlebridge.
The colt is a half brother to #GoffsNovember foal & unbeaten 2YO in Japan Pretty Diva. pic.twitter.com/jVtz4hXseJ
— Goffs (@Goffs1866) November 20, 2024
Buy of the Day
Just because you buy cheap, it doesn't mean you buy value and, even at €205,000, the case can be made that legend of the game Timmy Hyde unearthed a potential gem in the shape of lot 634, a colt by Blue Point. Described by a respected agent as “one of the best-walking foals in the sale,” the Blue Point attracted plenty of attention and Camas Park Stud had to see off the attention of emerging pinhooker Hanshen Tham as underbidder. Consigned by Knocktartan House Stud, the colt is from a fast family that features Laugh Out Loud (GB). A smart colt, no doubt.
Thought for the Day
Whilst enjoying one or two post-sale pints with some agents and trainers on Tuesday, the topic of conversation turned to buying the wrong horse at the sales. Surprisingly, everyone at the table had done it at least once. And in one case, the agent in question turned a lot of money through sheer luck. It seems as though, when buying a large number of horses, and through the different goings on at the sales, it's somewhat inevitable that human error comes into play at some stage. So credit where it's due to Henry Beeby who, after a number of withdrawals on Wednesday, took the time to remind buyers to concentrate on the lot numbers a little harder than usual. It might seem a very simple thing for an auctioneer to do but you never know, it may well have saved a buyer's blushes.
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