By Brian Sheerin
Pa Doyle could not have said it any better than he did. It was at this sale 12 months ago that, when asked to sum up trade, the Galbertstown boss coined the phrase, “those pinhookers are as brave as lions.” That sentence had as much relevance a year ago as it did on Tuesday when Paul McCartan, Michael Fitzpartick, Barry Mahon and Philip Stauffenberg–absolute titans of their profession–fought it out for some of the best foals on offer at Goffs.
It was McCartan, the master breeder and pinhooker who has nurtured the careers of Battash (Ire), Harry Angel (Ire) and Kodi Bear (Ire) to name but a few, who accounted for the most expensive foal through the ring on Tuesday, the Hunting Hill Stud-drafted Sioux Nation filly that went his way at €185,000.
But in order to secure that filly, McCartan had to think outside the box–just as he had done 24 hours previously when he took to bidding online to land a Cotai Glory (GB) colt for €88,000. This time, McCartan enlisted the help of top agent Matt Houldsworth–who auctioneer Michael Ryan amusingly pronounced 'Huddlesworth' when dropping his hammer–to see off the attention of Tally-Ho Stud as determined underbidders.
The Ballyphilip Stud man commented afterwards, “She's a gorgeous filly. We saw her three or four times and she was better every time we saw her. We love Sioux Nation and we think the best is yet to come. She has a proper pedigree and I said if she wasn't making money as a pinhook we have the option of keeping her for breeding because her pedigree is fantastic and it is so hard to get those pedigrees now.”
The Sioux Nation filly is out of Mount Nelson (GB) mare Jolie Chanson (Fr), who Hunting Hill Stud picked up for just 3,500gns at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2018. She has since gone on to produce Listed winner Majestic Dawn (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) and the Group 2-placed Rousing Encore (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}).
McCartan continued, “Buyers are hot on Sioux Nation—and with justification—and he has done very well with fillies. I like him and we have been using him. We sold a yearling by him and this year we have a mare in foal to him and we will continue to use him.”
Hanshen Tham is in agreement with McCartan on the sire and backed up his opinion to the tune of €130,000. The Malaysian native who lives in London is perhaps best known for owning the classy Listed winner Thornbrook (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) but enjoyed a huge pinhooking profit earlier this year when a Night Of Thunder (Ire) colt that he sourced here for €210,000 rocked into 500,000gns at Book 1 in Newmarket. Tham was reinvesting some of those pinhooking profits on Tuesday and said that the Sioux Nation colt, who is out of a sister to Prince Of Lir (Ire) and was consigned by Ballinafad Stud, would have stacked up favourably with some of the Wednesday foals.
“Quality animal,” Tham said. “A very good mover and I thought he stood up well to even the Wednesday foals. The sire is getting there and he's done it the hard way so far. He deserves to be getting the praise that he is getting. He is a very good stallion. They are just racehorses and do it on the track.”
Reflecting on the pinhook of the Night Of Thunder that got him off the ground, Tham added, “It was risky but luckily it paid off. It has provided me with a bit more confidence to go again this week and we're just trying to buy the nice foals at prices that we think make sense. We had only two pinhooks last year and I'd like to buy between three and five this year. This is the first foal I have bought this year-it's been hard to buy.”
Tham's assessment that it has been hard to buy is representative in the figures. After an extremely strong start on Monday where all of the key figures were on the rise bar the clearance rate, the numbers took another jump on Tuesday, notably the 7% rise in turnover to €8,200,500. The average was up 16% to €42,271 while the median climbed 17% to €35,000. The clearance rate was a healthy 80%.
“We're over the moon. We'll be coming back with our nice foals to Goffs, because they can get the result.”
Hunting Hill Stud's Sioux Nation filly summons €185,000 from @BallyphilipStud at #GoffsNovember. pic.twitter.com/1Fhq6ST5le
— Goffs (@Goffs1866) November 19, 2024
Barry Mahon: 'It's Been Crazy – The Market Is Very Strong'
When it comes to pinhooking, Barry Mahon needs no introduction. Signing under Goodwill Bloodstock, he sourced a Blue Point (Ire) colt for €175,000 from Oaklawn Stud.
Out of the Street Cry (Ire) mare Aaraamm, who is a sister to the Group 2-placed Saamidd (GB), the Blue Point colt will be offered for resale.
Mahon explained, “Blue Point is a very good stallion and is responsible for what is probably as good a three-year-old colt there is around this year in Rosallion (Ire). It's great that Rosallion stays in training next year as well. This horse was bred by very good breeders in the McStays. He's a nice horse and he will be coming back for resale.”
On the market, Mahon added, “It's been crazy.The market is very strong but the yearling sales were very good–it was good here at the Orby, it was very good at Newmarket and Keeneland in September and November was strong. There is a lot of positivity and a lot of new people buying horses. There is a good feeling around, which is important.”
The sale exceeded all expectations for Oaklawn Stud and the outfit's Killian McStay commented, “Delighted to get a homebred away for such an incredible sum. He was very popular since he got here and I don't think we've ever seen such footfall or had as many shows as we did. Our ceiling was absolutely shattered. It looks like it's going up another level again this year.”
“Our ceiling was absolutely shattered, he went beyond that.”@OaklawnStud received an “incredible sum” of €175,000 from Goodwill Bloodstock for their Blue Point colt (Lot 295). pic.twitter.com/72J5yykZfn
— Goffs (@Goffs1866) November 19, 2024
Back Of The Net For Begley With Hello Youmzain Colt
Stan Begley, grandson of the late Stan Cosgrove, enjoyed a memorable evening when selling a Hello Youmzain (Fr) colt for €120,000 to Corduff Stud [who signed under Blandford Bloodstock]. Consigned by the Irish National Stud, where Begley is based full-time, the Hello Youmzain represented a shrewd piece of business for the youngster who bought the dam Madhulika (Fr) carrying the colt for just €31,000 at the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale.
“I am absolutely over the moon,” Begley said. “We bought the mare for 31 grand last year in France. Hello Youmzain kicked off then-it was brilliant. He went down very well with everyone.”
He added, “The mare was a bit of value, she was in foal to Hello Youmzain, and she was the dam of Madeline who was a Listed winner and placed in a Group 1. She was a lovely mare and the sire clicked. She is in foal to Calyx (GB).
“It's great. All week we had all the right people on him, so we kind of knew we were doing well. We just have two mares, but sure we might go pinhooking a few there now!”
Hello Youmzain, who Haras d'Etreham bumped from a €22,500 covering fee to €40,000 for 2025, has enjoyed 24 winners from 41 runners in Europe and is well on his way to being crowned champion first-season sire in his native France.
Talking Points
There were 11 six-figure lots through the ring on Tuesday. Things are hotting up nicely ahead of the much-anticipated Wednesday session, where some of the best-bred foals in the sale will be offered under the hammer.
Philip Stauffenberg was responsible for one of those six-figure lots on Tuesday–a €115,000 Starman (GB) colt from Ridge Manor Stud. In fact, Stauffenberg has been quite busy across both days, and signed for four foals to the tune of €235,000.
How early is too early to start judging a stallion's progeny? It's hard to know how much can be gleaned at this stage but certainly the Minzaal (Ire) foals seem to be finding themselves on many peoples' lists. Of the 19 offered, 17 have sold at an average of €35,324–including two for €80,000.
But the early plaudits must go to Blackbeard. The Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes winner's foals averaged more than any other debut-season sire did this week. Blackbeard also achieved what no other newbie managed by netting a six-figure sale. Step forward lot 471, the Stanley Lodge-drafted colt out of Group 2 winner Pollyana (Ire) (Whipper), who was knocked down to TOHA for €155,000. Blackbeard has averaged €46,091 for 11 foals sold.
In terms of this year's crop of first-season sires championship, the cool thing to say is that it has been an open year and no stallion has bopped his head above the parapet. Notching a Group 1 winner with your first crop would qualify as bopping your head above the parapet and Kameko, who achieved exactly that with New Century (GB), is clearly being given the respect he deserves. After a yearling colt of his sold for 1 million gns at Book 2, top pinhooker Michael Fitzpatrick went to €180,000 to secure the Hollyhill Stud-drafted filly by the stallion deep into the Tuesday session. Tweenhills boss David Redvers was on hand to see the filly out of the late Lady O'Reilly's Group 3-placed Roseraie (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) create such a frenzy in the ring. He commented, “She was a beautiful filly and it seems she was on all the best judges' lists.It is a wonderful legacy for the lovely Lady O'Reilly's operation and it a great stamp of approval for a hugely exciting young stallion.”
Hayes Celebrates A Different Kind Of Winner With Mehmas Filly
Top jockey Chris Hayes sidestepped a trip to India to ride for the winter in favour of seeing his homebred Mehmas filly sell at Goffs this week and that decision was vindicated when she made €150,000 to Alex Butler. Consigned by Boherguy Stud, the Mehmas filly is out of Shahaada (Ire), who Hayes partnered to finish third in the Listed McCalmont Stakes at Gowran Park a couple of years ago.
Hayes commented, “That was very exciting-it was a different kick to riding a winner! I was pretty confident in her, Rachel [Hayes's wife] did most of the prep. I just turned up and Clare [Manning, Boherguy Stud] did a great job in getting her sold. We are obviously over the moon and [she is] gone to a good home which is even better.”
He added, “She made more than we thought. We were too busy staring in on the filly to see who the underbidder was. I am known for silly celebrations, and all I was short of was doing that. The dam was in Kevin's [Prendergast] and was owned by Sheikh Hamdan. He passed away and Sheikha Hissa took over, and I spoke to Angus Gold, bought the mare privately, and we kept her in training. I put her in foal to Starman, she improved from 73 to 95 and we got her black-type. We have a Starman filly now and enough money to put her in training now. Shahaada is in foal to Mehmas again.
“The O'Callaghans have been very good supporters of us from our first foal. They have good stallions, and when they have been good to us, why not support them? Roger kindly offered Mehmas. We like the Starman and decided to keep her, so we are looking forward to putting her in training. She is being broken at the moment and I will sit on her in a fortnight.”
Buy of the Day
Sarah Dempsey has enjoyed a marvellous year on the pinhooking front under the banner of Tincoon Stables. Her breakout year was highlighted by a €18,000 Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) colt who she sourced for just €200 as a foal. The chips were put back on the table on Tuesday when the County Wexford-based operator went to €33,000 to secure a fast-looking filly by Calyx (GB) and it's hard to say that Dempsey didn't sniff out a bit of value in what has been a bustling market. Consigned by Joe Hernan`s Castletown Stud, the Calyx filly is a half-sister to Mission Command (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), already a dual winner for trainer George Scott and Bahraini-based owners Victorious Racing. It's hardly beyond the realms of possibility that Mission Command–who is already rated 87–can take another step forward next year, which would obviously be a boost. One of 71 foals by a thoroughly respectable stallion, lot 470 wouldn't look out of place in Orby 1 next year on pedigree and might prove another pinhooking profit for the upwardly mobile Dempsey.
Thought for the Day
Talk of some vendors having 170 or more shows at Goffs this week got me thinking. As a man who dabbles in the odd foal to yearling and yearling to breezer, it remains pretty amusing that, the closer you get to the racetrack, the fewer people there are to buy the end product. Vendors at the yearling sales would average significantly fewer shows than at the foal sales and that number is even smaller at the breeze-up sales. Food for thought perhaps.
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