By Daithi Harvey
Tuesday sees Goffs kick off its 2020 sales year with the two-day February Sale consisting of yearlings, 2-year-olds, older horses, horses-in-training, breeding stock and even a stallion prospect in the 2017 G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. winner Verbal Dexterity (Ire) (Vocalised). The 5-year-old will be offered late in the day on Wednesday through his owner/breeder/trainer Jim Bolger's Glebe House Stables as lot 545.
This is the second year in a row the February Sale has been compressed into two days having been a three-day event in both 2017 and 2018 and while it is a relatively low key sale in the Goffs calendar, last year's edition still produced a top price of €120,000 when Philip Stauffenberg purchased a Showcasing (GB) yearling colt from Trickledown Stud. Another feature of last year's sale, which yielded an aggregate of €3,976,150 and a clearance rate of 68%, was the participation of Uzbekistan native Avaz Ismoilov. He signed for 25 horses, the majority low value fillies, however one of his acquisitions included a yearling colt by Sea The Stars, bought from Ballintry Stud for €100,000.
Vendors will be hoping for similar international demand this week and will be buoyed by the sight of Goffs Central & Eastern European agent Kishore Mirpuri and a number of his fellow countrymen inspecting horses on Monday, as well as Goffs Scandinavian agent Filip Zwicky along with the usual familiar faces from Ireland, Britain, Italy, etc.
Tuesday is devoted to yearlings and an early offering that benefitted from a timely recent update is lot 31 from Yeomanstown Lodge Stud. This son of Decorated Knight (GB) is already closely related to a few smart stakes horses including last year's Listed Bosra Sham S. winner Mild Illusion (Ire) (Requinto {Ire}), but his 3-year-old half-brother Mr Mooj (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) got off the mark at Dundalk last Friday, albeit with a little help from the stewards. The Joseph O'Brien-trained gelding, who was a 110,000gns yearling, was deservedly promoted to first having been impeded by another rival in the last furlong.
Joe Rogers sold one of the sale toppers at last year's sale and his Ballintry Stud offers a well-bred son of Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) as lot 22. The grey colt is a half-brother to the prolific ten-time winner Captain Joy (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and also the G2 Premio Federico Tesio winner Chestnut Honey (Ire) (No Nay Never).
Lot 49 from Oak Lodge & Springfield House Stud is an Australia (GB) filly that is the first produce out of the former Willie McCreery trained stakes winner Champagne Or Water (Ire) (Captain Rio {GB}), while Oghill House Stud offers a Profitable (Ire) colt (lot 124) out of Italian stakes winner Iuturna (Intidab), who has already produced the stakes winner Laviniad (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) and the stakes placed Fact Of Folklore (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}).
David Stack's Coolagown Stud offers an interesting colt by The Gurkha (Ire). Lot 229 is a half-brother to the black-type performer Sagaciously (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), while the dam's now 2-year-old colt by Dandy Man (Ire) made 100,000gns as a yearling last year when bought by Ed Dunlop.
A selection of 2-year-olds, some broken, some not, open proceedings on Wednesday. They provide an opportunity for breeze-up operators to fill a few empty stables with the later breeze-ups in mind and lot 311 should attract some interest. The chestnut daughter of Night Of Thunder (Ire) from Oghill House Stud is out of Lily White Socks (Ire) (Arakan), a full-sister to the MSW Sruthan (Ire) (Arakan) and whose only runner from just three foals is Romantic Vision (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), a smart, two-time winning juvenile for Kevin Ryan last year.
Among the horses in training, one who appeals as a future winner is lot 358, Longbourn (Ire) (Mukhadram {GB}). The 4-year-old has been placed four times in five starts for Eddie Harty, most recently when second in a maiden at Dundalk Jan. 10.
Those seeking to invest in a broodmare should always cast an eye on the Aga Khan draft and lot 430, Hazakiyra (Ire) (Camelot {GB}} has sound breeding credentials being a winning half-sister to MGSW Hazapour (Ire) (Shamardal) from the family of Harzand (Ire). Another eye-catching Aga Khan filly is lot 513, Sheranda (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}). The 4-year-old has been placed twice in four starts and is a half-sister to two graded stakes winners in Shamreen (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Shahroze (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}).
Jim Bolger's Redmonstown Stud offers lot 438, Dawn Of A New Era (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}). The 6-year-old is in foal to Make Believe (GB) and is a full-sister to both Dawn Approach (Ire) and G2 Futurity S. winner Herald The Dawn (Ire) with another Bolger high achiever, Sanus Per Aquam (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), also close up on the page.
A stakes-placed mare offered before she embarks on her career as a broodmare is lot 450, Hergame (GB) (Motivator {GB}). A dual winner in France when trained by Freddie Head, Hergame will be consigned by Grange Hill Stud and is a half-sister to G3 Prix d'Arenberg winner Yakaba (Fr) (Medicean {GB}) while the dam Kayaba (GB) (Anabaa) was also a stakes winner in France.
There are also some interesting proven broodmares on offer, including lot 462 from Coolagown Stud. The 11-year-old Countess Ferrama (GB) (Authorized {Ire}), a half-sister to G1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Indian Haven (GB) (Indian Ridge), is in foal to Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) and her 4-year-old son Top Rank (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) is unbeaten in three starts for trainer James Tate. Rabbah Bloodstock paid €78,000 for her 2-year-old daughter by The Last Lion (Ire) at the Autumn Yearling Sale in Goffs last October.
At 13-years of age, lot 480, Olga Prekrasa (Kingmambo), has plenty of years still to build on her already impressive profile as a broodmare. The Irish National Stud-consigned mare is already the dam of G1 Prix Jean Prat winner Zelzal (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and G3 Prix Chloe winner Ibiza (Fr) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}). She is offered in foal to Churchill (Ire) on Wednesday.
Meanwhile lot 521, Baroda Stud's Vrai (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) brings something unique to the sale, as she is a half-sister to Lilbourne Lad (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) and is the only mare offered in foal to top French stallion Le Havre (Ire).
The sale begins at 10 a.m. each day.
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