By Emma Berry
KILDARE, Ireland—Two years ago the Goffs November Sale benefited from the major Wildenstein dispersal and then 12 months ago some well-credentialed mares going under the hammer to dissolve the partnership between the China Horse Club and John Magnier.
This time around, a lack of star names, some high-profile withdrawals and resulting shortfall in range of buyers led to a more sobering set of returns. Despite there not being the usual depth of participants, the top transactions of the day still reflected the international draw of the Irish sales, with leading lots scattered among buyers from China, Japan, Spain and France.
The clearance rate rallied to 78% as higher-profile mares took to the ring later in the day, and 167 of the 215 offered found a new home. The aggregate was less than half that accrued last year at €5,879,900 and the average fell in line with that to €35,209 (-47%), while the median dropped by 33% to €18,000.
Yuesheng Zhang of Yulong Investments has been a major investor at Goffs in recent years and, though absent this time, purchased the day's most expensive lady for €350,000 through BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe. The 6-year-old She's Complete (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}) (962), a former stakes winner in California, was sold carrying her second foal by Sea The Stars (Ire) having produced a Golden Horn (GB) colt in 2017.
“Mr Zhang is over in Japan at the moment but we thought that this mare was very nice physically and she was a 2-year-old stakes winner on the turf. Her Golden Horn yearling sold for 200,000gns and has gone to John Gosden. It's obviously a lovely cover to Sea The Stars, breeding back into the family.”
It's a family which has certainly proved worthwhile to repeat in matings. She's Complete's third dam Anatevka (Ger) is also the dam of Allegretta (GB) who, among her other accomplishments, gave birth to Sea The Stars' dam Urban Sea (Miswaki).
Donohoe had earlier signed on Zhang's behalf for the young Shamardal mare Wassail (GB) (903), sold carrying a foal by the National Stud freshman Aclaim (Ire) for €75,000.
Rifa Mustang Returns
The Chinese-owned Rifa Mustang Europe was active throughout the session, ending up with two well-credentialed mares to add to a burgeoning broodmare band. These included Lost In Silence (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) (970), now four, who was a winner at two for Dermot Weld and owner-breeder Moyglare Stud. Sold this time last year for €65,000 to the Irish National Stud, she was then covered by that farm's flagship stallion Invincible Spirit (Ire) and returned to make a swift profit when knocked down for €220,000. The covering sire has already worked well with the immediate family as Lost In Silence's Grade 2-winning half-sister Speaking Of Which (Ire) is a daughter of Invincible Spirit.
“We're at the start of building up a broodmare band in Europe,” explained Rifa Mustang's European representative Peter Hensey, who was working the sale with his Australian counterpart Robert Roulston.
The duo also went to €140,000 for 3-year-old filly Moons Of Jupiter (956), a winning daughter of War Front and the 10-time winner Daisy Devine (Kafwain), whose victories include the GI Jenny Wiley S.
“She's a lovely filly with a great pedigree but there are no plans yet regarding her breeding career,” Hensey said.
Sinndar's Sister A First For Spanish Buyer
A tussle between French and Spanish interests ensued in the purchase of the Aga Khan mare Simawa (Ire), an Anabaa half-sister to the dual Derby and Arc winner Sinndar (Ire). Bertrand Le Metayer made a pretty determined attempt from the buyers' pit but sitting across the ring from him was Francisco Bernal, who had bought the previous day's top-priced Kingman (GB) foal for his unnamed Spanish client and backed that up with making the first broodmare purchase on her behalf.
Sold as lot 977 and carrying to the dual Guineas winner Gleneagles (Ire), the 13-year-old fetched €210,000 and will now become a boarder at Haras du Quesnay in Normandy.
“My client wants to breed and race in France,” he said. “Until recently she was only involved in sport horses but now she bought four Thoroughbreds and this was the mare she wanted. She may be covered by Motivator next year.”
Simawa was herself a winner and listed-placed as a juvenile and has produced the listed winner Silwana (Ire) (Peintre Celebre) and Group 3-placed Summaya (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}).
The Aga Khan Studs draft returned a total of €742,000 for 11 fillies and mares sold through the first session.
Muirin Makes Early Waves
Muirin (Ire) (799), a daughter of Born To Sea (Ire) who was fourth in last year's G1 Moyglare Stud S., led early trade when sold through Baroda & Colbinstown Studs for €210,000. Laurent Benoit of Broadhurst Agency stood alongside Paul Shanahan while conducting the bidding and had the final say over Paul Hensey of Rifa Mustang Europe.
Muirin, bred by Sunderland Holdings and a winner on debut for Eddie Lynam, is a daughter of Group 3-winning sprinter Girouette (Ire) from the Haras du Quesnay family of Villadolide (Fr) (Anabaa).
Sunderland Holdings also featured as the buyer of lot 957, Niku (Ire), a 3-year-old High Chaparral (Ire) half-sister to the Group 1 winner and dual Arc-placed Cloth Of Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who has recently been retired to Haras du Logis.
With a top-class runner by Sea The Stars in the immediate family, the appeal to the stallion's owner Ling Tsui is obvious, and her representative John Clarke said after signing the ticket at €140,000, “It's likely she'll start with Sea The Stars, or she might go to France to visit Born To Sea (Ire).”
Cloth Of Stars was far from the only draw on the page. Niku's dam Strawberry Fledge (Kingmambo) is a full-sister to the Oaks winner Light Shift who has already produced the multiple Group 1 winner and young sire Ulysses (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), while another Group 1-winning half-sister Shiva (Hector Protector) is the dam of listed winner and G2 Prix Corrida runner-up That Which Is Not (Elusive Quality).
I'm Yours, Saxon Warrior
Among the mares in the first book of this year's QIPCO 2,000 Guineas hero Saxon Warrior (JPN) (Deep Impact {JPN}) is likely to be the regally-bred listed winner I'm Yours (GB) (980). The 7-year-old daughter of Invincible Spirit (Ire) and champion racemare Rebelline (Ire) (Robellino) was sold by her breeder Moyglare Stud for €210,000 to Katsumi Yoshida of Japan's Northern Farm.
Offered with a cover to Darley freshman Ribchester (Ire), the mare has a 2-year-old Dark Angel (Ire) filly to race for her named Coco Blanco (Ire), as well as a yearling filly by Free Eagle (Ire) and a colt foal by Iffraaj (GB).
The next mare in the ring (981), also from Moyglare and a daughter of Invincible Spirit, was Last Jewel (Ire), an unraced half-sister to the dual Group 3 winner Profound Beauty (Ire) (Danehill). Knocked down to Fozzy Stack for €195,000, agent Mick Flanagan signed for the 5-year-old, who is carrying her second foal by Ulysses (Ire).
Cottonmouth For O'Connor
The 14-time winner and treble Italian Group 1 winner Dylan Mouth (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) retires to Yorkshire's Worsall Grange Stud for 2019 and his accomplished dam Cottonmouth (Ire) (Noverre) (931) took to the ring on Thursday in the Kilmaglish House Stud draft.
John O'Connor, a successful breeder in his own right alongside his duties as manager of Ballylinch Stud, went to €120,000 to ensure that the 14-year-old mare, who is carrying to Exceed And Excel (Aus), would join the ranks of his Limefield Stud.
A prolific winner herself, with 12 victories to her credit including the G3 Premio EBF Terme di Merano, Cottonmouth has produced five winners, with listed scorers Per Un Dixir (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and Henry Mouth (Ire) (Henrythenavigator) adding to Dylan Mouth's vast black-type haul.
“She's a proven racemare, a proven producer and in foal to a very good stallion, and I like all that about her. She's not the youngest but she looks very well in herself,” O'Connor said.
Another familiar name which appeared on the buyers' sheet on a number of occasions on Thursday was that of Ana O'Brien, who signed for five fillies and mares including the Niarchos family's Lustful (GB), a Maxios (GB) grand-daughter of the great Six Perfections (Fr) (Celtic Swing {GB}). Sold as lot 948, the 3-year-old filly is out of an unraced sister to recent G2 Herbert Power S. winner Yucatan (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and sold for €22,000.
The final session of fillies and mares begins at 10am today.
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