Goffs November

Sales of breeding stock are just as much a feature of the final couple of months of the year in Europe as they are in North America. In fact, the European sales have been an important fact of American bloodstock life since the early days of the sport, with many breed-shapers having been recruited in Europe before heading west to make history. Perhaps the most famous graduate of Tattersalls's December Sale remains La Troienne (Fr) (Teddy {Fr}). After a racing career in which, without winning, she notched up some minor...

The level of trade during Saturday's second and final session of the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale was meant to take a step down following Friday's electric marquee session, but Baroda Stud's 3-year-old Galileo (Ire) filly Loyal (Ire) (lot 1406) ensured there was still a six-figure bidding battle, with the dust eventually settling in favour of Ballylinch Stud--who bred the filly and raced her in partnership with Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor--for €280,000, the highest price achieved on the second day of the Breeding Stock sale for 15 years. Loyal...

In life and in bloodstock, the confluence of a few small factors--decisions that may seem minute at the time--can quickly amalgamate into life-changing moments. Like, for instance, when Martin Cooney and Elaine Shaw opted to raise their hands at €21,000 during the 2018 Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale on an 8-year-old daughter of Hard Spun whose first two foals had not yet found the winner's enclosure; while, simultaneously, another bidder hesitated, and ultimately changed their mind too late. "Too late, sir," the auctioneer called, hammering Plying down to Jossestown Farm....

As the bloodstock auction industry rides a wave of resurgence into its final sector of the season, Goffs provides the curtain-raiser in its November Foal and Breeding Stock sales. The action begins next week with four days of foal sales from Nov. 15 to 18, which rolls right into two days of breeding stock on Nov. 19 and 20. The European marketplace provided some welcome upbeat surprises amid the overall tumult of the pre-vaccine pandemic in 2020, but this year has proven an extreme revelation everywhere, and nowhere moreso than...

Progeny of the late champion sire Galileo (Ire) and his heir apparent Frankel (GB) are among the standout offerings in the Goffs November Foal Sale, for which the catalogue was released on Thursday. The Goffs November Foal Sale will take place at Kildare Paddocks from Nov. 15 to 18, with 1015 foals spread across the four days. The format of the sale will be a rising tide of quality from Monday through Wednesday. Trade will return to Monday's more modest levels for Thursday. The three Galileo foals catalogued for Goffs...

Inter Royal Lady (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), champion of her generation in Poland in 2019 and 2020, will continue her career in France under the care of Arc-winning conditioner Jean-Claude Rouget, according to information on the France Galop website. The daughter of Fearn Royal (Ire) (Ali-Royal {Ire}) was perfect and untested in six juvenile appearances and ran her overall winning streak to nine before tasting defeat for the first time when beaten a half-length by Night Thunder (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the Westminster Derby (2400 metres) at Sluzewiec Racecourse...

KILDARE, Ireland--It was a case of saving the best until last as the Goffs November Foal Sale finished with a flourish on Sunday evening. Despite a few high-profile withdrawals, there were still plenty of highly sought after lots on offer and it was three foals by Frankel (GB) who shared the honour of co-top lots with each commanding €440,000. While there may not have been the depth of trade evident in previous editions, the session was underpinned by a solid clearance rate of 82%, with 135 foals sold for a...

KILDARE, Ireland--The opening day of the rescheduled Goffs November Sale got off to a lukewarm start on Friday, with present circumstances understandably impacting trade. Last year's opening day was highlighted by a €100,000 session topper with seven foals selling for €50,000 or more, while 69.5% of the offered foals changed hands at an average of €17,957 and a median of €13,750. It was a slightly different story on Friday when only four foals reached or surpassed the €50,000 mark headed by a €75,000 session-topping Mehmas (Ire) colt. In total, 159...

Martin Cooney arrived at the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale in 2018 with a modest budget and a simple plan: "buy a mare that was in foal, and that could be a quick way to turn our money around with a bit of luck," the Fethard-based horseman said. On Cooney's shortlist the first day of the sale was the 8-year-old Hard Spun mare Plying, in foal to Starspangledbanner (Aus). A $200,000 yearling, Plying had won three times for Sheikh Mohammed and trainer Henri-Alex Pantall before being culled for €12,000 at...

KILDARE, Ireland--Those among us who leave their Christmas shopping until the last minute have the perfect opportunity to give the gift of a foal or a mare this festive period given the timing of this year's rescheduled Goffs November Foal and Breeding Stock Sale. With current events requiring the sale to be pushed back almost four weeks from its original calendar slot, the action now commences on Friday and consists of three days of foals and a single day of mare trade. Unfortunately for those with very deep pockets, the...

In light of the Level 5 COVID-19 restrictions announced by the Irish government on Monday, Goffs has been forced to shift most of its autumn sales calendar. The heightened restrictions mean it will not be legally permitted to hold sales at Kildare Paddocks from Oct. 21 to Dec. 2. After consultation with the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association and Tattersalls, new dates were selected for the Goffs November Foal and Breeding Stock Sales that will allow attendees to be at Tattersalls and observe the two-week Irish quarantine rules. The November Foal...