Goffs Orby

A Frankel (GB) filly (lot 465) brought €1 million from Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin during the second day of the Goffs Orby Sale Book 1. Consigned by Staffordstown, the bay filly is a half-sister to multiple group winner Sandrine (GB) (Bobby's Kitten), who has been placed in both the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes and G1 Falmouth Stakes for breeder Kirsten Rausing. The dam, four-time winner Seychelloise (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), is a daughter of G3 Prix d'Arenberg heroine Starlit Sands (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Lot 465 is the second...

A trio of yearlings have been added to Book 1 of the upcoming Goffs Orby Sale. Heading the youngsters is Lot 5A, a colt by Wootton Bassett (GB) out of SW and MGSP Thai Haku (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who is already responsible for listed winner Sarrocchi (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The Irish-bred colt is consigned by Marlhill House Stud. Offered by Al Eile Stud, Lot 81A, a filly by Siyouni (Fr) is out of An Cailin Orga (Ire) (Galileo), herself a daughter of European Champion 2-year-old filly and Irish champion...

Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), winner of five Group 1 races in three different jurisdictions in 2023-2024, was named Hong Kong's Horse of the Year during a black-tie ceremony held Friday evening in the Grand Ballroom of the Rosewood Hotel in Hong Kong. The human connections of the champion 4-year-old and two-time champion middle distance horse--owner Peter Lau and trainer Danny Shum--made the G1 W S Cox Plate their early-season objective and the 300,000gns Tattersalls October graduate was a sound fourth in the G1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington before willing...

Five months after the passing of owner Howard Liang, California Spangle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) recaptured some of his best form to post a front-running upset in Sunday's G1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse. In going one better in the 1400-metre contest than last year, the 6-year-old punched his ticket to Dubai for the G1 Al Quoz Sprint over a straight 1200-metre trip Mar. 30. Having bested Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) in the 2022 G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile, the €150,000 Goffs Orby acquisition won the G2...

Aidan O'Brien has set his sights on winning the Goffs Million at the Curragh for the first time on Saturday and says that Cherry Blossom (Ire), who has Group 1 targets later this season, could be just the answer in the lucrative contest. Bred by Barronstown Stud, the daughter of No Nay Never was a €360,000 buy at the Goffs Orby 12 months ago by MV Magnier. Cherry Blossom broke her maiden at the second time of asking over six furlongs at the Curragh before running second to Relief Rally...

His 22 career victories is an all-time record in Hong Kong racing history. His HK$116 million (£12.2 million/US$14.7 million) in career earnings makes him not only the richest racehorse to look through a bridle in the Special Administrative Region, but also one of the richest Thoroughbreds, ever. Stanley Chan's Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) can make even more history this Sunday when he starts a long odds-on proposition in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile, a victory in which will tie Good Ba Ba (Lear Fan) with three straight wins...

Even in a market like this one, weirdly insulated from economic and geopolitical chaos, trading Thoroughbreds will always remain a precarious business. Speculators never hesitate, then, to pounce whenever the odds appear skewed temporarily in their favor. Sure enough, with the dollar squeezing other currencies dry, around one in eight of the yearlings sold at the Goffs Orby Sale this week is said to be heading to the U.S.; and they'll have plenty of company out of Tattersalls next week. To one who constantly berates breeders both sides of the...

5.15 Killarney, Mdn, €15,000, 2yo, 8f 20yT HIAWATHA (IRE) (Camelot {GB}), Ballydoyle's chosen one as he debuts in the opener to this beautiful venue's week-long July Festival, is a rare commodity as a full-brother to the stable's G1 Futurity Trophy and G2 Beresford S. hero Luxembourg (Ire) who made a successful racecourse bow at this meeting 12 months ago and has been a notable absentee from the top action since sustaining an injury after his 2000 Guineas third. The top-priced colt at last year's Goffs Orby at €1.2million, the March-foaled...

Some enterprises of great pitch and moment take years to come to fruition. Some take just a few weeks. The latter scenario is true of the new partnership between bloodstock agent Justin Casse and trainer Joseph O'Brien. When Magnolia Racing Syndicate spent €562,000 at the recent Goffs Orby Sale, the group was built on relationships years in the making, but sprouted quickly from an idea into action. "I started kicking the idea of a transatlantic syndicate around three or four months ago," said Casse. "The fine-tuning part of who would...

The betting suggested that there would be a Godolphin one-two in Saturday's G3 Jersey S. and that projection was right with Creative Force (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and James Doyle upstaging Naval Crown (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and William Buick to win the battle of the 5-1 joint-favourites. Always travelling strongly restrained towards the rear of the group racing up the middle, the chestnut who captured the Listed Carnarvon S. over six furlongs at Newbury May 15 moved through to take control of that pack with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining. Drifting left...

When Napa Spirit (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) won Friday's first race at Keeneland, bloodstock agent Ben McElroy was more relieved than ecstatic. Some six months earlier, he purchased Napa Spirit at the Goffs Orby Yearling sale in Ireland with a set goal in mind. He was looking for a unique type of horse, one that could win in the U.S. and Europe, would be fast and precocious, like the grass and be a good fit for the Royal Ascot meet. Friday's win was the latest sign that he had more...

DONCASTER, UK—The weather brightened for the final session of the Goffs Orby Sale but it has to be said that the vibe did not. True, the clearance rate remained at a respectable level, with those vendors who decided to sell continuing to be realistic in their reserves. But there was a high number of withdrawals across the two days, with an extra bunch coming on Thursday morning as Wednesday's results were digested. This, together with a dearth of international participation compared to normal, and minimal activity from the regular major...