Goffs UK

September ushered in the early rounds of the yearling sales in Europe, with the Goffs UK Premier, BBAG, Tattersalls Ascot and Arqana Select sales all having taken place within the last fortnight. Three of that quartet have at least been able to take place in their intended venues, albeit Arqana's flagship sale was three weeks later than usual. The one-day Tattersalls Ascot Yearling Sale was moved to Newmarket, and Park Paddocks will also host the Tattersalls Irelend September Sale next week, which has been reduced to two days from three,...

Topping proceedings at the Goffs UK Yorton Sale was a yearling colt by Blue Bresil (Fr) as lot 38. The bay is out of SP hurdler Hora (GB) (Hernando {Fr}) and brought £60,000 from Highflyer/NJ Henderson. Of the 36 horses offered, 28 sold (78%) for a gross of £602,000. The average of £21,500 dropped -12% and the median was £21,000 (+5%). "Holding any sale during the COVID era has presented us with additional challenges, and none more than this unique sale which is very different to any other," said Goffs...

Next Tuesday's Goffs UK September HIT Sale will be permitted to proceed despite recent changes to the government's COVID policies. Doncaster Racecourse's St Leger Meeting had been set to welcome a limited number of fans through the weekend as part of a pilot project to welcome spectators back to sporting events, but the project was cut short after just one day on Wednesday by the Doncaster Council after Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement of new protocols. Goffs UK said on Thursday that the sale will follow an enhanced set of...

Finally gaining the top-level success his record demanded, Saeed Suhail's Dream of Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead) justified 5-2 favouritism in a strong renewal of Haydock's G1 Betfair Sprint Cup on Saturday. Tracking the correct pace racing among the stand's-side group throughout the early stages, the ultra-impressive G2 Hungerford S. winner was delivered by Oisin Murphy to lead passing the furlong pole. Despite the game efforts of Glen Shiel (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and Golden Horde (Ire) (Lethal Force {Ire}) from there, the Freemason Lodge stalwart had too much in hand and...

With the yearling sales now in full swing, TDN quizzes industry figures on past purchases, life during lockdown and gets their perspective on the sales for the next few weeks. Billy Jackson-Stops answers our questions today. TDN: What was your best yearling purchase over the last few years? And your favourite? BJS: I set up JS Bloodstock Consultancy in the summer of 2018 and bought my first yearlings that year. Those 2018 yearling purchases resulted in my best purchase to date which was Shadn (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}), who...

Coming off wins in the five-furlong Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury July 19 and York's Goffs UK Premier Yearling S. Aug 20, the McMurray Family's Happy Romance (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) put that experience to full use to garner a first black-type win in Thursday's G3 Shadwell Dick Poole Fillies' S. at Salisbury. Trapped wide initially before settling with two behind, the 11-4 favourite travelled strongly and when delivered by Sean Levey swooped on the lead passing the furlong pole. Despite the game effort of the once-raced Alcohol Free (Ire)...

DONCASTER, UK--Having put on a brave enough face on the opening day, the first auction of an improvised European yearling sales calendar hastened to its conclusion on Wednesday as though downing a necessary but deeply unpleasant medicine. Horses were ushered through the ring at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale with a briskness that spoke of a pragmatic willingness, among vendors, to clarify the extent of the damage. The clearance rate for the session was duly maintained at 84% across the two days. Albeit trading a marginally smaller catalogue, it...

DONCASTER, UK—Well, at least that ordeal is out of the way. It was never going to be fun, but it could have been worse. Horses were sold, some of them even sold well; and other vendors, with an 83% clearance rate, were evidently ready to cut losses. And soon everybody will at least be able to start figuring out how venturesome they can afford to be, once finally bidding good riddance to 2020. Embarking on the European yearling circuit was always going to be extremely challenging for an industry so...

DONCASTER, UK--Well, this is the day when perhaps we'll start to know. Only perhaps, mind. Each auction is a market in its own right and, besides, everyone has over recent months become accustomed to such wild fluctuations in outlook that the world can look a very different place between breakfast and dinner, never mind between the opening session of the yearling sales season, at Doncaster on Tuesday, and its conclusion two months hence. All that said, the opening skirmishes of the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale are bound to be...

The start of the racing season, and in fact the yearling sales season itself, may have been badly impeded by the coronavirus pandemic, but that didn't stop Goffs UK's Premier Yearling Sale graduates from getting off to a flying start once things finally did get underway. One of the fastest from the gate was The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince Of Lir {Ire}), whose debut victory three days after racing's resumption on June 3 led to a private deal with Qatar Racing and a subsequent victory in the G2 Norfolk S....

Bloodstock agents Peter and Ross Doyle have developed quite an affinity with the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, having plucked Group 1 winners like Canford Cliffs (Ire), Olympic Glory (Ire), Tiggy Wiggy (Ire) and Barney Roy (GB) from its catalogues. The Doyles' haul from last year's sale includes the G2 Prix Robert Papin winner Ventura Tormenta and the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Stakes winner Happy Romance (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}). The TDN's Kelsey Riley caught up with Ross Doyle as he prepares to shop this year's catalogue. KR: You have...

Daniel Creighton talks about Salcey Forest Stud's six-horse draft for this week's Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, including a Cotai Glory (GB) half-sister to A'Ali (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}). [audio mp3="https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Daniel-Creighton_podcast.mp3"][/audio]