Zoffany (Ire)

Goffs kicks off its 2021 sales season on Tuesday and Wednesday with Part I of its February Sale. Prevailing unprecedented circumstances mean that the mixed sale of yearlings, 2-year-old, fillies and mares and horses in training will take place as a live online auction, with no horses, vendors or purchasers on the grounds at Kildare Paddocks. COVID-19 safety measures late last year meant that Goffs staged its Autumn Horses-In-Training and Yearling sales in the live online format, and the positive results spoke to the resilience of the bloodstock market as...

On the back of the eagerly anticipated stallion fee announcements in Europe, Gary King spoke with a number of leading industry figures about value. Today we hear from Cathy Grassick. GK: Who have you identified as a first-year stallion at an appealing opening fee? CG: Earthlight (Ire) is excellent value retiring to stud at €20,000 for a dual Group 1-winning 2-year-old by Shamardal. First season with runners, for me Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) is really good value considering his sales results and the type of yearling he produced. He is...

Sunday's G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. at The Curragh looked of vintage variety on paper and although it lost a notable in Ballydoyle's Battleground (War Front), an incident-packed renewal ultimately witnessed a colt to quicken the pulse in TDN Rising Star Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}). Purchased by Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez from Anne Marie O'Brien following his scintillating debut success over this course and distance Aug. 9, the 15-2 shot tracked the pace but was holed up with nowhere to go inside the final two furlongs. Declan McDonogh was looking...

Friday's card at The Curragh sees the Niarchos family's G1 Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Albigna (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) getting back down to business in the G3 Snow Fairy Fillies S. Last seen finishing sixth in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas here June 13, the homebred who was also successful in the G2 Airlie Stud S. and fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf during last term was jarred up during the mile Classic and has been found an ideal reintroduction by Jessie Harrington. "It's a comeback race, so...

The catalogue for the Goffs Orby Sale, which includes a Sea The Stars (Ire) half-sister to a trio of Group 1 winners out of Theatrical (Ire) mare Green Room (lot 176), is now online. Numerous blue-blooded pedigrees make up the two-day sale, with 474 yearlings set to go under the hammer on Sept. 29-30. Sunday's G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner Lucky Vega (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) is a €175,000 graduate of the Orby Sale. Ballylinch Stud will offer the 12th foal of the unraced Green Room, whose 2018 Galileo...

Sunday's seven-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at The Curragh looked as if it could be storing something exciting beforehand and so it proved as Anne Marie O'Brien's Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) exploded onto the scene to earn TDN Rising Star status. Keen early tracking the leading trio, the 10-1 shot who had won a Dundalk barrier trial July 29 travelled with supreme ease once Declan McDonogh had got a grip on him. Given the command approaching the final furlong, the homebred split rivals and surged to the front...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Insights features a daughter of Breeders' Cup heroine Intercontinental (GB) (Danehill). 4.20 Goodwood, Mdn, £16,500, 2yo, f, 7fT MISS CHESS (IRE) (Zoffany {Ire}) bids to build on her debut third at Yarmouth earlier this month on the same card that her G1 Prix de Diane-winning half-sister Fancy Blue...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Wednesday's Observations features a half-sister to French Classic winner Fancy Blue (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). 1.10 Great Yarmouth, Novice, £6,400, 2yo, 7f 3yT MISS CHESS (IRE) (Zoffany {Ire}) was purchased for the Phoenix Ladies Syndicate for €220,000 at the Arqana Deauville August Sale as a relative of High Chaparral...

Jessica Harrington has "various options" as the next target for Group 1-winning filly Albigna (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}). The 3-year-old holds entries for both the G3 Green Room Meld S. at Leopardstown on Saturday and the G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks at The Curragh a week later, and could take up either engagement. After winning her first two juvenile starts, including a Group 2 success in the Airlie Stud S., the filly finished sixth behind subsequent dual Classic winner Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. before claiming a...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Insights features a full-sister to G1 Epsom Derby runner-up Cliffs of Moher (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). 12.45 Haydock, Mdn, £6,400, 2yo, 6f 212yT KING LEO (GB) (The Last Lion {Ire}) is the first runner in Britain for the Kildangan Stud-based G1 Middle Park S. hero and at 170,000gns his...