Goffs's two-day Sportsman's Sale kicks off on Thursday at its temporary new home at the Goffs UK headquarters in Doncaster. With a significant number of vendors choosing to hold their yearlings back in Ireland and offer them instead at the later Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale in Kildare, Thursday's start time has been pushed back one hour to 11 a.m. to allow buyers more time to inspect yearlings. Friday's start time remains 10 a.m.
The Sportsman's Sale is a consistent source of quality commercial yearlings with no better example than River Boyne (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), who cost €65,000 in 2016 and has won four graded stakes over a mile in the U.S., including the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile in March. His half-sister by Divine Prophet (Aus) (lot 560) will be offered on Friday from Tara Stud. Former shuttler Divine Prophet is also represented by a half-sister to this year's Listed Tipperary S. winner Dickiedooda (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) (lot 804).
Another relation to a current top runner in the U.S. is Tally-Ho Stud's lot 641, a Mehmas (Ire) half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Beau Recall (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}), who has provided an update since the release of the catalogue with a victory in the GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S. on Kentucky Derby day.
Other standouts on paper include a Kodiac (GB) colt who is the third foal out of French listed winner Andry Brusselles (GB) (Hurricane Run {Ire}) (lot 496); a Lope De Vega (Ire) half-brother to stakes winners Guilty Twelve (Giant's Causeway) and Iltemas (Galileo {Ire}) (lot 504); a Bated Breath (GB) half-sister to this year's G3 Naas Juvenile Sprint third Sussex Garden (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) (lot 712); and a Highland Reel (Ire) half-brother to this year's Listed Prix Roland de Chambure scorer King's Harlequin (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) (lot 828).
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