MOVE over Deauville, bring on Doncaster.
The yearling sales circus heads to Yorkshire this week for the two-day Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, which starts on Tuesday.
For many years this sale has been associated with ‘early speed’ but the quality has been steadily rising. Among the Royal Ascot winners to have come from this sale recently are top sprinters Dream Of Dreams, Golden Horde, Advertise and Rohaan, star miler Barney Roy, and flying juveniles Rajasinghe, The Lir Jet, A’Ali and Daahyeh.
But perhaps the best known Premier Sale graduate of the past few years is Laurens. Consigned to the 2016 sale by Coulonces Consignment, Laurens was clearly a ‘queen’ in the sales ring as she fetched £220,000 before going on to win four Group 1 races.
Her vendor, Anna Sundstrom, sends two yearlings to this week’s auction, which features close to 430 horses.
Gracing the front cover of this year’s catalogue is Isaac Shelby, recent winner of the Group 2 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket for trainer Brian Meehan. The Night Of Thunder colt was purchased at this sale a year ago for just £92,000 by Sam Sangster Bloodstock.
The form of his Group 2 win was boosted recently when runner-up Victory Dance won a listed race at Newbury.
This year’s catalogue includes an Al Kazeem half-brother to Isaac Shelby and a Ulysses half-brother to this season’s Group 2 Coventry Stakes winner Bradsell, plus an Iffraaj half-brother to recent Group 3 Molecomb Stakes winner Trillium.
A total of 13 Premier Sale graduates have won at stakes level thus far this season including the three-year-old El Caballo, whose six wins included the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes. The 2022 catalogue includes a sibling to him, a Havana Grey half-sister.
This year’s Italian 1000 Guineas winner Swipe Up was a £6,000 purchase at this sale two years ago, while the very talented French filly Malavath was bought for only £29,000 at the same sale.
Among the notable sires represented in the catalogue include Ardad, Blue Point, Cable Bay, Calyx, Caravaggio, Dandy Man, Exceed And Excel, Expert Eye, Harry Angel, Iffraaj, Inns of Court, Invincible Army, Invincible Spirit, Kuroshio, Land Force, Magna Grecia, Mehmas, Nathaniel, Oasis Dream, Ribchester, Sioux Nation, Soldier’s Call, Starspangledbanner, Tasleet, Time Test and Zoffany.
All yearlings sold will be eligible for entry in next year’s £250,000 Harry Beeby Premier Yearling Stakes which has been rebranded this year in honour of the company’s late chairman.
The Premier Prizes, offered for the first time last year, were again attached to this year’s race at York which was run last Thursday (won by £40,000 buy Shouldvebeenaring), awarding a free horse and a York hospitality package to the winning owners, as well as a free six-month lease of a two-stall horsebox to the winning trainer from Theault.
The Silver Sale, which used to follow immediately after the Premier Sale, has been discontinued. Goffs UK will offer more yearlings at its October Sale.
Catalogue highlights
Lot 7: Phoenix Of Spain filly out of Italian champion two-year-old Fly On The Night.
Lot 52: Havana Grey filly out of Group 2 Lowther Stakes winner Infamous Angel.
Lot 62: Kodiac filly out of Group 2 placed Jadanna and a half-sister to listed winners Darkanna and Logo Hunter.
Lot 74: Too Darn Hot three-parts brother to Group 2 winner and Group 1 placed Aljamaaheer.
Lot 75: Al Kazeem three-parts brother to this year’s Group 2 winner Isaac Shelby.
Lot 94: Invincible Spirit colt out of winning own-sister to dual Group 3 winner Yellow Rosebud.
Lot 97: Zoustar colt out of the Group 3-winning Frankel mare Lightening Quick.
Lot 113: Iffraaj half-brother to this year’s Group 3 Molecomb Stakes winner Trillium.
Lot 117: Showcasing filly out of dual Group 3-winning and Group 2-placed mare Maureen.
Lot 129: Wootton Bassett colt out of a Kodiac mare, from the family of classic winners Minding and Tuesday.
Lot 170: Night Of Thunder colt out of a half-sister to Group 2 winner and Group 1 placed Anthem Alexander and Dandy Man.
Lot 186: Zoustar colt from the family of Group 1 winner Barney Roy and Noble Dynasty.
Lot 187: Kingman colt out of an own-sister to Group 1 winner Pedro The Great and half-sister to Group 1 winner and sire Footstepsinthesand.
Lot 201: Le Brivido half-brother to this year’s Group 2 winner Ladies Church.
Lot 213: Ulysses half-brother to this year’s Group 2 Coventry Stakes winner Bradsell.
Lot 220: Iffraaj filly out of a half-sister to Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed stallion Soldier’s Call.
Lot 234: Havana Grey half-sister to this year’s Group 2 winner El Caballo.
Lot 269: Frankel colt from the family of Group 1-winning champion miler Indian Lodge and Group 2 winner/Group 1 placed Zousain.
Lot 274: Kingman colt out of the listed-placed mare Tears Of The Sun.
Lot 341: Cracksman filly out of the Group 3 winner Ashadihan.
Sale info
Sale: Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale
Date/time: Tuesday & Wednesday, August 23rd and 24th (10am start both days)
Lots: 433 (16 withdrawn as of Friday afternoon)
Tel: 0044 1302 349166
Email: winners@goffsuk.com
Web: goffsuk.com