THE Goffs Arkle Sale will feature two-year-old store horses for the first time in June 2025.

This follows a similar announcement last August by Tattersalls Ireland regarding next year’s Derby Sale and comes a week after Horse Racing Ireland revealed plans to stage a series of academy hurdles for unraced three-year-olds next autumn.

In a statement issued on Friday morning, Goffs said it was adding the two-year-old section “to create more opportunities for vendors and purchasers looking to start their young horses at an earlier stage.”

Goffs CEO Henry Beeby commented: “We pride ourselves on being flexible and progressive in meeting market demands whilst taking a measured approach, and the introduction of two-year-old stores to the Arkle Sale comes in response to long running discussions on the subject that has included our vendors, buyers, the Goffs National Hunt team and the wider National Hunt community.

“From pinhookers seeking a shorter turnaround to buyers looking to get horses going a year earlier, we recognise the changing market trends, so believe this move to be in line with the broader industry’s aspirations and initiatives such as Horse Racing Ireland’s introduction of three-year-old National Hunt Academy Hurdle races next year.

“It should be remembered that this is not an entirely new concept as two-year-old stores have previously featured at our Doncaster Spring Store Sale, including when a son of Dalakhani topped the sale in 2014, while the two-year-old sale at Yorton in September is also a very successful part of the Goffs National Hunt portfolio.”

The format for the Arkle Sale two-year-olds will be confirmed early next year.