A MIXTURE of two-year-olds, horses in training and both flat and National Hunt bred yearlings were on offer at the opening session of the Goffs February Sale on Wednesday.
A trio of six-figure lots was the highlight of the day’s trade that closed out with a clearance rate of 59% while a total of €2,044,250 worth of horses changed hands at an average of €16,096 and a median price of €9,000.
A son of Prix de L’Arc winner turned Coolmore stallion Sottsass headed proceedings when selling to the O’Callaghans of Tally-Ho Stud for €115,000.
Lot 126 is the first produce out the Camelot mare Stage Call who was placed in France and will most likely to return for resale in the autumn.
The colt was consigned by Baroda Stud and afterwards Baroda’s David Cox said: “That’s a great price to get for a first foal and we sold him on behalf of his breeder China Horse Club. He is a good moving colt, vetted cleanly and was bought by a great team in Tally-Ho so hopefully he will do well for them.”
Later in the afternoon, Baroda Stud offered the only lot in the sale by the highly sought after Ballylinch Stud stallion New Bay and this colt went the way of Mick Flanagan on behalf of Timmy Hyde’s Camas Park Stud for €85,000.
Out of the Shamardal mare Beautiful Gesture from the family of Rock Of Gibraltar, the colt was also bred by China Horse Club and reared and sold on their behalf by Baroda.
Elite stallion
“This is another nice colt and New Bay is becoming an elite stallion so he was entitled to sell well. Trade is quite solid and we’re pretty happy overall,” Cox added.
The only yearling in the sale by Darley stallion Night Of Thunder was bound to attract major interest and it took a bid of €110,000 from agent Billy Jackson Stops to secure lot 109 that was offered by Derek Veitch’s Ringfort Stud.
Jackson Stops did his bidding in company with trainer Tom Clover along with Tony Elliott of Rogues Gallery Racing and it was for a pin-hooking division of this racing syndicate who will take ownership of the colt.
Out of the dual winning Street Cry mare Serene Beauty, the March born colt is a sibling to three winners including the 95 rated three time winner Tranquil Night and will return to a sale ring this autumn.
“He was a standout horse here for us today and we’re delighted to get him as that was probably our last bid,” Tony Elliott said.
“He is for a pin-hooking syndicate and will go back to the UK before being offered for resale in the autumn. I thought he was good value given what the sire stands for now so hopefully he will be lucky,” Elliott added.
Other ‘short yearlings’, to prove popular include lot 213, a filly by Saxon Warrior that was bought by Ger Hourigan’s Whitehall Stud for €62,000.
Offered by Olive O’Connor the filly is out of the dual winner Chances Are, while lot 200, a filly by 2000 Guineas winner Magna Grecia out of Burning Topic sold to MAB Agency for €58,000. Meanwhile of the National Hunt bred stock on offer a son of Walk In The Park, offered as lot 209 held sway when selling to Gerry Ahern for €56,000.
Horses in training
An early highlight came in the horse in training section when lot 35, the lightly raced four-year-old colt Tosen Wish was knocked down to Steven Thorne for €100,000.
The thrice-raced son of New Bay was a winner for Joseph O’Brien at Dundalk on February 1st over seven furlongs off a mark of 82 and with his rating now adjusted to 89 he looks set for a campaign involving premier handicaps at the least for his new trainer Ado McGuinness.
Thorne revealed he had bought Tosen Wish for a new partnership involving Barry Irwin’s Team Valour along with Shamrock Thoroughbreds and said: “He is a nice horse with a good profile and he should be one for all those nice premier handicaps during the summer, he could even be a stakes horse if he progresses further.
“Obviously we saw him win last week at Dundalk and we did our homework and we were determined to buy him. He is a straightforward horse and looking at his pedigree he should get a mile as well.”
Tosen Wish ran in the colours of his breeder Takaya Shimakawa and is the only runner so far out of the winning Frankel mare Wishing Time, from the family of the speedy multiple stakes winner Beyond Desire.
Another form horse whose recent exploits aided his sale price was lot 37 Arabian Legend, who was bought by Sant Uberto for €48,000. The three-year-old Night Of Thunder colt finished second at Dundalk last month on his final start for Fozzy Stack and a career in Italy is in store.
Also Italy bound on the back of a good Dundalk run is a supplementary entry lot 50C Seven Hills. The Camacho gelding was second last week for trainer Cormac Farrell and was knocked down to Gianluca Di Castelnuovo’s New Racing Factory for €40,000.