TUESDAY

TONY Williams had every reason to be thrilled with the set of figures produced at a scintillating 2017 renewal of the Goffs UK Spring Store Sale on Tuesday. With a new record aggregate that for a time threatened to break through the £6 million mark, the trade was a huge boost to the prospects for the remaining sales this summer.

While three British based consignors topped the list by aggregate, it was an Irish-based vendor who supplied one of the day’s joint top-priced lots. Niall Bleahen’s Liss House sold a three-year-old son of the ill-fated Fame And Glory, a member of that Irish Derby and Ascot Gold Cup winner’s first crop, for £100,000 to Gordon Elliott and Eddie O’Leary, the price being just a bid short of matching last year’s sale toppers.

The second foal of a Saddlers’ Hall mare whose grandam bred a pair of Grade 3 winners, he had been purchased as a foal for €21,500.

The price was quickly matched when Richard Hobson’s RH Bloodstock’s French-bred three-year-old son of Diamond Boy was knocked down to Mags O’Toole, acting for Mouse Morris. The gelding is by a young listed-winning son of Mansonnien and from a largely unremarkable female line, though he is distantly related to Jim Dreapers’s Grade 2 Leinster Grand National winner Venitien De Mai.

Twenty-six horses sold this year for £50,000 or more, twice the number through the ring in 2016, and the much-lamented Jeremy, who stood at Garryrichard Stud at the time of his death, was responsible for three of them. Leading the trio was Oak Tree Farm’s half-brother to On Fiddlers Green and he found favour with Kieran McManus at £95,000. This was some way ahead of his foal purchase price, Norman Williamson paying €24,000 for him then. Later in the day Williamson sold a son of Oscar for £70,000 to Martin Keating Bloodstock.

McManus bought one of the other high-priced sons of Jeremy, giving £58,000 for Springhill Stud’s three-year-old out of a Milan half-sister to the smart novice hurdler Warne. Jeremy Hinds, who bought five lots on the day, also took home a son of the Danehill Dancer stallion when he gave £65,000 for Anne Marie Ryan’s three-year-old son of the winning Flemensfirth mare Manorville. He was sold through Galbertstown Stud. Hinds is also a successful breeder, including the smart Ballyandy, last year’s Grade 1 Cheltenham Champion Bumper winner and he paid £46,000 also for another son of Jeremy.

TIZZARD BUYS

Walter Connors’ Sluggara Farm brought two lots to the sale and both sold well. Better of pair, and the most expensive of eight purchases by Colin Tizzard, was the three-year-old Robin Des Champs gelding out of Jay Lo, a Grade 3-placed hurdle and point-to-point winning daughter of Glacial Storm. He had been purchased as a foal for €23,000 and will run for Brocade Racing.

Two lots earlier, Connors received £50,000 from Joseph O’Brien for a three-year-old French-bred son of Network, the sire of Sprinter Sacre.

Pleasure Palace Racing’s Jeremy Hinds’ bid of £85,000 secured one of the early highlights in the sale, Brown Island Stables’ three-year-old Coastal Path gelding, a half-brother to this year’s Grade 2 Aintree bumper winner Dame Rose. His sire is a Group 2-wining son of Halling and is responsible for some smart performers, notably Bacardys. The gelding will be trained by Gary Moore.

The Aston’s Goldford Stud topped the list of consignors with 18 lots selling for £669,500. One-third of their draft sold for £50,000 or more and included a son of Midnight Legend from the immediate family of Viking Flagship and Flagship Uberalles. He was sold on behalf of John and Liz Lucas’ Swanbridge Bloodstock and bought by Nacarat’s owner Simon Clarke for £82,000.

SPECIAL TIARA

Minutes later, Goldford sold the first of a pair from their consignment to realise £78,000. This was a Kayf Tara full-brother to Special Tiara and there was little surprise when the auctioneer revealed that the successful bidder was none other than Henry de Bromhead. The Waterford trainer has won three Grade 1 chases, including the Queen Mother Champion Chase, with the 10-year-old.

That price was matched by a son of Malinas out of the bumper and hurdle winner Valleyofthedolls who sold to Highflyer Bloodstock, who bought a host of horses on the day in their own name and with a range of trainers. The gelding will be trained by Nicky Henderson.

Among the group of six top lots from Goldford was the best-priced filly on the day. This was a daughter of Presenting out of the bumper and hurdle winning King’s Theatre mare Arctic Actress, herself a half-sister to Grade 2 chase winner Wee Robbie. She topped Tom Malone’s shopping list for the day.

Harry Fry paid £58,000 for the Goldford-consigned Midnight Legend gelding whose third dam was the ultra-smart chaser and Gold Cup runner-up Dubacilla, while Philip Hobbs took home a Getaway three-year-old half-brother to four winners for £50,000.

Walk In The Park is responsible for star performers Douvan and Min and he had a single representative in the sale, Moanmore Stables’ French-bred son of a winner over jumps. The fact that he was a good-looking son of one of the most in-demand sires was enough to entice a winning bid of £75,000 and the gelding was knocked down to Noel Meade.

He was followed into the ring by another from Peter Vaughan’s Moanmore draft, another French-bred. This time it was a son of Martaline and from the family of Grade 1 performers Questarabad and Lacdoudal. Kieran McManus acquired him for £72,000, nearly five times what he cost as a foal at Arqana.

Three of Moanmore Stables’ draft of four made it into the top tier and completing the list was their three-year-old Cloudings gelding who sold to Highflyer Bloodstock at £56,000.

The Fennessy’s Ballinaroone Stud sold a Gold Well half-brother to four bumper winners for £70,000 to bloodstock agent Bobby O’Ryan. From the family of Cooch Behar and Feroda, his dam is an unraced daughter of Presenting. The gelding had failed to sell on two previous visits to the sale.

David Minton showed his liking for Malinas and bought a second high-priced son of his when giving £65,000 for Wells Stud’s half-brother to Grade 2 chase winners Royal Regatta and Three Musketeers. This purchase was on behalf of Middleham Park.

IRISH VENDOR

Michael Moore’s Ballincurrig House Stud was the leading Irish vendor by aggregate, nine of their lots selling for £286,500. Making the biggest impact was the French-bred Maresca Sorrento gelding from the family of Grade 1 winning chaser Trifolium. He cost Ryan Mahon £65,000 and his dam, Ouhetu Des Mottes, was a winner in France and later in Ireland when trained by Edward O’Grady.

Juliet Minton’s Mill House Stud sold a French-bred son of Galileo’s son Heliostatic on behalf of Cavenham Estates to Joseph O’Brien for £58,000, while her husband’s Highflyer Bloodstock combined with Alan King to give £50,000 for the stud’s well-connected Presenting three-year-old full-brother to the promising Captain Woodie, winner of two of his three bumpers for Nicky Henderson.

Tom Malone and Paul Nicholls bought an Al Namix three-year-old gelding from Tom Lacey’s Cottage Field Stables for £55,000, while Ryan Mahon’s bid of £54,000 was enough to secure Stow Stud’s Milan gelding out of a placed half-sister to Grade 1 hurdler and chaser Muirhead.

Managing director Tony Williams was understandably delighted with the day’s business. “Following huge growth last year, we are truly thrilled with today’s sale which has scaled new heights. For 55 years the Doncaster Spring Sale has been a consistent source of quality and the results today further underline its status as the UK’s leading NH Sale.

“The market enjoyed great depth which saw the figures grow to record levels, all driven by a superb 89% clearance rate. The atmosphere both in the ring and around the complex has been electric from start to finish – there really is no sale like Doncaster in May - as befits it’s ‘end of season finale’ billing, while “Sunny Donny” has certainly lived up to its reputation.”