A SECOND millionaire lot in as many days, which came in the shape of a €1.2 million Camelot own-brother to the hugely exciting Luxembourg, held sway on the second and concluding session of the Goffs Orby Sale on Wednesday.
After the trying times of 2020 it was all change for the company’s flagship sale as its return to Kildare Paddocks, the introduction of the Goffs Million concept and a tremendous input from American-based purchasers helped the sale to vastly improved returns in all key areas.
Indeed the turnover for the sale was almost double that of 12 months ago as it came in at just under €41 million. The average of €109,090 was up by 46% and the €75,000 median grew by some 44%. In addition the clearance rate for the sale was 92%.
Furthermore when viewed within the context of pre Covid-19 editions of this sale the final figures for this year’s Orby measure up well and in terms of six figure lots, horses making over €200,000, or the profitability of pinhooks this was a good sale. It has consigned the 2020 renewal to the distant past.
SHOW STOPPER
The star of the show today was the brother to Luxembourg who produced one of the juvenile performances of the season when bolting up in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes last Saturday.
As a result of that effort Luxembourg has thrust himself to the forefront of the classic picture for 2022 which meant that this colt, who was bred by Ben Sangster and offered by the Castlebridge Consignment, was going to command quite a price.
Henry Beeby, taking instructions over the phone, provided the stiffest resistance to M.V. Magnier but, at €1.2 million, he was forced to shake his head for the colt whose other siblings include the Group 2 winning Leo De Fury and the Group 3-placed Sense Of Style.
“I’m delighted for Ben Sangster who has been such a great supporter of ours for a very, very long time. Luxembourg could be something out of the ordinary and I was talking to Seamie Heffernan earlier today and he said he couldn’t believe how impressive he was at the Curragh last weekend. Camelot is having a great year too and this is just a very nice colt,” declared Magnier.
AMERICAN BUY
Just a few minutes later a Frankel colt from Eddie Irwin’s Marlhill House Stud fetched €900,000 when he was knocked down to American trainer Kenny McPeek.
A brother to the Group 3-placed Old Glory, a €1.6 million Orby Sale graduate in 2017, this colt also numbers pattern race winners in Scandinavia and Australia amongst his siblings.
“I’m very lucky to have a really great group of owners. I reached out to a few today and we have Peter Callahan, owner of Swiss Skydiver, and Fern Circle Stables partnering on this colt. We may bring in a few others,” reported McPeek.
“He is a pretty obvious horse. My wife and I walked through the group and he was a 'wow' horse. He's a beautiful horse. He'll ship to the US and be pre-trained in Florida. We won't push him. He looks like he could take to the dirt but we'll see.
“I suspect he'll be a two-turn horse. He's the type of horse who could play at an extremely high level. We don't get many Galileos or Frankels in the US - certainly not the same numbers as in Europe - and this will be my first Frankel. If he does end up playing at a high level, then he's a stallion prospect,” added the trainer whose other spending took in a €400,000 Galileo colt on Tuesday.
AL SHIRA'AA BACK FOR MORE
The opening day of the sale saw Al Shira’aa Farm pick up half-sisters to Mother Earth and Poetic Flare and they added another blue chip offering to their increasingly impressive collection of fillies when giving €650,000 for a Frankel filly.
The half-sister to Creggs Pipes was consigned by Galbertstown Stables on behalf of her breeder John Hayes and she was bought by Kieran Lalor, who oversees the farm’s Meadow Court Stud in Co Kildare.
“She's a fabulous filly. For me, she was the pick of the sale. Frankel is one of the best sires in the world and she's a big filly with great movement and bone. Her sister was a good filly and she was well prepared and we’re excited to have her,” stated Lalor.
A good day for No Nay Never featured M.V. Magnier going to €620,000 for a son of the sire after being pushed hard by Michael Kinane and Amanda Skiffington.
This Camas Park Stud homebred is out of the stakes-winning Myboycharlie mare Sweet Charity. Another high profile lot for the sire came when Alex Elliott and Ben McElroy, acting for Amo Racing, forked out €300,000 for a filly offered through Whitehall Stud.
CASSANDRA COLT
Trevor Stewart’s incredible mare Cassandra Go was yet again to the fore in the shape of her final son, a colt by freshman sire Saxon Warrior, who cost the BBA Ireland €540,000.
This Ballyhimikin Stud offering is a half-brother to a host of quality runners including the multiple Group 1 scorer Halfway To Heaven and such are Cassandra Go’s exploits at stud that she is the only mare on her catalogue page which is an all too rare feat.
The last Galileo filly to come under the hammer this week was a daughter of the Albany Stakes third Take Me With You and she was snapped up by Newtown Anner Stud for €360,000.
Another lot to come in at €360,000 was a Churchill half-sister to this season’s leading juvenile filly Agartha and American agent Justin Casse signed for the half-sister to the Debutante Stakes winner.
“She’s a very nice filly from a great pedigree full of updates from top to bottom and there’s a lot of memorable horses on the page. The half-sister is obviously a very good filly and I’m excited by what I’ve seen from Churchill so far and what is still to come. I’ve bought her for a client and she will stay here but it’s yet to be decided where she will go,” reported Casse.
DAY TWO COMPARATIVE FIGURES
YEAR CAT OFF SOLD AGGREGATE AVERAGE MEDIAN
2021 214 204 182 €20,931,000 €115,005 €80,000
2020 229 186 143 €9,528,000 €66,629 €45,000
2019 235 209 176 €19,738,000 €112,148 €62,000
2018 207 179 159 €19,334,000 €121,597 €78,000
2017 222 205 178 €19,557,500 €109,874 €64,000
COMPARATIVE FIGURES FOR ENTIRE ORBY SALE
YEAR CAT OFF SOLD AGGREGATE AVERAGE MEDIAN
2021 442 409 372 €40,581,500 €109,090 €75,000
2020 474 389 311 €23,299,245 €74,917 €52,000
2019 472 428 363 €42,797,500 €117,899 €65,000
2018 419 369 327 €43,474,000 €132,948 €80,000
2017 468 433 373 €40,702,500 €109,122 €65,000
2016 472 431 363 €39,925,500 €109,986 €67,000
2015 487 434 373 €38,953,500 €104,433 €62,000