AS expected the heights of last year proved to be some way out of reach for the latest edition of the Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale although year on year comparisons shouldn’t be taken as an all encompassing guide in this case.

The 2021 edition represented something of an outlier in terms of this auction as the downsizing of the Shadwell empire led a spectacular upswing in the final returns.

Of the 16 horses who made at least €50,000 10 were Shadwell-owned and the operation’s 26 strong draft generated just under €1.5 million.

Thus this notable factor represents the key to understanding the drop off in figures at Goffs this week.

Furthermore, a consideration of Wednesday and Thursday’s trade against all renewals of this sale apart from 2021 would indicate that trade was, in fact, of a satisfactory variety for this level of the market.

However, it has to be noted that at this end of the market the majority of horses are failing to recoup their production costs to this point and this part of the yearling sector would also provide ample evidence that the market is already amply supplied and any further increase in numbers would not be a positive development.

Over the two days the sale grossed just over €3.7 million which represented a 39% decrease on last year.

A €9,405 average represented a drop of a third while the median fell from €9,000 to €5,500.

Furthermore, the clearance rate dropped from 92 to 77% and all of the above points to the remarkable level of interest and trade generated by last year’s Shadwell downscaling.

Statement

In his end of sale statement Goffs Chief Executive Henry Beeby commented: “We are far from despondent when reviewing this year’s renewal as it has finished ahead of every other incarnation of the Open/Autumn Yearling Sale since its inception in 2010 with a second best turnover, average and median flowing from a reasonable clearance rate of 77%”.

“Whilst some of these figures do not necessarily point to massive returns for breeders, they do demonstrate a vibrancy to the proceedings and those that appealed most had plenty of admirers.

Overseas buyers

“Demand over the two days has been driven by a truly international buying bench with a flood of overseas buyers headed by a large group from Italy who accounted for nigh on 100 yearlings and another strong contingent from Eastern Europe who bought over 50 with a further 20 plus heading for China.

“There were also significant parties from Scandinavia, Germany, the Gulf Region, Libya, USA and France taking on spirited bidders from the UK and Ireland. All of these international visitors were attracted to Kildare Paddocks by the reputation of Irish breeders and their world class bloodlines which allow our passionate Purchaser Attraction Team, working in tandem with our network of international agents and the team at Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, to trumpet their attributes on the global stage,” added Beeby.

Boherguy’s opening show

THE first day was headed by an €80,000 son of Dawn Approach who headed a very popular draft from Clare Manning’s Boherguy Stud.

English agent Alex Elliott, bidding online, secured this own-brother to the useful Jim Bolger-trained duo of Strapped and Stylistic Approach. Elliott reported that the colt was bought on behalf of a trading partnership and that his purchase would go into training with English trainer Grant Tuer.

The top-priced filly on day one was a filly by Sea The Stars who was snapped up by breeze-up man Jim McCartan for €60,000. Sold by The Castlebridge Consignment, this filly is out of a French Group 3 winner and she comes from the family of the outstanding Grand Lodge.

The Sea The Stars was the only yearling on offer by her sire this week and another stallion who had just one representative was the former Breeders Cup’ winner Mendelssohn.

The Scat Daddy horse was responsible for a filly from Gerry Burke’s Glidawn Stud who cost the Goffs Scandinavia representative Filip Zwicky €44,000. This filly will go into training in Sweden.

Flightline link

AHEAD of Flightline’s eagerly awaited Breeders Cup Classic appearance his owners Hronis Racing made their presence felt in the Irish market.

Acting through the BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe, they spent €46,000 on a son of Due Diligence from Boherguy Stud. This colt will join Jessica Harrington who has already trained for the owners through Panic Alarm who established himself as a very useful juvenile this term with two wins headed by the final of the auction race series at Naas last month.

Michael Donohoe also spent €33,000 on a daughter of Mehmas from Mountarmstrong Stud. This filly is bred on the same cross as her sire’s top juvenile Supremacy and she was bought on behalf of the Glamour and Glory Syndicate which is a ladies’ syndicate founded by Tamso Doyle Cox and Amber O’Grady.

The syndicate made two purchases on Tuesday and their acquisitions will go into training with Jessica Harrington.

Another Donohoe purchase came when the BBA Ireland man forked out €50,000 for a Dawn Approach colt from Boherguy Stud. This colt had plenty to recommend him on pedigree as he is a half-brother to the listed-winning sprinter Sometimesadiamond.

Group 1 trainers in the market

TWO of this season’s Group 1-winning trainers made their mark over the course of the sale and Dermot Weld, acting through Bobby O’Ryan, forked out €70,000 for a Mehmas colt who had the distinction of being the first lot through the ring on Wednesday morning.

This chesnut is out of a grand-daughter of the Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Dead Certain.

The previous evening Saffron Beach’s trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam, bidding online, spent €40,000 on a colt from the first crop of the Prix du Jockey Club winner Study Of Man.

This colt is out of the multiple stakes-placed So In Love and he is a half-brother to a couple of winners.

Sioux Nation in demand

THE second day of the sale was topped by a €72,000 filly from the in demand second crop of Sioux Nation whose first runners have done so well over the course of 2022.

The Mountarmstrong Stud offering was bought by Neil Sands and his father Con and through their Bronsan Racing banner they have campaigned this season’s smart Joseph O’Brien-trained juvenile Goa Gajah. Indications afterwards were that this filly will be joining Joseph O’Brien’s team for 2023.

Among the Irish trainers to make their mark was Jack Davison who forked out €70,000 for a daughter of Acclamation from Rathbarry Stud.

This filly is an own-sister to this season’s Joseph O’Brien-trained two-year-old winner Karaoke. In addition, this filly is out of a half-sister to the Breeders’ Cup-winning juvenile Hootenanny.

A trip to next year’s round of breeze-up sales is the plan for a Soldier’s Call colt from Sherbourne Lodge who cost Con Marnane €62,000. The Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale next April has been penciled in for this son of the listed-placed Elshabakiya whose sire will be represented by his first runners next year.

As the sale drew to a close there was still time for John McConnell to give €52,000 for a Footstepsinthesand colt whose grandam is the Moyglare Stud Stakes third Littlefeather.