SALES held at this early stage of the year are generally ‘a mixed bag’, often featuring both flat and National Hunt stock, of mixed commercial appeal, attracting a wide range of buyers, from breeders to pinhookers, to those intending to race their purchases.

The Goffs February Sale, which returns on Wednesday and Thursday of next week (February 5th – 6th), is no different, last year topped by National Hunt broodmare Princess Vega at €150,000, while the next six top lots were weanlings bred for both codes, their prices ranging from €90,000 to €46,000.

Though these early sales generally don’t experience the fireworks of the major sales, consignors are often well-rewarded, as breeders dig deep for their last chance to buy mares ahead of the covering season, and eager pinhookers avail of their last chance to add to their yearling sale offerings.

Last year’s highest-priced weanlings didn’t fare too well at the yearling sales, but further down the results, there were some impressive returns to be had, two of which hailed from the Moyglare Stud consignment. There, Tinnakill Bloodstock picked up a Make Believe colt for €30,000 and, nine months later, resold to Thady Gosden for 125,000gns.

Yeomanstown Stud bought weanlings for up to €85,000 and €68,000 12 months ago, but it was their €35,000 buy from Moyglare Stud that produced the best result. The Dark Angel colt resold at the venue’s Orby Sale for €95,000, and the O’Callaghan family are sure to be interested in his Blue Point half-brother, who sells as Lot 266 next week.

Moyglare Stud’s only other offering next week is Lot 267, a Study Of Man half-brother to last season’s smart juvenile filly Sparkling Sea. The daughter of Starspangledbanner won a Naas maiden impressively on debut, beating Fairy Godmother, who reversed the placings next time out in the Group 3 Fillies Sprint Stakes, a neck separating the pair.

Changing fortunes

Next week’s catalogue also features a mare whose value has increased since her last sales date, at the 2023 Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale. Cosmic Lady was picked up by Tom Keane from the Niarchos Dispersal for €4,000 and, though she failed to win for Peter Fahey and the Festival Dreamers Syndicate, she has rewarded them in other ways.

Simply listed as a Mehmas yearling colt in 2023, her half-brother Make You Smile won both his starts as a juvenile last season, his Group 3 win in the Horris Hill Stakes earning him a rating of 106. She returns as Lot 337 next week.

Some of the sale’s success stories vindicated their purchaser’s judgement on the track, rather than in the sales ring, an example being Sydney Cup victor Knights Order. Bred by Airlie Stud and Mrs Sonia Rogers, the son of So You Think was sold by the former to Redbarn Farm and Stud for €5,000 as a weanling.

He failed to turn a profit as a yearling, when he was bought by William Jarvis for 6,000gns, but after four wins in the UK, resold to McKeever Bloodstock, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott for 250,000gns. His earnings now exceed £1.5million.

Tally-Ho Stud skipped the yearling sales with their Twilight Son colt, bought from Olive O’Connor Bloodstock for €28,000, and were rewarded at the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale with £210,000. Named Twilight Jet, the dual group winner reached a rating of 114 for purchaser Michael O’Callaghan and Eleanor Kennedy.

Bargain race mares

Gaelic Bloodstock has enjoyed success sourcing their runners as weanlings, an example being €8,000 buy Yaxeni. She was sold privately following her debut win and went on to win three stakes races for SBA Racing and Ger Lyons.

One of the sale’s most recent blacktype graduates is Ostraka, who is now rated 101 after her win in the Group 3 Mercury Stakes for Danny Murphy and AP Challoner.

It was her third win since Liam Clarke Bloodstock paid €9,000 for the mare, who originally cost €95,000 at the company’s Autumn Yearling Sale. She was sold by Michael Halford and Tracey Collins, having lost her way following her debut win in a Curragh maiden.

Halford also previously trained a graduate to triumph over jumps, with Rashaan winning three graded hurdles in Ireland for Colin Kidd, before landing a Grade 1 in the US for Leslie Bruton. Kidd sourced the Manduro gelding from the Aga Khan draft for €8,000.

€8,000 was the median price achieved at last year’s sale, representing a 11% drop from 2023. The average fell by 19% to €12,898, but the clearance rate improved by one point to 65%. Figures fell, despite a 13% drop in the number of lots offered, and next week’s catalogue features 12% less lots, even with the addition of supplementary entries.

Racing & breeding prospects

Lot 34: The Jim Bolger-trained Eastern Legend is rated 98 on the flat and is now rated 134 over hurdles, following his third in the Grade 1 Future Champions Hurdle at Leopardstown

Lot 294: Listed-placed hurdler Belle The Lioness is out of a half-sister to Grade 1 chasers Monalee and Monty’s Star

Lot 297: The twice stakes-placed mare Black Magic Woman is offered in foal to champion two-year-old Native Trail

Lot 374: Blacktype sprinter American Lady, whose Lope De Vega filly sold for €110,000 at the 2024 yearling sales

Lot 387: Winning Wootton Bassett mare Lepsa is out of Group 1 winner Waikika

Lot 390G: Supplementary entry Dream Ticket is a winning half-sister to four stakes performers, including Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere victor Naaqoos

Lot 390H: Unraced Magna Grecia (Invincible Spirit) filly is a sister to Matron Stakes heroine No Speak Alexander, who is by Shalaa (Invincible Spirit). Their listed-winning dam is an own-sister to top sprinter Peniaphobia

Weanlings

Lot 50: Colt from the first crop of Baaeed, out of a 93-rated Frankel mare. His half-brother by Night Of Thunder sold for 260,000gns last October

Lot 52: Sioux Nation colt out of a listed-winning and group-placed mare

Lot 60: Diamond Boy colt out of a dual listed winner

Lot 79: Sioux Nation full-sister to a stakes performer, out of an own-sister to Grade 1 winner Tannery

Lot 100: Colt by the in-form Harzand, out of a blacktype hurdler

Lot 102: Havana Grey full-sister to Group 3-placed juvenile Magic Mild

Lot 159: No Nay Never half-brother to dual Group 3 winner Who’s Steph

Lot 169: Starspangledbanner filly out of dual graded winner and multiple Grade 1-placed Martini Glass

Lot 181: Havana Grey colt out of a group-placed sprinter

Lot 187: New Bay colt is a three-parts brother to two stakes horses, out of a listed-winning mare

Lot 212: Blue Bresil filly out of a mare who won a listed bumper and a Grade 3 over hurdles

Lot 230: Space Blues colt is a half-brother to multiple Grade 1 winner Appreciate It, who returned to winning ways in a Grade 2 last week

Lot 239: Camelot half-brother to multiple Group 3 winner Shamida and to the dam of Group 2 winner Dynamic Pricing

Lot 265: Dark Angel colt out of a half-sister to multiple stakes winner and Group 1-placed Gabrial (Dark Angel)

Lot 281: Out of a blacktype half-sister to Grade 1 performer Early Doors, this colt is by Goliath du Berlais, who had four six-figure sales at the 2024 store sales