A €2.6m No Nay Never sister to last Saturday’s Middle Park Stakes hero Blackbeard provided the centrepiece of a sparkling opening session of the Goffs Orby Sale which made notably impressive gains on the returns from twelve months ago.

A session which yielded 104 six figure transactions and one which was underpinned by a strong 88% clearance rate and significant American participation yielded an aggregate of just under €27m which was an improvement of 37% on last year. The average of €129,269 was up by some 25% while median grew by a third to come in at €100,000. By any measure these are strong figures and leave the sale well placed to build on the sweeping increases that were recorded twelve months ago.

Unquestionably the star of the day was the sister to Blackbeard who was bought by agent Richard Knight after he came out the right side of a protracted battle with American Jacob West. Offered by Ciaran Conroy’s Glenvale Stud on behalf of Newstead Breeding, the session topping filly has grown ever more valuable since Blackbeard first set foot on the racecourse which came when he impressed in a Dundalk maiden April.

Aidan O’Brien’s charge then added Listed and Group 3 wins to his record but he has moved into an entirely different stratosphere lately with his clear cut win in Newmarket at the weekend following on from his Prix Morny victory over Persian King.

A tilt at the Breeders Cup could be next on the cards for Blackbeard who possesses an impressive blend of toughness and quality and those attributes resulted in the spectacular sale of this filly who is among a number of notable yearling purchases already made by Richard Knight this autumn.

“I thought that she was the absolute standout of the sale and that’s even without her brother being on the page,” reflected Knight after signing for the daughter of the talented Muirin on behalf of an undisclosed client.

“As an individual she had everything, she has size, shape and she’s just a lovely filly and every time I went back to see her she did everything that you’d expect her to. We are delighted to have gotten her. The price was at the top end of what we thought that she might make but she’s got the brother, she’s got the sire and we really didn’t want to leave her behind. She will go back to the U.K. and she will be trained in the U.K.,” continued Knight.

Towards the end of the day a much sought after daughter of Galileo was snapped up by Newtown Anner Stud for €750,000 after the farm’s P.J. Colville saw off the attentions of M.V Magnier, Michael Donohoe and the Amo Racing team. This filly is the first produce of the crack juvenile Signora Cabello who won the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes and the Gr.2 Prix Robert Papin as well as finishing second in the Prix Morny.

“She was our pick of the sale. She’s very good looking and it’s a good cross, so let’s hope she’s lucky and Maurice (Regan) is keen to build up a broodmare band. She’ll come back to me to be broken and we’ll have a think around Christmas time where to send her,” stated Colville.

Last year’s Orby Sale was headed by a €1.5m daughter of Galileo and, subsequently named Starry Eyed, she began her racing career with a pleasing third at Dundalk last Friday. Starry Eyed’s younger sister also made a notable contribution to yesterday’s proceedings after the Baroda Stud offering was sold to the BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe for €430,000.

“She’s a lovely filly, a nice physical from a top family and the sister looks very promising. I’ve bought her for an existing client, an owner breeder who keeps some mares and the plan would be for this filly to stay in Ireland and go into training here,” stated Donohoe.

The BBA Ireland man then added to his haul for the day when spending €525,000 on a daughter of Night Of Thunder from Noel O’Callaghan’s Mountarmstrong Stud. This filly is a half-sister to her breeder’s 2021 Matron Stakes winner No Speak Alexander.

This week’s sale contained just two colts by Frankel and the first of these to come under the hammer was a son of the Grade 1 E P Taylor Stakes heroine Miss Keller. Churchland Stud offered this colt on behalf of Waratah Thoroughbreds and he was snapped by Ross Doyle for €360,000.

Over the course of the day agent Mark McStay made his presence felt on a number of occasions and his spending took in a €350,000 daughter of Night Of Thunder from the famed nursery of Roundhill Stud. This filly received a notable boost to her pedigree lately as her half-sister Zanbaq won the Listed Rosemary Stakes and they are the first two foals out of a winning Shamardal mare.

“She’s a gorgeous filly from a top farm and she’s by an outstanding sire and we’ve all seen what he can do with his fillies this season through the likes of Highfield Princess. I’ve bought her for an international owner who has horses in England and hopefully she’ll be a very nice racing prospect but in the long term with the pedigree she has she’s a potential foundation mare,” stated McStay.

Earlier McStay was acting for owner Bon Ho, who has a leading Melbourne Cup candidate in Deauville Legend, when giving €250,000 for a son of Sea The Stars from The Castlebridge Consignment.

“He’s a lovely horse and a three-parts brother to a top class Sea The Stars horse in Mekhtaal. I’ve bought him for Bon Ho who is a very, very good client of mine and obviously the sire has been very lucky for the owner already,” observed the agent.

Elsewhere Joe Foley struck late on for a Galileo colt from The Castlebridge Consignment who cost €310,000. This colt is the second produce of the talented Scat Daddy mare Take Me With You whose brief but promising career yielded a third in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Day 1

YEAR CAT OFF SOLD AGG AV Med

2022 261 237 208 26,888,000 129,269 100,000

2021 230 205 188 19,575,400 104,120 75,000

2020 245 203 168 11,614,000 69,131 50,000

2019 236 219 187 23,119,500 123,634 75,000

2018 211 190 167 24,085,000 144,222 85,000

2017 245 228 195 21,140,000 108,410 67,000

Ends