A filly by Havana Grey was the star of the second and final day of the Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale, selling for €65,000, as trade concluded with a reasonable set of figures for an auction of this nature.

A diverse and welcome buying bench from, in particular, Italy and Eastern Europe, saw 76% of yearlings offered change hands for a turnover of €3,231,800, a drop in aggregate of 12%. The average and median of €8,373 and €5,000 also dipped slightly on 2022. Last year eight horses sold for €50,000 or more while this week three yearlings fared similarly.

Thursday's top lot certainly had sire power in her favour, being by the upwardly mobile Havana Grey. The filly, who shares her sire with the likes of Vandeek, Elite Status and Shouldvebeenaring, was eventually knocked down to Bobby O’Ryan for €65,000.

Offered by Erenagh House Stud out of the mare Nellie Ellis, the sale proved a very profitable pinhook for her vendor, Downpatrick native Victoria Macauley, who bought the filly last year as a foal for just 8,000gns.

O’Ryan was acting on behalf of Dermot Weld who said: “She is a lovely filly and the sire is doing exceptionally well. She is for an existing owner in the yard.”

Busy Bobby

Bobby O’Ryan was certainly kept busy, working in conjunction with Goffs' Eastern European agent Kishore Mirpuri and his many associates to purchase upwards of two dozen horses over the two days, but he found the time earlier in the day to purchase another yearling on behalf of Dermot Weld.

Sire power was again a factor in this transaction and - on the day Darley announced that Blue Point would stand for a covering fee of €60,000 at their Kildangan Stud next year - the only yearling by the exciting young stallion on offer this week was bought by O’Ryan for €50,000. Offered by Rochestown Lodge the colt is out of the Dalakhani mare Elouges from the family of Pretty Polly winner Urban Fox.

O’Ryan said: "The sire couldn’t have had a better year with his first crop and this is a grand colt, so hopefully he can go on and do well.”

Supplemented

An addition of around 40 supplementary lots at the end of the sale provided a few late highlights with Gerry Hogan going to €48,000 to buy an Invincible Spirit filly from Peter Nolan. The filly out of Condensed is a half-sister to Dense Star who was a useful juvenile for Joseph O’Brien a few years ago.

Soon after, Paddy Twomey signed for a colt by Starspangledbanner from the Morrin family’s Pier House Stud for €40,000. This price was matched when Meadowview purchased a Kodi Bear colt offered by Rathbarry Stud. This colt is out of stakes performer Lumiere Astrale who has also bred a stakes performer in Theme Astral.

Italian buyer

Cristiana Brivio of Razza Latina continued her shopping on Thursday and her spending was headed by a €33,000 son of Sergei Prokofiev from The Castlebridge Consignment. This colt was pinhooked by Peter Kelly last year for 16,000gns and is out of the Singspiel mare Ebrah who has bred two winners so far.

It was a seventh yearling purchase made by Razza Latina this week that will go to Italy to be trained by Brivia and her husband Endo Botti. “This has been a very lucky sale for us and the quality is improving every year,” Brivia said. “We bought this year’s Italian Derby winner Goldenas here two years ago, so it is a sale we like. The market is fair and hopefully we can continue the success we have had so far,” she added.

Brivia added another to her growing list when buying a Sioux Nation filly from Rathbarry Stud for €21,000. Another yearling destined for Italy is the Circus Maximus filly consigned by Whitehall Stud and purchased by Achille Varzi for €32,000.

Andy Oliver purchase

Starspangledbanner could have a big weekend with Carla’s Way representing him in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita on Friday and another colt by the Coolmore stallion proved popular on Thursday when selling to Andy Oliver for €32,000.

Presented by Poulmaleen Stables, the colt out of Countess Chrissy is a half-brother to the progressive Archie Watson-trained Chriszoff who has won four of his six starts to date.

“He is a lovely, big horse and the three-year-old brother is rated 96, so it’s a happening family,” Oliver said. “I have a nice Starspangledbanner horse at home and he is a stallion I like. I saw this horse here earlier in the week and I waited around to try and buy him so I’m happy with that,” he added.

The Tyrone-based trainer then waited until near the end of the sale to buy a Raven’s Pass colt from Old Carhue Stud who cost €33,000. This yearling’s dam is the multiple stakes-placed War Front mare Mise En Rose.

Another notable transaction involved a Time Test filly from Glen Stables who sold to Aidan Byrne for €29,000. The filly is a full-sister to Ocean Conquest who was an impressive winner of a two-year-old maiden in Punchestown in September for Michael O’Callaghan.

Challenging

Henry Beeby, CEO of Goffs, summed up the sale by saying: "Whilst celebrating our overseas clients we acknowledge that the last two days have been challenging for many and that is symptomatic of the issues facing the industry at the moment.

"Indeed, our sale has followed the trends at other recent sales at this level and it only goes to underline the importance of overseas investment in our produce.

"To put that into context 88 lots from the last two days head to Italy and another 94 will be spread across Eastern Europe, which graphically illustrates their contribution to the market whilst their positivity and enthusiasm ensured a lively atmosphere from start to finish."