A memorable edition of the Goffs Orby Sale concluded this evening with a set of final figures that made for good reading on a number of fronts and which further highlighted the rude health of this year’s European yearling market.

After bouncing back to its previous heights in 2021 the auction looked well placed to step forward again and it did so by returning increases in all key areas.

Understandably a larger catalogue yielded an improved turnover of just over €50m. This was both a 24% progression on last year while it was also the first time in 15 years that the turnover for this sale has topped €50m.

It was also very noteworthy that the average and median were able to make despite the bigger catalogue. The average of €121,384 was up 11% and is the second best figure in this category in recent times while the €87,000 median represents an Orby record.

Increased activity from €100,000 onwards, a largely successful sale for pinhookers and notable investment from American buyers were among the key attributes of this year’s sale.

A €575,000 son of Kodiac headed the second session when selling to Ross Doyle who was acting on behalf of Magne and Bente Jordanger of Stall Perlen. An own-brother to the Goffs Million fourth Magical Sunset, whom Doyle purchased for €340,000 at this sale last year, the colt was sold by his breeder Alice Fitzgerald who has enjoyed some tremendous days with the progeny of her Medicean mare Fikrah. A mare who has also produced the likes of the high class sprinter Hey Jonesy.

“We thought he was the standout colt of the two days. Obviously the sister is very talented and he is a beautiful horse by a sire we've done very well with,” said Doyle. “This colt never turned a hair, we went down to see him two or three times and every time we went, there was a queue to see him and he was doing the exactly the same thing every time. He’s been bought for Stall Perlen who are very good long term clients of ours.”

A few minutes earlier Amanda Skiffington spent €450,000 on a New Bay own-brother to the top class dual Group 1 winner Saffron Beach and this Ballylinch Stud offering will be joining Jane Chapple-Hyam who has done such an outstanding job with his elder own-sister.

“I thought that she was very, very similar to Saffron Beach. I see a lot of Jane and a lot Saffron Beach and are a lot of similarities between the two horses. He’s just a very athletic horse and he’s got the pedigree and he’s been bought to go into training with Jane for Fiona Carmichael,” remarked Amanda Skiffington.

Just a few minutes from the end of the sale Jacob West, who underbid the sister to Blackbeard on Tuesday, forked out €500,000 for a colt from the first crop of Ten Sovereigns. A €130,000 foal purchase and offered by Pier House Stud, this colt will be heading to America to join Todd Pletcher.

“I’ve bought him for Robert and Lawana Low. We took a swing at the sister to Blackbeard yesterday but I told them that there was this very nice colt who would be for sale late on day two so we’ve bought him and he will go to Todd Pletcher. Todd trained Scat Daddy and is very familiar with the sire line. He would have admired No Nay Never (grandsire) when he was in America and of course Ten Sovereigns was a top class racehorse himself,” stated West.

Another high profile transaction to take place late on day came in the shape of a Sea The Stars colt from Camas Park Stud who cost Manor House Farm €425,000. This colt is a half-brother to the E P Taylor Stakes winner Blond Me and he was the most expensive pinhook in the sale at €270,000.

For a large portion of the day the pace was set by a €460,000 daughter of Sea The Stars from Loughtown Stud who was knocked down to Hugo Merry. This filly is out of a Listed-placed Makfi mare and comes from the family of this season’s high class French two-year-old La Parisienne.

“I’ve bought her on behalf of a partnership made up of Andrew Rosen, Gainesway and LNJ Foxwoods. Everyone is partnering together to make their dollars go a little further although looking at the bid board the exchange rate is very favourable at the moment,” declared Merry.

“This filly has loads of quality and looks a very athletic type who looks as though she won’t take too much time. I’m not sure about training plans but she will go to Jane Allison to be broken in.”

American agent Justin Casse has been busy over the two days of the sale and his spending today was headed by a €450,000 son of Galileo from Marlhill House Stud. This colt is a half-brother to the former €1.6m Orby Sale top lot Old Glory and a Frankel two-year-old who made €900,000 here last year.

“I’m quite familiar with the family having bought Old Glory here a few years ago for the Zayats and he was a pretty talented horse. This colt ticked all the boxes,” reported Casse.

M.V. Magnier’s spending took in a couple of choice fillies which included a €420,000 filly from the first crop of the King’s Stand Stakes and Diamond Jubilee Stakes hero Blue Point. This Mountain View Stud homebred is out of a half-sister to the Group 1-winning sprinter Profitable. Magnier also forked out €360,000 for a Barronstown Stud-consigned daughter of No Nay Never out of an own-sister to Rail Link.

The first major transaction of the second session came when Dan Hayden, acting for New York Racing Association Chairman Marc Holliday’s Blue Devil Racing LLC, spent €300,000 on Rathbarry Stud’s filly from the first crop of the multiple Group 1 winner Advertise.

“She’s going to Joseph O’Brien. We’ve been buying a few out of this sale for the past few years to go to Joseph. Marc loves to breed, he’s been breeding for years, but now he’s trying to build up the quality and get a real quality broodmare band together,” reported Hayden. “This is a beautiful filly, big and strong with very good motion. She’s also the first crop daughter of a very fast racehorse. Advertise was an extremely good horse and he has every chance.”

A good day for Starspangledbanner saw the international sire make a major impact with some quality fillies. The first of these came from Gormanstown Stud and hailed from the outstanding Magnificent Style family. She was bought by the BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe for €325,000. Some time later Olivia Perkins Mackey spent €330,000 on a daughter of Starspangledbanner who was showing a great return on the €82,000 she cost as a foal.

Elsewhere Kitty Fitzpatrick’s Loughmore Stables supplied a €300,000 daughter of Zoustar who will join the Newtown Anner Stud team while Ross Doyle, acting for Amo Racing, matched this price for a Prince Of Lir half-brother to Oscula who cost €60,000 as a foal.

Owner Mark Dobbin, who has enjoyed a good season courtesy of fillies the calibre of Ladies Church and Cairde Go Deo, bolstered his team for next season when Cathy Grassick and the owner’s manager Ronan Fitzpatrick spent €300,000 on a daughter of Blue Point from Kilminfoyle House Stud.

“She’s been bought for Mark and will be going into training with Ger Lyons. We thought she was an exceptional filly,” remarked Cathy Grassick. “We’ve seen several Blue Point fillies out of Sea The Stars mares this week and we’ve been really impressed. I bought a Blue Point filly foal last year who is being kept to race and he’s a stallion that was very much on our radar and you’d love Sea The Stars as a broodmare sire.”

Day 2

YEAR CAT OFF SOLD AGG AV Med

2022 254 231 199 23,212,500 116,646 80,000

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

Entire Sale

YEAR CAT OFF SOLD AGG AV Med

2022 515 468 415 50,374,500 121,384 87,000

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