A MIXTURE of two-year-olds, horses in training, both flat and National Hunt-bred yearlings, along with breeding stock, made up the diverse offering at the Goffs February Sale earlier this week.

While trade was selective, as always there is still demand for quality and that was evident in a bid of €340,000 from BBA Ireland to acquire the young Galileo mare, Red Azalea. A trio of six-figure lots in the yearling section also highlighted that the upper levels of the market are healthy.

However, a clearance rate of 64% suggests it wasn’t plain sailing for everyone. After two days of trade a total of €4,348,550, worth of horses changed hands at an average of €15,929 and a median price of €9,000.

“When November and December are strong it sometimes leads to a weaker February, as orders might be filled and/or the better lots already sold,” observed Goffs CEO Henry Beeby.

“Whether or not that is the case this week is debatable but the common theme over the last two days has been a vibrant trade for those that held most appeal, especially to the pinhooking fraternity, but an altogether different story for those deemed not to be as commercial. Suggesting otherwise would be foolhardy as it is very much the case in the times in which we live.”

The sale-topper Red Azalea, a winning daughter of Galileo, was sold by David Cox’s Baroda Stud. Trained by Donnacha O’Brien for the Coolmore partners, the four-year-old signed off her racing career when winning a maiden at Ballinrobe last summer, having run with credit previously behind the likes of Emily Dickinson and Above The Curve.

She is the first and only runner so far out of the teak-tough Music Box who put together a brilliant CV during a busy year in 2017 for Aidan O’Brien in which she ran 17 times, her career culminating with a Group 3 win at Doncaster on her final start.

Frankel filly

Baroda had earlier sold a nice daughter of Frankel named Nomadland for €110,000, again to BBA Ireland who were conducting their business out of sight and online.

The unraced three-year-old boasts a lovely page, being out of a full-sister to Japanese Group 1 winner Deep Brillante. “We sold her on behalf of an existing client,” Cox reported.

“Being a Frankel out of a Deep Impact mare she was bound to be popular, but she is also a lovely mare, a good size for breeding and she could also suit southern hemisphere breeders.”

Trade took a while to get going when attention turned to fillies and mares but it took a step forward when Romanosa took her turn in the ring.

A winner and stakes-placed in France, and another consigned by Baroda Stud, the five-year-old was the subject of plenty of interest and eventually was knocked down to agent Barry Lynch.

The daughter of Holy Roman Emperor hails from the family of Group 1 winners Power and Curvy. Revealing the plan for his purchase Lynch said: “She has been bought for a group of investors to be mated to a high-profile stallion and then return to the sales ring. She is an attractive mare, had good form on the track and has a lovely back pedigree, so she has plenty going for her.”

Soon after Joe Rogers’ Ballintry Stud offered the Fascinating Rock mare Saccharo and, after a protracted bidding duel between Richard Fitzsimons of BBA Ireland and Tony O’Callaghan, it was the Tally-Ho team that came out on top when the hammer fell at €60,000.

Sold for 140,000gns as a yearling, the five-year-old retained significant residual value - despite not troubling the judge in three starts - owing to being a sister to group winners Brown Sugar and Burnt Sugar, from the fast family of Galeota and Justineo.