ON Wednesday their foals lit up the sales ring at Kildare Paddocks and today a selection of blue chip mares, headed by the tremendous producer Inca Princess at €1.9 million, took centre stage as the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale got underway.
The terrific draft of mares were offered by the Castlebridge Consignment under the ownership of either Desert Star Phoenix Jvc – a breeding arm of the China Horse Club – or the partnership of Coolmore and the China Horse Club and, as expected they dominated the day’s trade.
The final figures for the day finished some way off the totals of 2016 although it is worth bearing in mind that last year’s auction was bolstered by the Wildenstein Dispersal.
An aggregate of almost €13.3 million was down 29% on 2016 and the average of €67,204 dropped by 22 points, while the median of €27,000 represented a fall of 10%. However, the clearance rate for the day came in at a very healthy 85%.
AMAZING OPPORTUNITY
The standout lot of the day was the Holy Roman Emperor mare Inca Princess whose Galileo filly fetched €1.1 million the previous morning.
A mere nine-year-old, Inca Princess was sold in foal to Galileo and is thus carrying with a full-sibling to the Group 1 scorer and Melbourne Cup second Johannes Vermeer and to this year’s Group 2 heroine Elizabeth Browning.
The bidding for her began at €300,000 but soon sped towards the €1 million mark, at which point Joe Foley, Peter Molony, Will Douglass and Laurent Benoit were all doing battle.
A late play from Ballylinch Stud’s John O’Connor brought the price to €1.85 million but he was forced to admit defeat when Benoit rounded the price up to €1.9 million.
This sale surpassed the €1.6 million paid for last year’s sale-topper, Beauty Parlour.
“It was an amazing opportunity to buy a mare like her,” said Benoit. “She’s a lovely mare, in foal to the right horse and we are delighted to have gotten her. She’s already the dam of two very good horses and we all saw the foal out of her yesterday.”
As Inca Princess made her exit another renowned producer, Muravka, made her entrance. She too was sold under the Desert Star Phoenix Jvc banner and she has the Group 1 Prix Morny victor The Wow Signal and the French listed winner Miss Infinity among her progeny.
Also the dam of an 850,000gns No Nay Never yearling of 2017, Muravka went to David and Diane Nagle’s Barronstown Stud for €950,000 with Hugo Merry having to settle for the role of underbidder.
GROUP 1 HEROINE
Another €950,000 transaction came in the shape of Melito, who was owned in partnership by Coolmore and the China Horse Club.
The dual Australian Group 1 heroine was another sold in foal to Galileo and she is heading to Northern Farm in Japan after Hiro Kawasaki, acting for Katsumi Yoshida, outlasted Laurent Benoit. Melito’s Galileo colt sold for €625,000 on Wednesday.
“She’s a big, strong mare and should suit some of the Japanese stallions – perhaps Deep Impact or Heart’s Cry – and she was very good on the track. Our team has Campbell Junior (a son of Melito) and he’s a good colt so we are pleased to have gotten her,” declared Kawasaki.
The last member of this draft was the top-class New Zealand-based runner Fix and she cost Tom Goff €750,000 a day after her filly foal by Galileo fell to Ken Bolger for €400,000.
A triple Group 2 winner, Fix is a daughter of Iffraaj and she too was sold with a coveted Galileo covering.
“She’s a lovely, roomy mare and to my eye she looks to be carrying a good sized foal,” declared Goff who was acting for an undisclosed client. “She was a terrific filly on the track and we are delighted to have gotten her – she comes from an excellent Juddmonte family.
"It’s been hard to buy the mares that you want today and I suspect it will be the same at Newmarket so we are very pleased to have gotten her.”
COULD BE ANYTHING
Through the first half of the day Garranlea Stud offered several quality mares for the partnership of Rockhart Trading and the China Horse Club. The most expensive of these was Convocate who cost Eddie Irwin’s Marlhill House Stud for €400,000.
The daughter of Exchange Rate was previously bought by the partnership of Marlhill and the China Horse Club in 2014.
Similarly, the former Cornwallis Stakes winner Ponty Acclaim was bought outright by Marlhill for €120,000. She was sold carrying to Pride Of Dubai.
The Garranlea draft also featured Thai Haku and she was snapped up by the BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe for €250,000. This stakes-winning daughter of Oasis Dream is in foal to Lope De Vega and she is the dam of Sarrocchi who topped last month’s horses in training sale here before winning a Leopardstown maiden several days later.
“I’ve bought her for an existing client and I thought that she was excellent value. The two-year-old (Sarrocchi) out of the mare looked very impressive when she won at Leopardstown – she could be anything,” declared the BBA Ireland.
At €300,000, the centrepiece of the ever popular Aga Khan draft was Ebalista and she was snapped up by Dermot Cantillon on behalf of Forenaughts Stud. The daughter of Selkirk is carrying to Siyouni and has already bred a Group 2 winner and a pair of listed-placed runners.
“I’ve bought her on behalf of Tony Smurfit’s Forenaughts Stud. She’s in foal to a very good horse and I love these proven mares. This mare is a daughter of a champion (Ebadiyla) and she comes from one of the very best Aga Khan families,” reflected Cantillon.
Day 1
YEAR CAT OFF SOLD AGG AV Med
2017 281 233 197 13,239,250 67,204 27,000
2016 273 242 217 18,620,000 85,806 30,000