A €900,000 daughter of Galileo, from a family that has enjoyed notable success at this sale in the past, took centre stage on the opening day of the Goffs Orby Sale when selling to M.V. Magnier.

The corresponding day last year produced a top price of €1.7 million but, despite the absence of a seven-figure lot, the figures for the day finished ahead of those from last year. An aggregate of over €20 million represents a near 5% progression, while the €109,877 average and the €70,000 median both grew by eight points.

The session-topper is an own-sister to the 2014 Fillies Mile heroine Together Forever (a €680,000 graduate of this sale), while two years ago her Sea The Stars half-sister sold here for €1.1 million. Amanda Skiffington, who bought that Sea The Stars, made a strong play for this filly but she was forced to concede defeat when Magnier rounded the price up to €900,000.

“This filly is a full-sister to a filly (Together Forever) who we bought here and whom Aidan (O’Brien) rated very highly,” commented Magnier. “Galileo is breaking every record there is and he gets them all - be it seven furlong horses, Derby types, two-year-olds, three-year-olds or older horses. As a broodmare sire he also seems to work with anything.”

Later in the day, huge interest accompanied a colt by Frankel from Camas Park Stud and he eventually sold to the BBA Ireland’s Adrian Nicoll, acting for an international racing partnership, for €750,000. As a son of one of the all time greats, who has made a spectacular start to his stud career, this colt made major appeal and allied to that is his superb pedigree. The colt hails from an outstanding Niarchos family and his siblings include the Arc winner Bago and the dual Group 1 scorer Maxios.

Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum made a major contribution to the day’s proceedings with a couple of notable purchases and the second of these came in the form of a €750,000 son of Invincible Spirit. This Irish National Stud offering is an own-brother to the Group 2 Challenge Stakes winner and Dewhurst Stakes second Cable Bay. Ross Doyle and Richard Hannon had to settle for the runners-up spot on the grandson of the top sprinter Cherokee Rose.

Earlier, the Shadwell team forked out €600,000 for a son of Acclamation from Tom and Geraldine Mowlan’s Riversfield Stud. The colt is an own-brother to the crack juvenile and Richmond Stakes winner Harbour Watch as well as the South African Group 1 heroine Europa Point. Further back, this is a family that contains a number of high-class performers who sported Sheikh Hamdan’s silks, among them Elnadim and Mehthaaf.

John Ferguson also struck for one of the top lots when he outlasted American agent Gatewood Bell for a €500,000 son of Invincible Spirit from the Irish National Stud. The son of the Group 3-placed Lethal Quality is an own-brother to the Group 3-placed juvenile Promising, who fetched €350,000 at this sale 12 months ago.

The South African outfit Form Bloodstock, who have emerged as major players at this sale over the last decade, were busy stockpiling talent throughout the day. Foremost among their purchases was a prized €480,000 son of Scat Daddy.

The only yearling on offer this week by his sadly deceased sire, this colt is out of Excelente, who was stakes-placed both in Ireland and America. Malherbe reported that the colt was bought for owner Mary Slack, whose runners in these parts include Tommy Stack’s Royal Ascot runner-up Diamond Fields.

Another Form purchase came in the shape of a €240,000 filly, from the first crop of Declaration Of War, who is a half-sister to the smart juveniles Foolish Ambition and True Verdict.

Postponed’s owner Sheikh Obaid will race a €470,000 daughter of Shamardal whose pedigree received a nice boost this year courtesy of her Group 3-winning and classic-placed half-brother Stellar Mass. Roger Varian signed for the Tinnakill House offering.

Also coming in at was the €470,000 son of Lawman hailed by purchaser Richard Brown as an outstanding individual. The half-brother to this season’s useful juvenile Drumfad Bay is out of the Group 2-winning Manieree. Like the session-topper, this colt was offered by Ballylinch Stud.

A €375,000 son of Sea The Stars will join Ralph Beckett for a Far Eastern owner after being knocked down to agent Justin Bahen.

Meanwhile, the familiar colours of Jim and Fitri Hay will be worn by a €360,000 Camelot half-brother to the Epsom Derby second At First Sight after he was snapped up by agent Hugo Merry. Camelot also supplied a €320,000 filly who went to Harry Herbert, acting for Al Shaqab Racing.

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Day 1

YEAR CAT OFF SOLD AGG AV Med

2016 245 222 187 20,547,000 109,877 70,000

2015 250 229 193 19,614,500 101,630 65,000