FOUR days after landing the Naas October Handicap Rocky Bleier emerged as the star turn of this year’s Goffs Open Yearling and Horses In Training Sale when coming to Gerry Hogan, who was acting on behalf of Barry Connell, for €150,000.
The corresponding sale last year produced a top price of €225,000 which meant that horses in training section couldn’t quite match 2013 in several areas. However this part of the sale still returned a good level of trade for what was on offer and the clearance rate came in 95%.
The majority of the catalogue was given over to yearlings and this section made gains in all key areas while the top lot jumped from €30,000 to €75,000. From a smaller number of horses offered the yearling section posted a turnover of €826,000 which represented an improvement of 16%.
The average of €7,648 and the €4,500 median grew by 49% and 50% respectively. However, a clearance rate of 68% indicates that there were plenty of individuals who failed to meet the requirements of the market.
After rising to a rating of 93 for his win at Naas on Sunday Rocky Bleier came under the hammer having won three of his six starts for Bill Farrell and it was no surprise when his price quickly headed towards six figures. After the €100,000 mark was breached Gerry Hogan and Bill Dwan did battle, with the former eventually carrying the day. Hogan reported that his purchase would now embark on a hurdling career with Alan Fleming.
As ever, the draft of Aga Khan horses proved popular and the most expensive of these was Michael Halford’s smart middle distance runner Dabadiyan who cost agent Russell McNabb €80,000. The son of Zamindar, who is rated 102, was bought to join Gary Moore for a jumping campaign. A National Hunt career could also beckon for Dabadiyan’s stablemate Zarib – a maiden winner at Dundalk last year – after he was snapped up by Dan Skelton for €56,000.
On Wednesday the Aga Khan-owned Enzani made his racecourse debut at Navan when finishing fourth in a maiden won by Lettre De Cachet. The promise of that initial effort meant that Dermot Weld’s charge attracted considerable interest and John McConnell, acting for a new partnership in his yard, secured the Cape Cross gelding with a bid of €78,000.
Harry Rogers had to go to €70,000 to see off a number of different challengers for the Takashi Kodama inmate Benkei. The four-year-old brother to this year’s Irish Derby third Orchestra has yet to win but has shown useful form on various occasions.
Following a memorable fortnight for freshman sire Lope De Vega it was no surprise to see the only yearling on offer by the Shamardal horse taking centre stage. The filly in question, who shares her stallion with the Dewhurst Stakes winner Belardo, is out of a half-sister to the multiple grade 2 winner Katdogawn and she cost Ross Doyle €75,000. Doyle reported that the Miller Hill-consigned filly will join the Richard Hannon.
The next highest price was paid by Gerry Hogan, acting for an Irish client, when he went to €30,000 for a daughter of Mastercraftsman out of the Knockaire Stakes winner Bon Expresso. The Owenstown Stud offering is bred on the same cross as Mastercraftsman’s St Leger-winning son Kingston Hill.
English trainer Ron Harris went to €26,000 to secure a filly from the first crop of Canford Cliffs. A well bred sort, the filly is out of a stakes-winning half-sister to the smart Ruby Rocket who is the dam of crack sprinter Maarek.
The early pace was set by a pair of €22,000 lots which came in the shape of a Kodiac colt who was bought by John Murphy and a son of Showcasing that came to Con Marnane. Chinook Farm also went to €22,000 when securing a Zebedee filly from Tally-Ho Stud who acquired a prospective breeze-up horse in the shape a €20,000 Dandy Man colt.
BBA Ireland’s Patrick Cooper was acting on behalf of Elusive Pimpernel’s owner Mrs Patino when giving €20,000 for a filly from the first crop of the Craven Stakes winner. Mrs Patino will have 14 member of Elusive Pimpernel’s initial crop in training for 2015. Others to make €20,000 were daughters of Intikhab and Holy Roman Emperor who were bought to go to England and Italy respectively.
“The Open Yearling Sale has advanced significantly and continues to provide a vibrant but low cost outlet for commercial yearlings,” reflected Goffs chief executive Henry Beeby at the conclusion of the sale. “Of course a clearance rate of just over two-thirds points to an unforgiving market but that is very much the trend these days and those that appealed most had plenty of admirers.
“The horses in training section must to be put into context as we introduced the new Champions Sale last month that enjoyed an amazing debut with an average of over €200,000, a top price of €470,000 and takings of over €2 million. Take those out and today has returned perfectly acceptable trade although it remains a frustration that we cannot persuade more Irish horses with form to sell in Goffs. It is a common theme at this time of year but we will continue to work to reverse that trend,” added Beeby.
COMPARATIVE FIGURES
HORSES IN TRAINING SALE
YEAR CAT OFF SOLD AGG AVG MED
2014 80 55 51 €759,200 €14,600 €4,500
2013 102 76 62 €830,600 €13,397 €5,500
OPEN YEARLING SALE
YEAR CAT OFF SOLD AGG AVG MED
2014 176 160 108 €826,000 €7,648 €4,500
2013 224 205 135 €713,000 €5,281 €3,000