A €3 million daughter of Galileo and an own-sister to last year’s €3.2 million sale-topper stole the show to head the second and concluding session of the Goffs Orby Sale which drew to a close on Wednesday evening with a set of results that finished behind those of 2018.

The final figures for Ireland’s premier yearling sale were unable to keep pace with last year’s record-breaking returns with all key indicators falling behind those of 2018, although they do stand up well to comparison with other years and for the best lots there was no doubt that this year’s sale was at least as good as that of 12 months.

At the close of proceedings this evening the 2019 edition of the Orby took in just under €43 million which represented a decline of less than two points. The average of €117,899 was down by 11% and the median dropped from €80,000 to €65,000, while, as expected, a larger catalogue resulted in the clearance rate falling by 4%.

In terms of the sale-topper it was just like last year as Ballylinch Stud offered a truly prized commodity in a Galileo own-sister to the 2018 Oaks winner Forever Together and the former Fillies' Mile heroine Together Forever.

This filly was consigned on behalf of her breeders Vimal and Gillian Khosla and, as the latest produce of a mare who has already bred a trio of Group 1 winners, she made universal appeal.

Anthony Stroud, flanked by David Loder and Charlie Appleby, did his utmost to secure the bay, but when M.V. Magnier brought the price to €3 million he was forced to concede defeat.

Magnier had previously bought Together Forever and Forever Together at this sale and his latest acquisition from this family was made in partnership with Georg von Opel’s Westerberg who had picked up the Galileo own-sister to Alice Springs for €2.2 million on Tuesday.

“Firstly, I would say that I’m delighted for Vimal and Gillian. It’s a great result for them and they’ve been rewarded for putting a lot of faith in Galileo,” said Magnier.

“Obviously it’s been a very lucky family for us already with Together Forever and Forever Together and this mare as produced another Group 1 winner in Lord Shanakill, so she’s an outstanding producer and we are lucky to be able to buy a filly like this as she really is a collector’s item.”

Meanwhile, Ballylinch Stud’s John O’Connor remarked: “She’s just one of those unusual mares in that she keeps doing it and she breeds even nicer animals than she is herself.

"This filly is at least as good as anything that the mare has produced and she has all the same qualities that the others out of the mare have.”

The emerging international force that is Aquis were once again to the fore and acting through their international consultant Demi O’Byrne they gave €550,000 for a son of Sea The Stars from the family of High Chaparral.

This price was closely matched by Anthony Stoud when he spent €500,000 on a Sea The Stars colt belonging to Pat O’Kelly’s famed Kilcarn Stud. This colt hails from the immediate family of Banimpire.

“We like Sea The Stars and this is a very nice colt coming off a great farm. Sheikh Mohammed saw him himself and liked him a lot so he decided that we would have a go. He’s a lovely, athletic horse,” reported Stroud.

There was a tremendous result for the Irish 2000 Guineas winner Awtaad when a colt from his first crop sold to Shadwell’s Stephen Collins €400,000.

A €58,000 foal purchase by Tally-Ho Stud, this colt enjoyed an immensely valuable update when his half-brother Phoenix Of Spain won this year’s edition of that one-mile classic.

“Obviously we stand Awtaad and we already have some very nice stock by him at home,” declared Collins. “Sheikh Hamdan is keen to support him both here and over the coming weeks and this colt is a particularly good sort from a classic-winning family.

"In shape and profile he is very similar to his sire and Sheikh Hamdan felt that he was one of the best individuals that he saw here this week.”

Among the most notable pinhooking triumphs this week was an Australia colt from Ciaran Conroy’s Glenvale Stud whose price soared from €56,000 as a foal to €525,000 earlier today when M.V. Magnier outbid Alastair Donald for the half-brother to this year’s Group 2-winning two-year-old Mystery Power.

“He’s a lovely horse and Australia is going very well. We have some lovely horses by him including the likes of Broome,” commented Magnier, who also spent €260,000 on a colt from the first crop of The Gurkha and €280,000 on another son of Australia.

Elsewhere, the South African Form Bloodstock went to €340,000 for a daughter of Kingman, sent up from Norelands. This filly is the first foal out of a placed half-sister to the brilliant Golden Horn.

Day 2

YEAR CAT OFF SOLD AGG AV Med

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

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

Full results here