THE 2018 sale season at Doncaster drew to a close with a whimper, but the market for the inaugural Goffs UK December Sale was well signalled in advance. Managing director Tony Williams was pragmatic in his summing up of the trade.
He said: “The sale’s opening session of horses-in-training saw strong demand with a clearance rate of over 70% and some good prices. However, that demand did not translate into the later mare and foal sessions where trade at this level of the market was reflective of that seen at a variety of locations this year.
“The mare and foal sessions were the result of vendors asking for another avenue to offer their stock and we actively sought a date in the sale calendar to provide another outlet. As is the current trend, those that held appeal did sell well which is encouraging for the future of this sale.”
Owner Craig Buckingham will send his £36,000 purchase Northwest Frontier to Micky Hammond to continue his racing career. The Sir Robert Ogden-owned and bred son of Galileo is a dual winner over two miles and will stay racing on the flat. He was consigned from Richard Fahey’s Musley Bank Stables.
HORSES IN TRAINING
Next best among the horses in training was the Mick Appleby-trained Hakam, a son of War Front. A winner of five races for connections after his purchase from Shadwell two years ago, he gained his biggest success this year in the Group 3 Polar Cup in Norway. He cost trainer Christian Van Der Recke £30,000 and will now race from his new home in Germany.
Peacocks Secret returns to Shark Hanlon after JD Moore gave £21,000 for the son of Court Cave on behalf of a newcomer to racing, TJ McDonald.
A recent winner at Wexford and Naas, he could be seen out again very soon.
Trainer Sophie Leech made a couple of significant purchases, giving £21,000 for the Grade 2 winner Vaniteux who was previously in the care of Nicky Henderson and David Pipe, while she acquired Clondaw Cian, a three-time winner, for £20,000.
BEST FOALS
The best of the foals sold was a daughter of New Bay and she was one of two profitable sales by Jacqueline Draper’s Harefield Cottage Stud near Newbridge. She bought the Rail Link mare Arctic Passage for just 6,000gns last December and sold the resultant New Bay filly for Five Star Bloodstock, on behalf of an Irish pinhooker, for £32,000.
The farm also supplied the second best-priced foal in a colt by Twilight Son out an unraced Foxwedge mare who cost 4,000gns last December. Buckley Bloodstock gave £29,000 for the grandson of Italian listed winner L’Ereditiera.
Worsall Grange sold a pair of foals for £25,000 each and they were both bought by Kahlil Burke. First was a filly by Cable Bay, while two lots later they traded a son of Cannock Chase.
The National Stud in Newmarket sold a filly from the first crop of Pearl Secret for £23,000 to Creighton Schwartz Bloodstock and she will race for one of the partners in the sire.