FOR the second day in succession Kodiac was all the rage at the Goffs November Foal Sale as he supplied a flurry of the day’s highest prices, which featured the session topping €150,000 colt.
Trade picked up a further step throughout the day and the clearance rate of 73% was the best of the sale so far. However, overall activity has yet to reach the heights of 2015 with the average of €29,602 and the €26,000 median representing drops of 18% and 7% respectively.
The star of the penultimate day of foals at Kildare Paddocks was sold by James and Lisa Kelly’s Linacre House Stud and he hailed from a superb family cultivated by the farm. The colt’s dam is a winning Moss Vale half-sister to six pattern race performers so it was understandable that he was going to be in some demand and Ruairi O’Coileain of Ennistown Stud had to go to €150,000 to secure this most prized most of foals.
“He’s as good a foal as I’ve seen here so far and you have to go that bit extra to get the ones that you want,” said O’Coileain. "He was very well prepared by Linacre House Stud, who have done a fantastic job with him, and hopefully there will be more to come from him too. He’s by a top sire from an excellent family and we’ll look forward to bringing him back for sale next year.”
Kodiac also supplied the day’s other six figure transaction, which came in the shape of a colt offered by John and Clodagh McStay’s Oaklawn Stud. At €110,000, the hammer came down in favour of Franny Woods for the half-brother to three winners, which include this season’s capable two-year-old Eagle Spirit.
“I loved him from the first time that I saw him,” reflected Woods. “He’s a very classy individual by a top sire and we’ll look forward to bringing him back for sale. He’s a very good individual but he is quite a late foal so we’ll bring him along steadily.”
One of the stars of the day was saved until last as the final lot into the ring on Wednesday evening fetched €96,000. He was a colt from the first crop of the Derby winner Ruler Of The World and Ciaran Conroy bought him with a view to reoffering him next year.
Dark Angel was another sire in some demand and he was responsible for a filly out of the useful dual winner Sindjara from Jockey Hall Stud, who cost Australian purchaser Robert Roulston, acting for Chinese interests, €90,000.
“She’s been bought to race and she will be staying to race in Europe. I’ve bought her for RIFA Mustang, who have around 50 horses in training. We’ve bought at Tattersalls in the past but this is our first time at Goffs,” declared Roulston.
Another of the day’s leading lights was a Camacho colt who went to Yeomanstown Stud for €85,000. Owned by Tullpark Limited, this colt is the second produce of the Chesham Stakes runner-up Spinning Rose.
The €85,000 mark was also reached by French purchaser Hubert Honore when he secured a son of the South American Grade 2 heroine Bailonguera, who has developed into a very useful French producer.
“He’s out of an older mare but it’s a lovely family associated with Madame Fabre. We think Baghadur (Bailonguera’s grandson) could be a very good horse in Hong Kong. He’s been bought for a syndicate and the plan would be to try and resell him in France next year,” stated Honore.
Earlier, Margaret O’Toole forked out €82,000 for a son of Dark Angel out of a winning Dubawi mare. The agent reported that the Baroda & Colbinstown Studs offering will return for sale next year.
Meanwhile, Willie Browne matched this price for a Kodiac colt out of a Bernstein half-sister to the classy French two-year-old Magic America.
Final Figures -Day 4
YEAR Cat OFF SOLD AGG AV Med
2015 246 214 172 6,187,000 35,971 28,000
2016 261 226 163 4,825,200 29,602 26,000