FRIDAY

A son of Dubawi and the Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Nightime became one of most expensive foals ever to be sold in Ireland when fetching €1.1m to head the final session of the Goffs November Foal Sale which drew to a close last night.

The colt, whose dam famously won the 2006 Irish 1000 Guineas for Dermot Weld and his late mother Marguerite, boasted impeccable credentials to be a potential sale topper and he more than lived up to expectations. It was John Ferguson who eventually won the battle for the April-born colt after he outlasted the effort of Ibrahim Araci.

From Bill Dwan’s The Castlebridge Consignment, the colt entered a packed and expectant sales ring and the bidding for him got underway at €100,000 before the price steadily crept towards the all important seven-figure mark. Ferguson was the first to bid €1m and when he countered Araci’s increase of €50,000 the colt was his.

To date Nightime’s offspring are headed by this year’s Oyster Stakes winner Zhukova and this is the third time that the Darley team has purchased one of her offspring. Furthermore Nightime herself hails from Galileo’s first crop and provided the sire with one of his first major wins when she captured that Curragh classic.

“He needs little explanation,” said Ferguson. “Dick O’Gorman and the Darley team had seen him on the farm during the summer and liked how he had progressed and he came here this week and showed himself off very well. He’s by a great sire out of a great racemare and fingers crossed that we have a racehorse on our hands.”

BATTLE

Earlier in the day Ferguson and Araci also did battle for a son of Dark Angel from Balintougher Stud but on this occasion it was Araci, acting through Rob Speers, who carried the day when he brought the price to €370,000. This sale makes the son of the Phoenix Stakes scorer Miss Beatrix the most expensive Dark Angel foal to have been offered at auction. Araci has already bought two of Miss Beatrix’s offspring and these include the high class Turkish-based Tamga.

Afterwards Rob Speers remarked: “The sire needs absolutely no introduction at this stage, he’s a serious sire and it’s very, very hard to compete at the likes of Book 1, so we are delighted to have picked up the two horses that we did today and hopefully they are two exciting prospects to put into training next year.’’

Earlier Araci and Rob Speers teamed up to secure a sought-after colt from the first crop of the 2000 Guineas and Derby winner Camelot for €180,000. This grandson of Montjeu was offered from Killourney Mor Farm and he hailed from the same family as Thursday’s €150,000 session topper.

“Mr Araci saw quite a bit of the sire in this colt. He was under bidder on Camelot as a yearling and followed his career closely,” reported Speers. “Camelot is unproven but he was a very good horse and came within a hair’s breadth of winning the Triple Crown. We’re very impressed by his stock and this colt’s Group 1-winning half-brother, Magic Hurricane, is by another son of Montjeu.”

KODIAC’S OFFSPRING

The progeny of Kodiac have been selling especially well this week and the Tally-Ho Stud resident was another to enjoy a notable milestone as he was responsible for a €260,000 colt from Nelius Hayes’s Knockainey Stud. Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock signed for the relation to the Group 1 winners Mandaean and Wavering who is the most expensive foal to be sold by his sire. The colt will be reoffered by Corduff at the yearling sales next year.

The distinction of being the record priced Kodiac foal had briefly rested with a €170,000 colt from Foxland Stud who was snapped up John Ferguson. He is a son of the stakes-winning Duchess Of Foxland. A busy John Ferguson made a number of other high profile purchases and these included a €190,000 son of Invincible Spirit out of the listed winner Boastful.

Another Ferguson purchase was a €130,000 colt from the first crop of Epaulette whose grandam is the Moyglare Stakes heroine Bianca Nera.

The only Oasis Dream foal in the catalogue fetched €210,000 after he was knocked down to Ballyshiel Farm. The colt’s dam, Harmonic Note, was a useful type for Ger Lyons having come out of the Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale.

As the sale neared its conclusion, a €180,000 colt from Altenbach Bloodstock was among the highest priced members of Dawn Approach’s first crop to be sold this week. He was bought by Shadwell’s Stephen Collins and is out of a mare that has already produce two stakes winners.

A racing career in Italy beckons for another son of Dawn Approach who was knocked down to We Bloodstock for €160,000. They already campaign the colt’s half-brother Biz Heart who recently landed the Group 2 Gran Criterium in Italy.

Pinhooker Philip Stauffenberg forked out €125,000 for a Dawn Approach out of a listed-placed half-sister to Again.

Zoffany’s offspring continue to command a very large following and the leading first season sire supplied a €150,000 colt whom Pier House Stud bought to resell next year.

Earlier Timmy Hyde spent €130,000 on a Zoffany filly out of Tommy Stack’s smart sprinter Aine.

The English pinhooking outfit Carmel Stud spent €150,000 on a daughter of Invincible Spirit offered from Oaklawn Stud. The same sire was represented by a half-brother to Ascot Gold Cup winner Trip To Paris who cost Yeomanstown Stud €135,000.

MONDAY

For the first time since 2008, the sale stretched out to five days and the first session was a low key one and was headed by a €39,000 colt from the first crop of the St James’s Palace Stakes winner Most Improved. The Sweep Lane Stud offering was bought by a pinhooking syndicate based out of Castlehyde Stud

Another first crop sire to supply one of the day’s top lots was the multiple Italian Group 2 winner and Lockinge Stakes runner-up Worthadd and the Dubawi horse was responsible for a colt who cost Willie Browne €38,000. A notable aspect of this sale was that the colt represented the 32-person Irish National Stud Breeding and Racing Club. They are involved in this colt and a Big Bad Bob filly who made €11,500 on Tuesday.

Another €38,000 transaction came when Daniel Creighton, acting for Salcey Forest Stud, picked up a daughter of Choisir. From Tolerton Bloodstock, the filly is closely related to one of her sire’s outstanding runners in Olympic Glory and she may be retained to race.

Tally-Ho Stud made several notable purchases and, acting through agent Matt Coleman, paid €38,000 for a daughter of Requinto. Tally-Ho also spent €30,000 on a son of Intikhab and €24,000 on a Dandy Man colt.

Zoe Thomas gave €26,000 for a daughter of Camacho while John Troy went to €25,000 to secure a colt from the first crop of the Challenge Stakes hero Red Jazz. Also coming in at €25,000 was a son of Showcasing who was knocked down to McKeever Bloodstock.

TUESDAY

The only Showcasing filly in the sale topped a very reasonable day’s trade when selling to Kilmoney Cottage Stud’s Michael Carty for €62,000. A return to the sales ring next autumn is on the cards for the Altenbach Bloodstock offering whose dam is a half-sister to the high class Hong Kong runner Sobriety.

The first lot into the ring on the second day sold for €60,000. The colt in question hails from the first crop of the dual Group 1-winning sprinter Lethal Force and he was snapped up by Michael Holden’s Ballintober Stud. The Rathasker Stud offering was showing a good return on the 22,000gns his connections forked out to secure the dam last year.

The major pinhooking outfit Pier House Stud struck for a Skymarc Farm-owned son of Worthadd who cost €56,000. Pier House, acting through Ross Doyle, also gave €54,000 for a colt from the popular first crop of the dual Australian Group 1 winner Epaulette. The Epaulette is a half-brother to a yearling filly by Helmet whom Pier House sold for €150,000 at the Orby Sale.

Yeomanstown Stud had to go to €52,000 to see off Geoffrey Howson for a son of their Danehill horse Camacho from John McEnery’s Rossenara Stud. That colt will be back for sale as a yearling as will one of Elzaam’s second crop who was bought by Willie Browne for €48,000. He is out of a Dark Angel mare and is closely related to Richard Fahey’s high class Birchwood.

The first Kodiac colt to be sold this week made €48,000 and he was snapped up by Johnny McKeever for Biddestone Stud who will reoffer their purchase in Britainnext year. Earlier, a Fast Company own-brother to Michael Halford’s Group 3-placed juvenile Al Qahwa cost Fernham Farm €47,000.

WEDNESDAY

This session produced the first six-figure transaction of the week when Manister House Stud’s Luke Barry forked out €105,000 for a son of Lope De Vega. The colt, whose sire’s offspring were in tremendous demand at this sale last year, was sold by Dermot Dwan’s Kellsgrange Stud and he is a half-brother to the French listed winner Beringoer.

The top priced filly of the day was an €87,000 daughter of Intikhab and the teak tough Mid Mon Lady who reached the frame in a host of pattern races during her career. She was bought by Peter Kavanagh and Michael Downey and is another who will return to the sales ring next year.

The brilliant Dawn Approach was represented by his first crop of foals and the first of these to come under the hammer was a €70,000 colt from the outstanding Loder dynasty that has produced the likes of Marling and Marwell. The Castlebridge Consignment offering was bought by McKeever Bloodstock’s Charlie Budgett, acting for his uncle, Chris Budgett’s Kirtlington Stud, and the colt was purchased on behalf of a pinhooking syndicate.

Among those to come in at €65,000 was a Choisir half-brother to this year’s Queen Mary Stakes fourth Kurland. He was bought by Trickledown Stud’s Paul Thorman on behalf of a client who will reoffer their purchase at Doncaster. The €65,000 mark was also reached by a Zoffany colt bought by Timmy Hyde and another to reach this price was a son of Epaulette. The latter was purchased by CBS Bloodstock.

A Pour Moi filly from the immediate family of the top class French juvenile Dabirism cost Kilbride Equine €60,000. The filly’s sire numbers Joe Murphy’s smart juvenile Only Mine amongst his initial crop of runners. Another well-bred filly was an Azamour half-sister to an American stakes winner who cost the Last Legs Partnership €55,000.

Among the well received first crop of the high class sprinter Society Rock was a €57,000 colt who came to Redpender Stud’s Jimmy Murphy. Tally-Ho Stud matched this price for a Kodiac granddaughter of the Beverly D Stakes heroine Snow Polina.

THURSDAY

A €150,000 son of Zoffany headed a day that produced half a dozen six-figure transactions which matched events on the corresponding day last year. Jamie Railton saw off Timmy Hyde for Seskin Stud’s colt whose immediate family contains the German Derby winner Lucky Speed and the recent Australian Group 1 scorer Magic Hurricane. Railton confirmed that his purchase would be reoffered.

Throughout the day the progeny of Kodiac sold well and the Danehill horse’s representatives were headed by a €140,000 filly who came to Michael Carty’s Kilmoney Cottage Stud with Anthony Stroud the under bidder. The Killourney Mor Farm offering is out of a half-sister to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Vale Of York.

Kodiac was again to the fore when his daughter from Galbertstown Stud fetched €137,000. The relation to the high class American turf runner Slim Shadey is out of a mare who cost 22,000gns two years ago. Ross Doyle signed for the filly on behalf of Colm McEvoy.

Another successful mare purchase was represented by Altenbach Bloodstock’s son of Harbour Watch who cost Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum’s Shadwell Estates €120,000. The colt’s dam was purchased for 22,000gns last November.

Also coming in at €120,000 was a son of Zoffany from The Castlebridge Consignment. He was snapped up by Bobby O’Ryan for a client who will resell.

The Darley team did pick up the first Cape Cross foal of the week for €85,000 and they did try hard on a son of Raven’s Pass from Blackcut Stud. However, the relation to the Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente came to Grove Stud’s Brendan Holland at €110,000.

A colt from the family of Monsun became the top priced foal from Society Rock’s first crop when selling to Yeomanstown Stud for €95,000. He was bought for resale and so too was a Holy Roman Emperor half-brother to the Beresford Stakes second Layali Al Andalus who cost Abbey Farm €90,000.

Awbeg Stud offered a daughter of Acclamation out of a half-sister to Lethal Force and she cost Ciaran Conroy €85,000.

One of the most notable pedigree updates in the sale was represented by an €80,000 colt from the first crop of the French Group 1 winner Havana Gold.