Record numbers pass 500,000gns

THE Tattersalls December Foal and Mare Sales may have lacked the stellar quality of previous years and, as a result, the number of seven-figure transactions dropped from seven to one. That solitary millionaire lot was Coplow. The dam of the 1000 Guineas heroine Billesdon Brook cost M.V. Magnier 2.1 million guineas.

At the Goffs November Foal Sale the Dubawi - Nightime colt foal went for €1,200,000 to Godolphin \ carolinenorris.ie

However, the lack of seven-figure transactions in no way detracted from a terrific edition of this sale. The number of lots to make at least 500,000gns came in at a record 27 and another record came with the 81 lots who fetched at least 200,000gns.

The final figures for the December Foal Sale finished well back on those from last year but that doesn’t quite reveal all about this year’s sale. The demand for quality lots was as strong as ever with the number of foals making at least 200,000gns falling by just one to 24.

At the peak end there was an absence of star lots with just one making in excess of 500,000gns as against nine in 2018. The market was also quite polarised. The first and last days were characterised by comparatively low clearance rates and the entire sale produced a clearance rate of 72%, on the low side for a sale of this stature.

Goffs November Sale

TWELVE months previously this auction encapsulated the stark and polarised nature of the market where the demand for quality lots was insatiable while at the other end of the spectrum the appetite for stock was negligible.

This time the November Sale witnessed an altogether better level of trade. Once again the focus was on quality but even so the clearance rate for Part I of the foal sale jumped from 72 to 81%.

Similarly the breeding stock section saw its clearance rate shoot up from 64 to 82%.

In addition both sections of the sale saw their figures make major gains on those from 2018 and the returns for Part I of the foal sale actually bettered those of 2017 which resembled a bull market.

Brexit

Several observers expressed the view that some better foals went to Goffs as a result of the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and if that was the case those vendors were amply rewarded.

The three days at Kildare Paddocks returned the strongest foal trade of the year in Europe with the number of six-figure lots growing from 38 to 54 and centre stage being occupied by the Dubawi own-brother to Ghaiyyath whose €1.2 million sale makes him the highest priced colt foal to be sold in Ireland.

The breeding stock section also returned much improved figures in all areas and a top price of €525,000 which was paid for Snowflakes, a winning own-sister to Winter, sold in foal to US Navy Flag.

Both the second day of the Breeding Stock Sale and Part 2 of the foals were low key affairs and illustrated the muted level of demand and prices in the lower tiers of the market.

Snowflakes was sold for €525,000 at the Goffs November Breeding Sale