THE format of this year’s Goffs UK September Sale changed slightly with the addition of a yearling section. That was to prove a low-key day of trade on Tuesday, though the following day’s horses-in-training session provided lively business and that turnover was on a par with 12 months ago.

The pre-sale hype for the sale concerned the drafts from Paul and Clare Rooney, who recently announced that they would be cutting back on the number of horses they have in training, and the annual reduction of the powerful Gigginstown House Stud team. The latter consignment of 27 lots sold for £375,000, while the smaller Rooney draft of 14 sold for £329,000. Combined, they contributed a third of the day’s turnover.

Winner of a pair of bumpers and a maiden hurdle, the Shantou five-year-old Now Look At Me proved to be the day’s headliner and he will return to the yard of trainer Tom George, having been sold by the Rooneys for £75,000. George is now looking for an owner for the gelding, the first winner from a half-sister to the Goffs Thyestes Chase winner Mr Murphy. This is the family of Grade 1 winning hurdler and chaser Simonsig. Michael Moore conducted the bidding with George at the other end of the telephone.

The Rooney draft contained three of the four lots to bring £50,000 or more in the ring. Hurricane Fly’s five-time winning half-brother by Yeats, named Who’s My Jockey, was the next best when selling to bloodstock agent Hamish Macauley for £54,000. Trained by Philip Hobbs, his next trainer is not yet decided, though the agent did reveal that the purchase was for successful owner Carl Hinchy.

Elliott purchase

Who’s My Jockey was followed into the ring by another Hobbs-trained multiple winner. This was four-time successful hurdler I’m A Game Changer and he will be heading to Gordon Elliott after his purchase by Aidan ‘Mouse’ O’Ryan for £50,000. The new owner is English and this is his first National Hunt horse, though he has horses in training with Henry Spiller in Newmarket.

GOFFS UK head of horses-in-training Richard Ryan took home the prize lot in the Gigginstown House consignment, the seven-time chase winner A Toi Phil. Successful twice over hurdles, including in a Grade 2, his victories over fences included the Grade A Leopardstown Chase. The nine-year-old added to his haul of wins recently at Listowel and will run for a new owner with trainer Gary Moore.

Minutes earlier Ryan had signed for the four-year-old Ship Of The Fen, a three-time winner on the flat for Martyn Meade and more recently Ian Williams. He cost the sales company representative £48,000.

J.D.Moore combined with Chris Jones to pay £42,000 for the Grade 3 winning hurdler Mitchouka. The five-year-old won three times on the flat in France and was listed placed before transferring to Ireland and winning four times over the smaller obstacles. Two other lots also sold for £42,000. The first of these was the British point-to-point winning mare Spark To A Flame, successful on her only outing. She sold to jockey Jeremiah McGrath and former rider Darren O’Dwyer and will now join Henry Oliver’s yard.

A recent second-place finish at Chelmsford City signalled a return to form for last year’s four-time winner Matchmaking. The former inmate of Sir Mark Prescott’s Newmarket stables will now race for owner John Wallwin from Caroline Bailey’s Northants yard and he will now have his attention turned to hurdling.

Doncaster winner

Twice a winner at Doncaster this year, the three-year-old War Command colt Artistic Rifles will now race for an Italian owner, though whether that is in England or Italy is uncertain. He cost New Racing Factory £40,000, the same price realised by the Limerick bumper winner Flying Risk. This four-year-old daughter of Shirocco won on her only start in July for owner John Fogarty when trained by Gordon Elliott and she sold to Highflyer Bloodstock.

The yearling session on Tuesday had few highlights and the best price was £20,000 for a daughter of Pearl Secret. Paul Murphy signed the docket on behalf of a French client.

At the sale’s conclusion on Wednesday Goffs UK managing director Tony Williams said: “Today’s session provided a strong finish to the September Sale and continued a fine run for our Doncaster horses-in-training sales which are reliably providing lively trade and a trusted outlet for flat and national hunt owners and trainers. The large drafts from Gigginstown, Paul and Clare Rooney and Shadwell rightly proved very popular with buyers, and deservedly they all enjoyed 100% clearance rates.

“The moving of the yearling session from October’s Autumn Sale to this sale gave vendors a clear date to offer their horses, but trade was tough for some and demand was reflective of that market.”