A €62,000 daughter of Teofilo, whose price eclipsed last year’s €38,000 top lot, emerged as the leading light during the opening session of today’s Goffs Open Yearling Sale.
As expected for this level of the market trade was of decidedly mixed variety but it was quite respectable for the day’s better lots as evidenced by the interest in the sale-topper.
Breeze-up man John Cullinan mounted a strong challenge for the Moorpark Stud offering, who is related to the E P Taylor Stakes winner Folk Opera, but when the price hit €62,000 he had to give best to Eoghan O’Neill.
“She’s been bought for Rabbah Bloodstock. She’s a nice, athletic filly from a good family and she vetted very well too. She’s just a nice, straight forward type,” reflected O’Neill.
At the conclusion of the day 176 of the 245 yearlings offered had found buyers for a clearance rate of 72%. The average came in at €7,324 and the median was €5,000, while the day’s aggregate was just under €1.3 million.
The Teofilo filly was the only yearling on offer by her sire over the two days and that was also the case for a Shamardal filly offered from Lumville Farm. John Hassett junior and Lars Kelp did battle for the relation to the Irish Oaks second Banimpire and it was the latter who prevailed when the price hit €32,000.
Another €32,000 transaction came when a Rip Van Winkle colt was snapped up by the Italian outfit Razza Latina. The half-brother to the stakes-placed juvenile Mappa Mundi is out of a mare who produced a €200,000 Declaration Of War yearling last autumn.
“He’s a very nice, good looking horse and he reminded me a lot of Rip Van Winkle who we sold as a yearling to Coolmore. He will come back to Italy now,” remarked trainer Endo Botti’s wife, Cristiana.
NOTABLE SUCCESS
Throughout the day, Chinese owner Zhang Yuesheng’s Yulong Investments, acting through the BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe, was busy at all levels of the market. The Yulong team enjoyed some notable success with relatively inexpensive purchases at Goffs last year.
By way of example, Whitefountainfairy progressed from a €3,000 yearling to a €300,000 lot at the Goffs London Sale and Yulong Gold Fairy was picked up for €8,000 and recently won the €120,000 Foran Auction Race Final at Naas.
Among those destined to carry Yulong’s now familiar green and white silks are a €31,000 Dragon Pulse filly out of a multiple Group 3-placed runner and a €17,000 filly hailing from the first crop of Morpheus.
“The Dragon Pulse is a precocious looking filly and she’s out of a talented racemare. The plan would be for her to stay in Ireland and a trainer for her will be decided on in due course,” commented Donohoe.
“The Morpheus is a nice type too and she will also be staying in Ireland. Mr Zhang has been taken with the first crop of yearling by Morpheus and this filly looks a racy type.
"We might see if we can get some form into some of them and sell them as happened earlier this year but final plans will decided in due course,” continued Donohoe.
A Dream Ahead own-brother to the promising Would You Believe, who suffered a fatal injury on his second start at Naas last month, went to English trainer Ron Harris for €29,000.
Meanwhile. Henry de Bromhead spent €26,000 on son of Canford Cliffs. “I just liked him a lot,” he said. “I thought he had a lot going for him and he looks like a horse who might be able to do either job in due course. He’s been bought on spec.”
Another destined to begin his career in Italy is a €26,000 colt from the second crop of Farhh, while Kevin Ross gave €22,000 for a Born To Sea half-brother to the dual listed-placed runner Tilly’s Chilli.
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Day 1 – no comparatives as a two day sale this year as against one last year
YEAR CAT OFF SOLD AGG AV Med
2017 277 245 176 1,288,750 7,324 5,000