FALLING just shy of a record €9 million in turnover for foals, and €10 million overall, the Goffs December National Hunt Sale brought the curtain down on the year’s trading at Kildare Paddocks in spectacular fashion.
After a fine renewal of the sale in 2024, this year’s turnover grew by 31%, growth that far exceeded pre-sale hopes.
The catalogue stood at a high of more than 800 lots. The average and median figures advanced by 9% and 4% respectively, but more pleasingly was the clearance rate at 73%, an eight-point improvement on 12 months ago.
Henry Beeby commented: “When catalogues grow there is always a worry that the clearance rate will drop. Not so this week when that statistic has improved in each of the three sessions.
“Whilst there is always room for improvement, and the market can be tough in places, this is another positive to take away from the week, as is the growth in the number of lots that passed the €25,000, €50,000 and €75,000 marks, with the last of those milestones leaping from five to 19, a number that dwarfs any other sale in the category.
“The top was as vibrant as ever with four six-figure foals versus one last year, and the top priced National Hunt mare of the year once again.”
He outlined the changes in the sector at Goffs, describing it as “steady growth and improvement. That is the story of the Goffs December National Hunt Sale over the last 15 years. In that time, we have seen the sale grow from a one-day, 250-lot near afterthought, with a turnover of just over half a million, to the clear first choice for breeders that now accounts for the majority share of the National Hunt foals and the best mares sold each year.
“Indeed, in a year when several commentators have expressed concern around the foal crop, this catalogue grew in contrast to others in the same category, so underlining the belief that sellers have in the Goffs service. Happily, that belief has been vindicated time after time over the three days.”
Beeby concluded: “In a time of uncertainty, both globally and in the bloodstock world, it is heartening and encouraging to have finished the year on such a positive note. National Hunt has never been stronger at Goffs, and we are just incredibly proud of its evolution to become the market leader in the sector, so we can’t wait to get on the road for our market leading Arkle Sale.”
Jukebox Jury foal
The domination of the top lots by Walk In The Park foals is covered elsewhere on these pages. Just one of the four six-figure lots was not by Walk In The Park, rather he was by the talented but now sadly deceased Jukebox Jury.
The grey son of the former Burgage Stud sire is the first foal out of an unraced half-sister to one of the stallion’s most talented runners, Princess Zoe. She won the Group 1 Prix du Cadran. Joey Logan secured the colt for €100,000, but this was not the best price paid this year for a foal by Jukebox Jury.
Lovely, kind horse
Stephen Lanigan O’Keeffe, joint-breeder of the colt, was happy. “This is getting to be a habit! At the last sale I got €120,000 for a Jukebox Jury, and now this. [The stallion has] been so good to us in so many ways. He was a lovely, kind horse and he got horses that were lovely to handle and he has done me such a good turn. I am very grateful to him.
“Hobby Horse Stud is me, named to reflect my financial success in this particular sphere! I went to Germany to buy the dam as a two-year-old in training, and had a dilemma, do I race or cover her? Jukebox Jury was getting on, so I covered her and she had this one, and she is back in foal to the stallion – well she was yesterday!
“You have to reflect on the genius of John O’Connor in terms of selecting stallions. When you think that he sourced Bob Back, King’s Theatre, Shantou and Jukebox Jury – it is quite amazing, and that’s just the National Hunt sires.”
Logan said: “We waited all day for him. He’s a very well-bred foal and a beautiful mover. I loved him from the moment I saw him. He’ll come home to Grangeclare Stud and hopefully come back to the Arkle Sale. He has the pedigree and physical; let’s hope he’s lucky. I just thought he was a bit special.”
NOT for the first time, it was a mare who topped the week’s trade at Goffs, and this was a special offering. Carrying a hugely attractive covering by Jukebox Jury, the No Risk At All mare Allegorie De Vassy sold to Justin and Jackie Owens for €150,000, and the Grade 2 winner joins their broodmare band at Mount Armstrong in Donadea, Co Kildare.
The couple had earlier on Wednesday banked €160,000 from the sale of two foals out of mares who were purchased at Goffs. Racing from Closutton for Susannah Ricci, Allegorie De Vassy’s most recent win was on New Year’s Day at Fairyhouse when she slammed her rivals in the Grade 3 John and Chich Fowler Memorial Irish EBF Mares Chase. This was her fifth win over fences and seventh in all, and included a pair of Grade 2 contests. She chased Limerick Lace home in a Grade 2 mares’ chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
“We have a relatively small number of National Hunt mares, but we try to buy very good ones when we get the chance,” Justin Owens said. “I think the market is very polarised, I think the sale today is evidence of that, but if you have a good mare, a good-looking foal with a nice page, you can make money. She’s all of that. She’s a top-class racemare, she’s good looking, she’s lovely and correct, and carrying a good cover.
“Hopefully we get a nice foal that can come back for next year’s sale. All being well, she mightn’t look expensive in 12 months’ time. We had two mares on our list. She was the second, so we left the first one and focused on her. We bought her at the value we’d put on her, so we were happy with that.
“We sold the top-priced filly, and the second-highest priced foal, in the whole sale, and she’s out of a similar type of mare that we actually bought in Goffs. It’s been a good day’s work and we’ve had a decent year overall; we can’t complain. I suppose you only see the good things in the sales ring. Lots of work goes in at home and lots of things go wrong as well, but we’re doing the best we can.”
That filly foal referenced by Owens was described by Nick Nugent as “one of the best foals of the year” when the daughter of Walk In The Park and the Grade 2-winning chaser Scarlet And Dove was in the ring. With Charles Shanahan as underbidder, Peel Bloodstock’s Will Kinsey had the winning bid at €105,000 on behalf of Worthen Hall.
In foal
Justin and Jackie Owens spent €200,000 on Scarlet And Dove at Goffs two years ago, in foal to Crystal Ocean. Scarlet And Dove raced for Gigginstown House Stud, and a highlight was her 15-length defeat of Elimay in a Grade 2 mares’ chase at the Punchestown Festival, avenging her defeat at the hands of that mare in a similar contest at Cheltenham. “Absolutely thrilled with that,” was the reaction of Jackie Owens.
“We have kept the first Crystal Ocean filly; we will hold on to her. We probably would have liked to hold on to both of them, but we have to pay for Christmas too! The dam is back in foal to Walk In The Park.” Her husband added: “He is some sire and she is a super mare herself.”
Worthen Hall’s Richard Burton spoke about his purchase. “We loved her and she’s got many options. We’ll get her back to Shropshire, where we’ve got a small syndicate together, and we’ll grow her on the farm and make a plan.
“We can keep her as a foundation mare or run her and see how she goes. It’s a lovely family. We’re not going for quantity but want to get into some really nice families.”
AS Walk In The Park is about to turn 24, buyers are aware that every year the champion sire is still active is a bonus, and getting their hands on one of his progeny is their primary aim. Coolmore’s desire to develop one of his sons into a stallion has helped to fuel that demand, and Gerry Aherne is a key figure in the ring when an exceptional son of the sire is for sale.
However, Aherne occasionally is beaten, as was the case with Ballyreddin’s son of the Presenting mare, Polly’s Present. John Dwan sold him on behalf of Louis Vambeck, and Rathmore Stud’s Peter Molony took the colt home at €120,000. The unraced Polly’s Present is a full-sister to two Grade 1 winners, Gold Cup hero Denman and Silverburn.
Vambeck said: “He was the standout – a great foal, lovely mover and he is only a baby, born in the middle of May. You don’t get a page like that too often. He is a half-brother to a Grade 1 winner, and another blacktype winner, and under the second dam you couldn’t get all the heavy blacktype in.
Lucky enough
“A lot of the horses in the second dam are by Walk In The Park – you have The Enabler, Gidleigh Park, and Regent’s Stroll, all by the sire. I was lucky enough to buy the mare, and she is back in foal to Walk In The Park again. I do believe that he gets incredible looking animals. It is so, so nice to see him going to a good home, I’m delighted and for the kids – the Christmas presents are back on again!”
Molony simply added: “He’s a fabulous horse by the best sire around and with a wonderful pedigree: just really smashing breeding, as good as it gets. He’s been bought for a client and he’ll come home to me. He’s possibly for resale or could even go down the academy hurdle route. We’ll work out a plan. We were very keen to get him and we knew we were going to have to go pretty hard to do it.”
Aherne’s nap hand
“He is a very, very smart horse out of a good racemare. I didn’t think I would have to pay that much for him, but when these types of foals come on the market you have to stretch for them. Happy to have him and get him home now and see how we go.”
This was the reaction of Coolmore’s Gerry Aherne after he gave €100,000 for a Walk In The Park colt out of the Galway listed hurdle race winner Annie G. This was one of five colts by the sire that Aherne bought this week for an average of €87,400.
The sole six-figure lot among them was consigned through Ballincurrig House Stud, the sale’s leading vendor, by Richard Gallagher and his sister-in-law Anne Gallagher.
Aherne was quizzed as to whether the colt could be a sire prospect. “Not every horse suits that job. We will see how they develop, give them more time before we decide. We won’t have [Walk In The Park] for ever; we are going to treat his stock with kid gloves and do the best by them. If they can be early then well and good, and if they need time, we will give them time.
“We are in December now, so at the end of next summer we will see how they have developed, what has changed and what’s happening in the pedigree. Today, we just try to buy them, take them home and look after them. Some of them will be brought back for resale, some will race in Ireland and England, and some will go to France.
“He was a particularly nice horse. When those Walk In The Parks come back for resale the big trainers want them – Olly Murphy, Dan Skelton, Paul Nicholls, Willie Mullins – and you can get a lot of money for them as a store, as we have seen in the past. There were a lot of good judges in for him, Ian Ferguson, Timmy Hillman and more. When good horses come in you are never on your own.”
Sand Valley Stables’ son of Walk In The Park out of the dual hurdle winner Msmilan was another secured by Aherne. He is a full-brother to graded-placed hurdler and chaser Mossy Fen Park, a £235,000 buy at the Spring Sale in 2024. This is the family of three talented siblings, champion two-mile chaser Viking Flagship. fellow Champion Chase winner Flagship Uberalles, and the top-class hurdler Glenstal Flagship. At €92,000 it was a landmark sale for the vendor, Michael O’Neill.
Aherne commented: “He’s just a very smart horse. It’s a lot of money to give for a National Hunt foal, but we charge for the stallion because he’s an elite sire, so the people who breed nice foals deserve to get paid. It’s important that the good ones are making money because the business doesn’t work otherwise.”
BREEDER Louis Vambeck and consignor John Dwan (Ballyreddin) not only sold the week’s top-priced foal at €120,000, they also were responsible for one of two sons of Authorized to realise €90,000.
The Authorized colts were sold minutes apart, and each time Capital Stud, where the sire stands, was underbidder.
Vambeck sold his half-brother to four winners to Charles Shanahan and Ian Ferguson. Shanahan said: “For us, he was the star of the day from the moment we saw him. He’s been bought for an end user. He’ll go down the racing route. He’s out of a very good mare and Authorized can get you anything from a Grand National winner to a Derby winner. We’ve many options and we’re just delighted we got him.”
The other €90,000 Authorized colt was consigned by Ballincurrig House Stud on behalf of Cathal Ennis, and is out of a half-sister to Aintree Grand National winner Minella Times who was also bred by Ennis. He sold to Sabrina Harty.
Gorgeous foal
The vendor remarked: “He’s a gorgeous foal. He’s got a lot of filling out to do and, when he does, I think he’s going to be the most beautiful three-year-old. [The dam} was born late and is a big, big mare, but I wouldn’t swap her for the world. I put her in foal at three. I was going to lease her to Willie Mullins, but after Minella Times won the Grand National I thought I’d kick on. I’m thrilled with the price.”
Harty added: “He’s just a smashing model, one of the nicest foals we have seen in the last two sales. He’s got great bone, scope and class about him. My client will bring him back here to sell as a three-year-old.”