UNTIL now, the main stories from the bloodstock market have focussed on booming trade at the breeze-up sales and private purchases in the lead up to Royal Ascot, and this week, the National Hunt sector faces its first real test.
The store sales returned at Goffs UK last month, where figures fell, but the two main Irish store sales are sure to paint a more detailed picture on the health of the jumps scene.
The store sales experienced their own dizzy highs in 2022 and 2023 but record rainfall during the 2023/2024 season restricted opportunities for point-to-point handlers to showcase and sell their wares, leading to fears that their spending would be curbed 12 months ago.
At last year’s Goffs Arkle Sale, the turnover dropped by 19%, the average fell by 7% to €48,615 and the median price was 12.5% lower at €42,000. The clearance rate for both days was 80%, compared to 89% in 2023.
However, the figures were the third highest in the auction’s history, bettered only in 2022 and 2023, and feedback from those on the ground was largely positive.
Speaking to The Irish Field at the time, Highflyer Bloodstock’s David Minton reported: “It’s much stronger than I expected, with one or two soft spots in the market,” while Robert Tyner commented: “It is unbelievably solid without the madness that was in it before.”
Rathbarry Stud’s Paul Cashman concurred, saying: “It’s held up quite well really, for the times we’re in. It’s gone back to realistic levels, to probably what it should be.” Norman Williamson of Oak Tree Farm added: “Before the sale, a lot of vendors probably thought there wasn’t enough footfall, but once the sale started, a lot of people turned up.”
Important point
Considering the generally positive consensus back then, consignors will have been encouraged by point-to-point handlers’ comments in a recent feature in The Irish Field by Mark Boylan.
When asked about their spending plans for the upcoming store sales, the five handlers interviewed predicted that their spend and demand in general would be on par with 2024.
Furthermore, handlers will be encouraged by the Arkle Sale’s continued success in Irish four-year-old maidens, providing 36 winners during the 2024/2025 season, almost double the next best sale.
Previous point-to-point winners sourced there have also followed up under rules, the catalogue cover graced by Jasmin De Vaux, who won his sole start for Stuart Crawford at Loughanmore. The dual Cheltenham Festival winner and three-time Grade 1 winner was bought by the Crawford brothers for €28,000.
He was one of five Arkle graduates to triumph at Cheltenham this year, another being Willie Mullins’ star bumper horse Bambino Fever. Vendored here for €30,000, the Jukebox Jury mare went on to win her sole start for Niall Stokes by 40 lengths and remains unbeaten after two Grade 1 wins.
Changing times
Caldwell Potter has endured more fluctuating fortunes since Joey Logan and Andy and Gemma Brown picked him up from Sluggara Farm at Goffs for €200,000.
A Grade 1 winner as a novice hurdler for Gordon Elliott, his subsequent sale for €740,000 has attracted more attention, but he bounced back to win at Cheltenham before landing the Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree.
His trainer Paul Nicholls has revised his buying tactics following a disappointing few seasons, which could have a negative impact on this year’s store sales.
The trainer and his then agent Tom Malone combined to amass the fourth-largest spend at last year’s Goffs Arkle Sale, their six recruits costing €638,000. They spent €825,000 on the same number of horses 12 months earlier.
Monbeg Stables led the way last year with a spend of €737,000, followed by Highflyer Bloodstock at €675,000 and Aidan Fitzgerald’s Cobajay Stables at €664,000.
TOP lot status in 2024 went to Leader Des Bordes, a half-brother to Kopek Des Bordes bought by Willie Mullins and Harold Kirk from Liss House for €210,000. The Tunis gelding debuted in the Goffs Defender Bumper, finishing fourth in the colours of Gigginstown House Stud.
Mullins won the €100,000 race with Manister House Stud’s offering Wonderful Everyday. The daughter of Goliath Du Berlais was the second highest-priced mare last year at €120,000 and shared a common thread at the top of the market.
Of the top 10 lots, eight were foaled in France, nine were by stallions based in France and another was by a French import. Next week’s catalogue is rich with French influences and pinhooks purchased by shrewd operators, their cherry-picked nature a contributing factor to their apparent commercial success.
French-bred horses’ success on the track is often largely attributed to their preparation, with a strong three-year-old programme in their native country. In response to this, Horse Racing Ireland introduced the Academy Hurdle series, while both Goffs and Tattersalls Ireland accepted two-year-olds in their flagship store sales. Off the 461 catalogued in Part 1 of the Arkle Sale, 26 are two-year-olds.
The two-year-olds conclude Part 1 of the Sale, from Lots 436 to 461, and are eligible for the 2027 Goffs Defender Bumper. Three-year-olds sold in both Part 1 and Part 2 are eligible for the 2026 running.
Possible highlights in the two-year-old section include:
Lot 439: Doctor Dino gelding out of a blacktype mare
Lot 441: Poet’s Word filly out of a listed-winning chaser
Lot 442: Order Of St George gelding out of a full-sister to Christmas Hurdle winner Darlan. Sold for €52,000 as a foal
Lot 443: Nirvana Du Berlais half-sister to Grade 1-winning chaser Capodanno
Lot 445: Golden Horn half-brother to a listed winner on the flat
Lot 449: Walk In The Park filly out of listed winner and Grade 1 performer Meri Devie
Lot 450: Poet’s Word half-brother to Sober Glory, who has won all four of his starts, including a listed bumper
Lot 453: Goliath Du Berlais half-brother to a Grade 2 hurdler, out of a blacktype Martaline mare
Lot 457: Walk In The Park colt out of Grade 2 winner and Grade 1 third Sparky May, making him a half-brother to dual Grade 1 winner Stage Star. Sold for €110,000 as a foal
Lot 461: Sea The Moon half-sister to Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle victor Metier, out of a group-placed Authorized mare
YOU need only browse next week’s stallion listings to understand the desire for French pedigrees, with their leading sires well represented.
They include Doctor Dino (five lots), Goliath Du Berlais (16 lots), Great Pretender (one lot), Kapgarde (eight lots), Masked Marvel (10 lots), Nirvana Du Berlais (nine lots), No Risk At All (15 lots), Saint Des Saints (two lots) and Tunis (one lot).
Crystal Ocean accounts for the largest number catalogued at 50, following a promising start by his first four-year-olds. They included impressive Auteuil listed winner Saint Crystal and three point-to-pointers that sold for between £200,000 and £400,000.
Fellow Coolmore sire Walk In The Park accounts for 44 lots, as does Blue Bresil, in what is his second crop since joining the Glenview Stud roster.
Other stallions represented include Affinisea (29 lots), Getaway (16 lots), Golden Horn (three lots), Harzand (four lots), Jet Away (20 lots), Jukebox Jury (27 lots), Mahler (seven lots), Maxios (34 lots), Milan (six lots), Nathaniel (13 lots ), Order Of St George (35 lots), Poet’s Word (37 lots), Shirocco (nine lots), Sholokhov (eight lots), Soldier Of Fortune (10 lots), Vadamos (26 lots), Westerner (eight lots), Workforce (two lots) and Yeats (six lots).
Well-related offerings
Lot 16: Gelding by Order Of St George (Galileo) is a brother to Grade 1-winning hurdler Lisnagar Oscar (Sadler’s Wells), out of a full-sister to Whisper
Lot 18: Shirocco half-brother to Stay Away Fay and The Big Westerner
Lot 27: Silverwave half-brother to Grade 1 winner Lagunak and to listed winner La Bombonera, herself the dam of Irish Grand National hero Burrows Saint
Lot 29: Jukebox Jury half-brother to three graded performers, most notably dual Grade 1 winner Briar Hill
Lot 75: No Risk At All gelding out of a half-sister to the top-class Allaho (No Risk At All)
Lot 107: No Risk At All gelding out of a half-sister to six blacktype horses including Grade 1 winners Kopek Des Bordes (No Risk At All) and Utopie Des Bordes
Lot 160: Crystal Ocean half-brother to Challow Novices’ Hurdle winner Captain Cutter and Grade 2 scorer Gowel Road
Lot 194: Crystal Ocean gelding is the first foal out of dual Grade 1 winner La Bague Au Roi, bought for £170,000 after her racing career
Lot 220: Nathaniel gelding out of multiple graded winner and Grade 1-placed Limini. Her first foal was fatally injured when well-backed on debut last summer
Lot 249: Full-brother to the unbeaten dual Grade 1 winner Bambino Fever, who was vendored for €30,000 at the 2023 renewal
Lot 271: Soldier Of Fortune filly is a half-sister to dual Grade 1 winner Tornado Flyer, bought at this sale by Peter and Ross Doyle for €63,000
Lot 277: Buck’s Boum half-brother to three-time Grade 1 winner Docteur De Ballon, from the family of Politologue
Lot 301: Kapgarde half-brother to multiple Grade 1 winner Fastorslow
Lot 305: Jet Away half-brother to Queen Mother Champion Chase victor Captain Guinness
Lot 327: Cokoriko half-brother to top-class chaser Gerri Colombe
Lot 389: Nathaniel brother to three graded performers, led by Grade 1-winning hurdler and Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Santini