IMPROVED figures for three days of selling at the Goffs Autumn Yearling Sales was testament to the fine work put in by the sales company’s agents and the team at Irish Thoroughbred Marketing. These efforts resulted in an unprecedented number of overseas visitors to this sale, and helped to boost the clearance rate by five percentage points.

While nine of the top 10 lots remain in Ireland, to be trained or to breeze, Henry Beeby paid tribute to the groundwork put into getting so many purchasers from abroad. He said: “Goffs is the gateway to the world for Irish breeders is a phrase we use but it is more than a marketing line as Kildare Paddocks clearly showed with buyers from Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Libya, Mongolia, Morocco, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, and the UK descending in huge numbers from Sunday, giving the sale a truly international flavour.

“Chief among them was the massive group of over 85 from Eastern Europe, all organised by our agent Kishore Mirpuri who continues to raise the bar each year with an ever-bigger team of enthusiastic participants who accounted for over 140 lots. Our Italian friends are always a welcome and sometimes flamboyant addition to the crowd, so another 50+ added more colour to proceedings and take home in excess of 50 yearlings.

“In this regard we are indebted to Angelo Robiati, “Mr Goffs” in Italy for over a quarter of a century. Angelo steps down from his role with our supreme thanks and appreciation, and we were pleased to acknowledge his immeasurable contribution to our fortunes at a dinner this week. Kishore and Angelo embody so much that is good about the Goffs service and it is to our enormous benefit that we also have the help and assistance of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing whose hard work is every bit as contributory to this sale as any other in the year. How blessed we are to have such an entity to work alongside our own excellent Purchaser Attraction Team and their importance should never be underestimated or taken for granted.”

THE Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale beat all last year’s metrics, with the aggregate, average and median up 15%. 15% and 20% respectively.

Records were set by Goffs in Books 1 and 2 of the Orby Sale for averages, but this level of the market is more difficult, and many vendors feared the worse. They may have faced challenges, but an ability to trade, and sometimes very well, meant that their fears were unfounded.

There were tasty pinhook successes, while Irish trainers played a big role part in the sale’s success, alongside the breeze-up consignors. Bobby O’Ryan’s name featured in 94 purchases, just over 20% of the yearlings sold.

It was a case of sires with a name beginning with S when it came to the league table based on average (two or more sold). They were Sioux Nation (€42,125), Sands Of Mali (€32,500), Stradivarius (€32,500) and Starman (€30,250).

Three of the top four lots appeared on the final day of the day. Demand for yearlings by Sioux Nation shows no sign of slowing down, and he provided the best of the week, a colt sold by Old Carhue Stud for €88,000 to JB Bloodstock, the bidding conducted by Goffs’ Joey Cullen on behalf of Willie Browne. JB Bloodstock signed for five lots in all.

The best of the week is the first foal out of the American Pharoah mare Twentynine Palms, and her half-brother Uncle Benny was a stakes winner in the USA, and beaten half a length in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Earlier on Wednesday, JB Bloodstock bought a Starman filly from Tally-Ho Stud for €45,000. She is a half-sister to four winners from the Aga Khan family of Tahiyra and Tarnawa.

Another Starman to attract attention was Jerry Murphy’s Paal House Stud’s daughter of the leading first-season sire. She fell to the winning bid of Outsider Bloodstock’s Francisco Bernal at €68,000. The filly’s dam has had two runners, and both have won. The is the immediate family of the Derby winner Kris Kin.

“I bought for a Spanish client,” Bernal said. “She will be trained in Madrid for one of the best owners, and we hope will be good enough to race in France.”

One of the results of the week was the sale of a filly by Ballyhane Stud’s Sands Of Mali, a Group 1 sire this year. The scarcity of his yearlings was key for BBA Ireland’s Adam Potts, and he secured the filly who was consigned by Olive O’Connor Bloodstock for Mark Brady. She went from being a €4,000 foal to a €58,000 yearling.

Potts said: “I was very keen all year to get one by Sands Of Mali. He has 24 yearlings and they are going to be maybe a collectors’ item going forward. She was very well bought as a foal because I found her very hard to fault, and I know the right men were underbidders as well.” Potts saw off the persistent Gay O’Callaghan.

ELEVEN lots at this week’s yearling sale were knocked down to Peter Nolan and trainer Noel Meade, costing the duo €202,000. Only BBA Ireland spent more.

Heading the new intake at Meade’s Co Meath yard is a Coulsty colt, sold by Rathasker Stud for €60,000. Meade said: “He is for an existing client. He is a gorgeous horse, looks like a two-year-old, and is very strong. The sire is doing well too, and finished off the season well. He cost more than I thought to be honest. I thought I would get him for less than 50 today. I am delighted to get him.”

This year Meade enjoyed success with a two-year-old son of Coulsty, Madbadanddangerous. He won a maiden at Naas and was placed on both his other starts, and cost Nolan and Meade €11,000 at Goffs last year.

The Coulsty colt’s third dam was Marwell, Sir Edmond Loder’s outstanding filly who won the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at two, and added three more top-flight wins in the King’s Stand Stakes, July Cup and Prix de l’Abbaye. She bred two Group 1 juvenile winners.

Camas Park Stud sent three colts to the sale, and all sold. They included sons of Churchill and Persian Force who realised €47,000 and €45,000 respectively, and both will be trained in Ireland.

Gerry Hogan was acting for Henry de Bromhead for the Churchill who is from a deep Moyglare Stud family, while Bill Durkan’s assistant trainer Gary Bannon, on advice from Barry Lynch, secured the Persian Force.

The latter is out of a winning Oasis Dream mare who is responsible for seven winners. Best of these is Extortionist, successful in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at two and in a Group 3 later. He was Group 1-placed in the Nunthorpe Stakes.