THE Goffs UK Breeze Up Sale hit new heights last year, selling its first £1 million lot, with another three horses matching the sale’s previous top price of £500,000.
A wide range of vendors had reason to celebrate as 29 horses sold for six-figure prices, contributing to record highs in turnover, average and median.
It would be a hard act to follow any year, but particularly now, considering the unrest in the Middle East and its far-reaching influence across the globe, which was felt at last week’s Tattersalls Craven Sale, the first breeze-up sale of the year.
Goffs UK have published a larger catalogue this year, presumably off the back of last year’s terrific trade, increasing from 206 lots to 233 (13%).
That may make it even more difficult to get close to the 2025 clearance rate of 84%, average price of £83,781 and median of £37,000.
Mehmas supplied the top three lots totalling £2,370,000 12 months ago, with his 14 offerings achieving an average price of £262,500. The Tally-Ho Stud sire is represented by 17 lots in this year’s catalogue, four of which hail from the stallion’s base, who also sold the sale’s most recent Group 1-winning graduate, Powerful Glory.
Flagbearers
The British Champion Sprint victor was sold by Tally-Ho to Blandford Bloodstock, as were Dream Ahead and Perfect Power, but Richard Brown’s success is spread further, having bought Light Infantry Man from Willie Browne’s Mocklershill.
The now seven-year-old won his third Group 1 in last month’s Australian Cup - proof, as breeze-up consignors constantly remind us, that these sales produce more than just precocious two-year-olds, though they’re the focus of many buyers.
The Goffs UK Breeze Up Sale prides itself on producing Royal Ascot winners year after year, and Derryconnor Stud graduate Adrestia continued the tradition when winning the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes last summer.
The daughter of Havana Grey became the 11th Royal Ascot winner in the last 10 years to have been sold at the Goffs UK Breeze Up Sale.
The latest two-year-olds hoping to join the honour roll will breeze from 8.30am on Tuesday, April 21st, and will go under the hammer from 10am the following day.
NOT all the horses who sold for between £50,000 and £3,000 at last year’s sale have run, at least not in Ireland, France or the UK, so this isn’t a complete analysis of their performance.
Of those 87 purchases, 38 have placed, 23 have won, 11 earned ratings of 80 plus and two gained blacktype.
If those figures don’t suggest to you that there’s value to be found, consider that a yearling purchase would have racked up costs of between €10,000 and €15,000 to get to this stage of the year, between breaking, pre-training and training proper.
Soundness issues often occur once young horses go into training, so by breezing over two furlongs in the spring of their second year, the breeze-up sales aim to prove that a two-year-old is sound of mind, wind and limb.
It’s something that is much more difficult to predict at yearling stage, when sales preparation is confined to walking and lunging, so buyers can only predict based on conformation and pedigree.
Bargains
Of course, consignors are also hoping to show the horse’s potential, but some simply don’t perform on the day, and the late-maturing types have yet to reach their full potential.
Having said all that, it really is difficult to judge a racehorse’s ability over two furlongs, when the minimum distance is five, and many horses are bred for further.
Returning to the specific horses that sold for between £3,000 and £50,000 last year, the obvious highlight was Chairmanfourtimes, who was sold by Johnstown Stud to Dan Astbury, Andy Finneran and Keatley Racing for £50,000.
The Nando Parrado colt subsequently reached an official rating of 97 after winning Listed Harry Rosebery Stakes.
Silca Blue’s race record of 3434 might not look too impressive at first glance, but two of those performances came in valuable contests in Doha.
Tim Clarke’s £9,000 buy from Longways Stables took third in the Al Rayyan Stakes and finished fourth in the Al Rayyan Mile Cup, a local Group 2.
Last year wasn’t a once-off either, as the 2024 sale produced Grade 3 winner Jungle Peace, who had been vendored for just £5,000, and Italian 2000 Guineas victor Lao Tzu, who cost £16,000.
Lot 2: New Bay colt out of a stakes winner by Raven’s Pass; the same cross as Saffron Beach
Lot 21: Mehmas colt out of a Group 3-winning Kodiac mare, from the family of Lahib
Lot 38: Mehmas filly out of a half-sister to Haydock Sprint Cup victor Minzaal (Mehmas)
Lot 39: Mehmas filly out of a half-sister to Middle Park Stakes winner Supremacy (Mehmas)
Lot 43: Lope De Vega colt is closely related to listed winner and Group 1 second Flaming Rib
Lot 48: Mehmas half-brother to progressive sprinter Unique Journey (OR 98)
Lot 57: Havana Grey filly out of a Frankel full-sister to Group 2 performer Count Actave, and a three-parts sister to Treasure Beach
Lot 70: Minzaal half-sister to Prix de l’Abbaye second Gold Vibe
Lot 74: St Mark’s Basilica filly out of a half-sister to the top-class Kalpana
Lot 85: Too Darn Hot colt out of a group-placed mare from the family of Cursory Glance and Digital Age
Lot 89: Sioux Nation filly is a granddaughter of dual Group 1 winner Nannina
Lot 90: Minzaal half-brother to a stakes horse, out of a half-sister to Pride
Lot 98: Filly from the first crop of Bayside Boy, out of a full-sister to Prix de l’Abbaye winner Move In Time
Lot 99: Night Of Thunder colt out of a Frankel half-sister to Grade 1 performer Banzari. From the family of Limato and The Fugue
Lot 107: Havana Grey half-sister to two stakes horses, including Norfolk Stakes second Malc
Lot 108: No Nay Never colt out of the Group 3-winning half-sister to Prix Maurice de Gheest heroine Polydream
Lot 111: Violence colt out of a blacktype mare is a full-brother to dual graded winner Royal Spa
Lot 126: Night Of Thunder filly out of 1000 Guineas Trial runner-up Dean Street Doll, herself a half-sister to Group 1 winner Sea La Rosa
Lot 131: Half-sister to Group 2 winner Prize Money, from the first crop of Perfect Power
Lot 147: Kingman colt out of a Frankel full-sister to a Group 2 performer. Second dam is dual Group 2 winner Lucky Kristale
Lot 192: Blue Point filly out of a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Capla Temptress
Lot 203: Good Magic filly is a three-parts sister to half-sister to multiple graded winner and Grade 1 performer Terra Promessa (Curlin)
Lot 233: Mehmas half-brother to Mill Reef Stakes winner Kessaar