IF anyone buying horses on a limited budget had become disheartened by the record-breaking trade over the last 12 or so months, results on the track have given plenty of reason to keep hope. You need only look as far as this week’s Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, where the last two Group 1-winning graduates have cost a combined £78,000.

While many may have expected Amo Racing’s seven-figure purchases to fly their purple flag this year, it was £44,000 yearling Power Blue who put Kia Joorabchian in the limelight when winning the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes earlier this month. The first crop son of Space Blues was unearthed by Drumloose Stables from the Manister House Stud draft 12 months ago, and has more than justified his £44,000 price tag.

Stablemate Arizona Blue was among the favourites for last Friday's Nunthorpe Stakes, along with another Premier Yearling Sale graduate in Lady Iman.

Also in the Nunthorpe field were some fellow Goffs UK graduates, including lightly-raced Group 3 scorer Sayidah Dariyan (£35,000), King George Stakes victor Jm Jungle (£46,000), multiple stakes winner Washington Heights (£24,000) and Windsor Castle Stakes winner Ain’t Nobody (£30,000), who would go on to finish second.

Talented stablemates

Sayidah Dariyan is trained by Richard Hughes, who gained his first Group 1 success as a trainer in the July Cup, courtesy of No Half Measures.

At £34,000, the Cable Bay filly is further proof that top-flight glory needn’t cost the earth. The same applies to fellow four-year-old and recent stakes winner Tropical Island (£19,000), but the best example is Rod Millman’s £6,000 bargain Anthelia.

Bred and sold by Yeomanstown Stud, the daughter of Supremacy has since amassed over £180,000 in prize money, largely helped by her win in the Weatherbys Super Sprint Stakes, and with a previous listed win under her belt, is surely now worth considerably more.

Many of those named above cost less than the average price last year of £39,496. The median returned at £30,000, bidding peaked at £350,000 and clearance rate ended at 83%. With this year’s catalogue reduced by 14%, Goffs UK will be hoping for improved figures this week, aided by a fantastic run on the track.

Lot 23: a No Nay Never half-brother to the Group 2 winner and Group 1 Phoenix Stakes third Aloha Star

Lot 30: a Starspangledbanner half-sister to a Group 3 winner, from the family of Danehurst, Hooray and Shaquille

Lot 31: Acclamation colt is an own-brother to the Group 2 Richmond Stakes winner Saayerr and half-brother to a Group 2 sprinter

Lot 41: Minzaal half-sister to two stakes winners, led by Prix Jean Romanet heroine Aristia

Lot 47: New Bay filly out of the Group 3-winning half-sister to Order Of St George

Lot 108: Havana Grey colt out of a Group 3 winner, from the family of Mujtahid

Lot 146: First crop son of Persian Force is a half-brother to Group 1 sprinter Extortionist

Lot 177: Blue Point half-sister to a Group 3 winner, out of a listed-winning mare

Lot 185: Dark Angel filly is a full-sister to 2000 Guineas runner-up Tip Two Win

Lot 236: Muhaarar half-brother to Group 1 winner and sire Sands Of Mali

Lot 290: Mehmas colt out of an own-sister to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Mischief Magic. From the family of Gossamer and Barathea

Lot 332: Too Darn Hot colt out of a blacktype half-sister to the dam of Polydream, winner of the Prix Maurice de Gheest

Lot 383: Oasis Dream colt out of a half-sister to 1000 Guineas winner Cachet

Lot 384: Wootton Bassett colt out of a half-sister to Group 1 winners Broome and Diego Velazquez

Lot 404: Kingman colt out of a Frankel half-sister to two Group 2 winners and to the dam of the top-class Irishcorrespondent

ARIZONA Blaze, Lady Iman and Power Blue all make a strong case for putting your faith in a first crop sire, so here’s a rundown of sires with their first yearlings catalogued at Goffs UK.

Bayside Boy: Group 1-winning miler by New Bay covered over 245 mares in his first two seasons at stud, for a fee of €15,000. Half-brother to a dual Group 2 winner

Blackbeard: Top-class two-year-old is a full-brother to Norfolk Stakes winner Charles Darwin. Son of No Nay Never began his stud career at €25,000

Caturra: Flying Childers Stakes winner retired to Overbury Stud at a fee of £6,500. Son of Mehmas is a full-brother to a Group 3 performer

Dubawi Legend: Introduced by Starfield Stud at €6,5000, the Dewhurst Stakes second aims to continue the success of sons of Dubawi at stud

Minzaal: Gimcrack Stakes scorer went on to win the Haydock Sprint Cup at three. Began his career at Derrinstown Stud at a fee of €15,000

Naval Crown: Group 1-winning sprinter by Dubawi covered a bigger book in his second season, having been introduced at €15,000 at Kildangan Stud

Perfect Power: Triple Group 1 winner is an Ardad half-brother to Norfolk Stakes second Wise Approach. Commanded £15,000 in his first season at Dalham Hall Stud

Persian Force: Group 2 winner also placed in three Group 1s as a juvenile. Joined his sire Mehmas at Tally-Ho at a fee of €10,000

Space Traveller: Dual group winner placed at the highest level on three occasions. Introduced at €6,500, the son of Bated Breath now stands at Starfield Stud

State Of Rest: Multiple Group 1 winner across three continents. Half-brother to a dual group winner, the son of Starspangledbanner began his stud career at €25,000

Stradivarius: Champion stayer retired to the National Stud at a fee of £10,000. Son of Sea The Stars is a half-brother to a dual group winner

Thunder Moon: Joseph O’Brien’s National Stakes winner covered his first mares at Haras de Bouquetot for a fee of €6,000