Early signs indicated an ‘all or nothing’ market at the Goffs UK Breeze Up Sale, with only 10 of the first 20 lots selling. While they included two six-figure sales, the median price of £23,000 demonstrated the weakness of the middle and lower end of the market.

Thankfully for vendors, the median increased as the sale progressed, as did the clearance rate, but the difference between winning and losing remained immense.

One theme that did carry over from last year was the popularity of Mehmas, who provided the top three lots 12 months ago, and retained the leading sire title on Wednesday. Tally-Ho Stud’s precocious sire was responsible for three of the top 10 lots this time, and his son out of Mia Divina was a cut above his rivals, bringing £880,000 from Stroud Coleman.

After seeing off the attentions of Richard Brown for the sales topper, Anthony Stroud commented: “He did a very good breeze, he has a good pedigree and he looks like a Royal Ascot two-year-old. We’re all trying to buy them to run at Ascot and he fits that brief. Tally-Ho do a fantastic job. He just had the make and shape of what we’re looking for in a breezer.

“Obviously it’s a great deal of money, a lot more than one would’ve liked to have spent, but that’s the competition of the sales ring. Everyone wants to win so you have to stretch. I don’t know who’ll train him yet, we just need to come up for some air and I’ll be told where he goes later.

“I’d anticipated he’d make that price, as I’m sure everyone else did too. Richard Brown was bidding, as was Kia [Joorabchian of Amo Racing], all the people you’d expect. It just shows that if the horse is here then the people will be here too. That says a lot.”

It was a turnaround in fortunes for the son of Mehmas, who was vendored for 75,000gns at Book 2 as a yearling, and Tally-Ho’s Roger O’Callaghan was quick to commend the colt’s breeders, saying: “First, I have to pay tribute to Con, Amy and Olivia [Marnane], as they bred him.

“The team at Tally-Ho put a lot of hard work into results like this too. I’d say we have some of the best riders in the country at Tally-Ho.

“This colt always stood out and you just get a hunch, just a feeling, about horses like that. He delivered what we expected him to in the breeze and in the shows, and that always makes it easier to sell. It was some bidding battle, very cool.

“We want to be good at the job, and want to be perceived to be good at the job, so when horses sell well and do well on the track and make people happy, it’s hugely gratifying, and has hopefully resulted in some return business.”

On target

Mehmas got Tally-Ho Stud off to a perfect start when Blandford Bloodstock gave £180,000 for the second horse through the ring. The colt out of stakes winner Rebecca Rocks was bought by the O’Callaghan family as a foal for 82,000gns and was never entered in a yearling sale.

Mark Grant was another to reap rewards with Mehmas, selling a colt by the sire for £160,000 to Blandford Bloodstock, who bought Bradsell from Grant at a previous renewal.

On Mehmas, who commands €70,000 this season, Roger O’Callaghan commented: “Mehmas is deadly. Deadly. He’s the gift that keeps on giving. He’s like Ronaldo. Ronaldo scores in every game and Mehmas has a good horse every year. That’s what sets him apart. We’re lucky to have him.”

Like Mehmas, Tally-Ho Stud maintained their top spot in their division, the Westmeath farm selling 14 juveniles for a total of £1,789,000. The family operation is a deserving top buyer for more reasons than one, as the farm has sold the likes of Dream Ahead and Perfect Power at the sale in the past.

Adding to Tally-Ho’s success on Wednesday was their champion first season sire Starman finishingthird in the sires’ table, one spot ahead of current title hopeful Persian Force.

Changing fortunes

Mehmas has been on an upward curve since retiring to stud, but there are often plenty of twists and turns in bloodstock, as demonstrated by Michael O’Callaghan’s £260,000 purchase from Tally-Ho Stud.

Bred out of a €3,000 mare, the colt was offered after his sire Ten Sovereigns had been represented by three top-flight winners – too late, though, for Castlehyde Stud, which he left bound for Turkey for the 2025 season.

Ten Sovereigns’ first Grade 1 winner came in time for the yearling sales, as did his half-sister’s blacktype placing; contributing factors in the €65,000 paid by Tally-Ho to the Irish National Stud.

Ten Sovereigns had shown promise with his first crops, but was lacking big-race success, while the colt’s dam had raced to a rating of 81. However, ability doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get paid, as breeders, consignors and stallion masters all know, and I’m sure many of the breezers who make a loss in this year’s cut-throat market will be examples of that, too.

At the close of trade, the final figures did not look as bad as first feared earlier in the day, but it’s worth bearing in mind that 27 lots were withdrawn on the day of the sale, compared to six last year. Despite a larger catalogue, the number of horses offered fell year-on-year, due to 25% being withdrawn in total.

That said, the top price of £880,000 has only ever been beaten once at this sale – by last year’s £1 million top lot – and 24 horses sold for six-figure sums. The median fell by 5% to £35,000, while the average dropped by 32% to £57,070 and the turnover experienced a similar drop, coming in at £8,389,250. The clearance rate ended at 84%.

Goffs UK Managing Director Tim Kent acknowledged the challenges in his post-sale statement, saying: “A top price of £880,000 is the obvious highlight of today’s trade and is dwarfed only by last year’s £1,000,000 record but there is no doubt that the global economic uncertainty has been a big factor in the challenges faced by many.

“That said, there is plenty to be positive about and we feel that we have delivered a good sale in the circumstances, albeit in a very different world to 12 months ago.

“Yes, the figures have stepped back from last year’s record highs but given the issues facing all of us driven by the events unfolding in the Middle East, a pullback was expected coming into this week – the question was how big.

“Turnover has obviously taken a hit, and the dizzying top prices we achieved last year have been largely absent with the notable exception of the top price, but trade was steady today, albeit settling at a lower level, and the good ones were still hard to buy. In all we managed to largely hold last year’s median and finish with a very acceptable clearance rate of 84%.

“It is never easy selling in such an environment, the uncertainty can be very unnerving, and we would like to extend our genuine thanks and praise to our vendors who have been nothing but consummate professionals over the last few days. They have presented another great line-up of two-year-olds and have stepped up to meet the market without complaint.

“For our buyers, the current market is also very trying and we are extremely grateful for their support. This sale has produced so many wonderful horses, its Royal Ascot record speaks for itself, and that famous meeting is once again the target for many of the two-year-olds purchased today. We wish everyone every success and look forward to seeing our two-year-olds in Royal Ascot’s winners enclosure in June.”

While many vendors endured a testing time, Darragh Lordan enjoyed a career-best result when his Innishannon Valley Stud sold a St Mark’s Basilica filly for £205,000 to Hamish Macauley and Australian trainer Henry Dwyer.

This season saw Lordan return under his own banner, having enjoyed a successful 2025 preparing the Rockfield Farm consignment. After selling his €45,000 purchase for a sizeable profit on Wednesday, he reported: “I'm delighted with that, it's my best result yet.

“Coming here I thought I had a really nice filly and she showed herself beautifully the last few days. She had all the right people on her. Hopefully she’ll go on to great things for her new owners.

“I bought her in Orby Part 1 for €45,000. She had a great walk last autumn, she did the same show every time, and she was the same here this week. She's got a great temperament and she’s been a pleasure to do. I love the St Mark’s Basilicas; every one I've been involved with has been like that.”

Henry Dwyer, like many of Wednesday’s buyers, is dreaming of having a runner at Royal Ascot, where Asfoora gave him a day to remember in the King Charles III Stakes. After that, plans remain fluid, agent Hamish Macauley explained.

“She’ll end up in Australia, but hopefully there’s a chance she might get to Royal Ascot first,” he said. “There’s a small chance she’ll get there this year, that’s the idea.

“She has the best pedigree in the sale, she’s from a champion’s family. She did a very good breeze and is a lovely physical. She came highly recommended. Obviously, plenty of people were in for her. I’m delighted to buy her, although that [price] was stretching it a little bit.

“This is the first horse I’ve bought for Henry. She’ll go back to Newmarket with Lemos de Souza but she'll be trained by Henry, although I don’t know the ins and outs of it all just yet.”

Golden opportunity

Charles Shanahan revealed similar plans for a Golden Pal filly, bought in partnership with MV Magnier for £250,000.

Sporting a Coolmore Stud jacket championing the first season sire, who is already off the mark at stud, Shanahan reported: “The plan is still up in the air because we only came across her on the recommendation of Michael Fitzpatrick, who’s done a great job with her.

“Golden Pal has got off to a perfect start in America, with one runner and one winner. We’ve been getting great reports from Wesley Ward that he has numerous Golden Pals that are meant to be showing all the signs of being good horses.

“We haven’t decided where this filly will go but she’s been bought in partnership with MV Magnier. She’s exciting, a gorgeous physical, and we’re very lucky to have her. She did a fantastic breeze in good time, so she just ticked all the boxes for us.

“Being by Golden Pal we were very happy to support the sire. Hopefully she’ll make it to Royal Ascot. We all come to Doncaster hoping they’ll be Ascot types. Obviously that’s still a bit away so we’ll get her home and come up with a plan and take it from there.”

Michael Fitzpatrick’s Kilminfoyle House Stud sold the highest-priced filly of the sale, as he did 12 months ago. His latest success story was sourced at Keeneland, where Polo Bloodstock signed the docket at $90,000.

Notable numbers

The European freshman sires also made an impression, with juveniles by Blackbeard, Minzaal and Persian Force fetching six-figure prices. Stroud Coleman – the sale’s leading buyer – gave £150,000 for a Blackbeard colt from Bushypark Stables; an impressive mark-up on the colt’s foal price of €25,000.

Willie Browne’s Mocklershill resold their €80,000 yearling purchase by Minzaal to Rabbah Bloodstock for £140,000, while Grangeclare’s 45,000gns Perfect Power pinhook resold to Blandford Bloodstock for £100,000.

Tally-Ho Stud resident Persian Force notched two six-figure sales, with a filly from the sire’s base bringing £105,000 from Sayed Hashish and Jamie Piggott. Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing, who were absent from last week’s Craven Sale, bought a colt and a filly by their sire for £125,000 and £95,000 respectively.

Amo Racing spent a total of £375,000 on the day, earning them fourth place in the buyers’ table. The top three buyers were some way clear of the rest – Stroud Coleman bought four lots totalling £1,310,000, Blandford Bloodstock spent £903,000 on nine horses and Rabbah Bloodstock gave £607,000 for 11 lots – the largest number bought by any purchaser.