THE Goffs teams, both in Britain and Ireland, have often bemoaned the lack of quality horses entered in their sales, with many consignors opting for Newmarket instead. Most recently, Goffs Henry Beeby reiterated his feelings on the matter after Almazaan sold for €360,000, setting a new record price for the Goffs Autumn Horses-In-Training Sale.
This challenge has pushed Goffs to make various changes, with the Goffs Million and subsequent Two Million Series increasing the appeal of Goffs Orby yearlings, while Goffs UK have added £250,000 worth of bonuses alongside the Garry’s Half Million sales race.
The Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale is another in competition for horses with its British counterparts and it was because of this that Goffs introduced the Chicquita Session as part of the 2026 renewal, named in honour of the Irish Oaks heroine who sold for a world-record €6,000,000 at Goffs in 2013.
On the idea behind Goffs’ new development, Henry Beeby explained: “What inspired the Chiquita session was the fact that we have a history of that when we land big drafts such as the Niarchos or Paulyn or Wildenstein dispersals, we knock it out of the park and break records, and then the following year we still have a strong catalogue, but there aren’t the stars.”
“We looked at other sales; we obviously looked at what happens in Newmarket, we looked at Fasig Tipton’s Night of Stars and thought a concentration of quality appears to be appealing, so we thought we would produce our version of it.”
The inaugural Chicquita Session is made up of 22 fillies and mares, led by Saffron Beach’s dam Falling Petals, herself originally sourced at this sale for €235,000. Consigned by Ballylinch Stud on behalf of China Horse Club, the daughter of Raven’s Pass is offered in foal to Night Of Thunder, whose fee rises to a record €450,000 in 2027.
Aim realised
She is one of seven blacktype producers catalogued in the elite session, alongside nine stakes performers, including Grade 1 runner-up Flirting Bridge. The beautifully-bred selection includes a pair of young fillies from Juddmonte – testament to how the Chicquita Session has boosted the sale’s appeal for consignors, Beeby reports.
“We would estimate that at least half of the 22 we’ve got came as a result of the introduction of the Chiquita session,” he said. “They would have probably gone elsewhere had we not had it. Now there’s plenty of others we would have liked to have had, and we targeted, and that’ll be next year’s challenge.
“We need to get it going and going well this year, which we think it will. We said we’d keep it to 25, and we have strict criteria, and so we’ve got 22. We’re very happy with what we’ve got, and we think it’ll make a good start.
“We haven’t had Juddmonte in our catalogues for 20 years, and they are a case in point - if we hadn’t had the Chiquita session, I don’t believe those fillies would be in the sale.”
The remainder of the catalogue isn’t short on quality, featuring the likes of Group 1 performer Terebellum, in foal to Night Of Thunder, with drafts from elite owner/breeders the Aga Khan Studs, Godolphin and Derrinstown Stud.
Dual listed winner Ipanema Queen is a late addition to the sale, where her dam was bought by Ballyhane Stud from the Godolphin draft in 2018 for €30,000. At the 2024 renewal, Az Agr Vico di Giudici Claudio bagged her for a bargain €4,000 before her talented daughter debuted.
Buyers have 352 lots to choose from this year, down from 404 the previous year, when the average price was €45,460 and the median €20,000.
Chicquita Session highlights
Lot 1184: Strait Power, a half-sister to Slade Power, is the dam of two stakes horses, including this year’s Richmond Stakes third Night In Vegas, now rated 108 with over £700,000 in earnings. Latest yearling, a Minzaal filly, sold to Rabbah Bloodstock for 115,000gns
Lot 1186: Listed winner Navassa Island has placed in three Group 3s and another four listed races. Half-sister to Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Lezoo, out of a Group 3-winning mare
Lot 1187: Goldana is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Glorious Empire and was herself successful at Group 3 and listed level. In foal to Delacroix
Lot 1188: Spirited Charm, a full-sister to a stakes performer and producer, has herself produced two stakes horses. In foal to Mehmas, she hails from the family of Ghaiyyath and Nightime
Lot 1189: Listed-winning Kodiac mare Circe is in foal to Mehmas – the same cross as Group 1 winner Believing and dual group winner West Acre
Lot 1190: Sagrada Familia, the dam of listed-winning sprinter Behike, is in foal to Henri Matisse. Her yearling filly by Gleneagles brought €150,000
Lot 1191: Falling Petals carries a Night Of Thunder sibling to the top-class Saffron Beach. Her last two yearlings sold for €500,000 and €400,000
Lot 1192: Magny Cours won a Group 3 and finished second in another two, including an Irish 1000 Guineas trial at Leopardstown. The Awtaad half-sister to a Group 3 winner is out of a blacktype mare
Lot 1193: Listed winner and Group 3 performer Sivka Burka is offered in foal to Starman. Her granddam is dual Grade 1 winner Dynaforce
Lot 1195: E.P. Taylor Stakes runner-up Flirting Bridge is in foal to No Nay Never. Her first foal realised €300,000 as a yearling
Lot 1196: Group 3 and listed winner Copacabana Sands hails from the family of Fillies’ Mile heroine Red Bloom
Lot 1198: Irish Oaks fourth Butterfly Wings is a half-sister to the dam of Albert Einstein. In foal to Starspangledbanner
Lot 1199: Hinder is a three-year-old half-sister to four stakes horses, led by Phoenix Stakes heroine Babouche and three-time group winner Zarinsk
Lot 1200: Courtly is an unraced Frankel half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner State Of Rest and dual Group 3 winner Tranquil Lady
Lot 1201: In foal to Henri Matisse (Wootton Bassett), Loyale is the dam of two Group 2 winners by Wootton Bassett, Atomic Jones and Lapotheose, who also finished second in the German Oaks
Lot 1202: Andromeda, a full-sister to Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Peaceful and listed winner Easter, is in foal to Starspangledbanner
Lot 1203: Marbella carries a Sands Of Mali half-sibling to this year’s Group 1 Golden Fleece Stakes runner-up Jesus Green
Lot 1204: California Dreamer’s multiple group placings include a fine second in the Irish 1000 Guineas. By Mehmas and out of Preis der Diana winner Penelopa, she is in foal to Arizona Blaze
Lot 1205: Sneaky Snooze is the dam of Flying Childers Stakes victor Final Objective, also runner-up in the Gimcrack Stakes and fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint
Catalogue highlights
Lot 1051: Face Of Thunder is by Galileo, out of Lightning Thunder, who placed in both British and Irish 1000 Guineas
Lot 1069: Dual Group 2 winner and twice Group 1-placed Terebellum, in foal to Night Of Thunder
Lot 1105: Dual Group 3 winner Maimara, in foal to Look De Vega. Her Minzaal colt fetched 300,000gns at the 2026 breeze-up sales
Lot 1112: Mill Reef Stakes second Perfect Angel, dam of listed and Group 3-placed three-year-old Spinning Around
Lot 1127: Group 3 winner Efaadah, a half-sister to Prix Morny runner-up Alrahma, in foal to Henri Matisse
Lot 1135: Isfand, a full-sister to German Oaks runner-up Isfahani, in foal to St Mark’s Basilica
Lot 1161: Wootton Bassett mare Purely A Dream, a daughter of dual Group 1 winner Fairyland, in foal to Little Big Bear
Lot 1168: Recently Group 3-placed and previously twice listed-placed, Galileo Dame also finished second in the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle
Lot 1172: Group 3 Brownstown Stakes third Nancy J is a half-sister to dual group scorer Yonkers, out of a listed-winning mare
Lot 1174: In foal to Kingman, Sea Shepherd is a half-sister to Preis der Diana heroine Serienholde, herself the dam of Group 1 winner Schnell Meister (Kingman)
Lot 1180: Group 3 winner and Prix de Diane fourth Shamkala, dam of listed scorer Shamarkand, in foal to Maranoa Charlie
Lot 1183: Dual Group 3 winner Tanaza, dam of group performer Tangapour. Half-sister to three stakes winners is in foal to Vadeni
Lot 1205A: Dual listed winner Ipanema Queen hails from the family of Bungle Inthejungle and Muarrab
Lot 1219: Stakes winner Detailed, dam of listed winner and Group 3 performer Daytona, in foal to Starman
Lot 1226: In foal to Henri Matisse, Light And Lovely is a three-parts sister to the top-class Ballydoyle and Misty For Me, herself the dam of Roly Poly and U S Navy Flag