WHEN there’s a foal selling for an eyewatering sum, chances are that Philipp Stauffenberg will be found in the fray, and it was he who prevailed in a prolonged bidding war for Mount Coote Stud’s half-brother to Dreamloper at Goffs on Wednesday.
Rob Speers and Ibrahim Araci were among those who drove the price towards €500,000, but it was Ed Sackville, bidding on the phone, who eventually filled the role of underbidder to Stauffenberg’s bid of €650,000 - the current top price on Day 3 of the Goffs November Foal Sale.
“There are very few of that quality; it’s a high-end page,” the brave pinhooker commented. “Obviously, it is a lot of money, but on the other hand, if you look at what these pedigrees are making, I think it [the price] is fine.”
On whether he predicted paying such a price, Stauffenberg replied: “I thought that she should be between three and five [hundred thousand] and then it would depend on the opposition. I wasn’t really thinking that I would have to give more than six [hundred thousand].”
Stauffenberg’s next comment came as a surprise, considering the price he had just paid. “I would say that those with the big pinhooks this year got punished quite a lot,” he said. “So, it is a big risk, but she’s a nice filly, a racy filly.
“Even if she failed to [re]sell, you’re happy to race a horse like that and you could increase her value even more. It’s a family that has done well, especially with fillies. If it was a colt, I would not have done that.
“She was top on my list. I'm happy that I got her. Obviously, we always like to pay less, but that's what the market required.”
Resilience
As Stauffenberg alluded to, the daughter of New Bay is related to some talented fillies. Bred by Olivia Hoare out of the listed-winning Teofilo mare Livia’s Dream, the April-born bay is a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Dreamloper and Park Hill Stakes heroine Santorini Star. The likes of Ambition and Talent feature further down the page.
The failure of some of last year’s pinhooks does not seem to have deterred pinhookers, judging by the vibrant trade witnessed at Goffs on Wednesday. Six-figure sales seemed to come all too regularly for us sales reporters, so it came as little surprise when Henry Beeby of Goffs declared the day’s figures to be the sale’s second best stats ‘by a country mile.’
The average price of €108,634 was 51% up on 2023, though 5% down from last year’s record high. The median price of €78,000 got close to the 2025 record, dropping just 2.5%, while the turnover of €18,359,000 was virtually on par with last year. Breeders largely left with lined pockets and empty head collars, with 91% of foals finding a buyer.
The session did better last year’s number of six-figure sales, with 70 foals reaching the €100,000 mark, compared to 64 12 months ago.
Sackville strikes back for Night Of Thunder filly
ED Sackville didn’t have to wait long to gain compensation, securing the Irish National Stud’s Night Of Thunder filly for €500,000. “She is for TBT Racing,” Sackville said after signing for the Irish National Stud’s half-sister to two group winners.
“She has been bought to race and will be trained by Ed Walker,” the agent continued. “Delighted to get her as we underbid the New Bay. TBT’s flagship horse is Ten Bob Tony, who is by Night Of Thunder, so it made a lot of sense for us.
“Hopefully, if she’s successful on the racecourse, she could develop into a nice broodmare in the future.”
Simon Sadler’s TBT Racing has enjoyed a terrific season with Prix de la Foret third Ten Bob Tony, Group 2 winner Qilin Queen, Jersey Stakes winner Noble Champion and Coventry Stakes second Do Or Do Not.
The Night Of Thunder filly’s price marked an impressive turnaround for the BBA Ireland’s €75,000 broodmare buy Oceanie. At that same sale, the 2023 Arqana Breeding Stock Sale, BBA paid €80,000 for Loyale, whose Wootton Bassett filly sold for €340,000 to MV Magnier earlier that afternoon.
Both fillies were bred and consigned by the Irish National Stud, who sold a Lope De Vega filly in partnership with the Lope De Vega Syndicate for €250,000 to Peter and Ross Doyle. She was the first foal out of their 100,000gns purchase Palm Lily.
Team work
The Co Kildare operation began the day by selling a homebred Chaldean filly to Airlie Stud for €230,000. At the end of a successful day, Irish National Stud Cathal Beale remarked: “Way beyond our expectations. I always said that we have a great farm and great staff; if we can get the type of pedigrees where they can excel, they’ll deliver the goods, and God, they delivered the goods today.
“It’s great to come here and get the results for them, for all the hard work they do throughout the year. I’m very, very proud of the people we have representing us, and I’m delighted for them.”
On the satisfaction of succeeding with recent broodmare acquisitions, Beale added: “It’s a very hard thing to do and you need an awful lot of luck. Anyone who buys mares knows that everything has to go right, but you make your own luck in so far as you have the best of people looking after them, you get your land as good as you can, you mind them as best you can and then you hope for the best.”
The Irish National Stud could also feel pride in how foals by their sire Phoenix Of Spain sold this week, with the likes of Tally-Ho Stud, JC Bloodstock, Aughamore Stud and Tradewinds Stud spending up to €75,000, €55,000, €54,000 and €52,000.
“We’ve tried hard to buy a couple and we haven’t been able to get them, which is probably a good sign,” Beale said. “I think you saw that across the sale this week- I saw Make Believe doing well, and Gleneagles; those sort of horses that have come through the cycle and come out the far side as proven sires. It’s great to see foal buyers recognising that.
“Phoenix has had an amazing week. All the commercial guys have cottoned on to the fact that they can make money out of them. He’s shown how good a stallion he is on the track, but to have that come into the sales ring is really important for all the breeders that use him. That’s the best gift you can have when you’re standing a stallion, that breeders are making a few quid.”
WILLIAM Kennedy and John Wall’s Stanley Lodge also enjoyed a cleansweep consigning on Wednesday, with their four foals fetching €380,000, €310,000, €200,000 and €150,000. The most expensive of the quartet benefitted from a dream update when his full-brother Ethical Diamond captured the Breeders’ Cup Turf in impressive fashion.
Wednesday’s sale was particularly notable considering the colt was conceived when their sire Awtaad commanded €5,000 at Derrinstown Stud. Ross Doyle signed the docket before revealing that the bay was bought on behalf of his and Peter Doyle’s longstanding client Magne Jordanger of Stall Perlen.
“I know he got the updates, but I thought he was an outstanding foal,” Doyle commented. “I know it’s easy to say that now, but he’s a big, dark bay, good-moving colt with an unbelievable temperament.
“His brother is an outstanding horse, trained by a genius. They [Stanley Lodge] are extremely good breeders and they had gorgeous foals here this week; well-reared, from blacktype families.”
On Awtaad, the agent commented: “He gets a very goodlooking horse and his stats are fantastic. He probably hasn’t got the credit he deserves, until this colt’s full-brother came along.
“This has been a great story so far for the breeders and, hopefully, this is just the start.”
Fabulous day
After selling their Lope De Vega filly to Philipp Stauffenberg for €310,000, Stanley Lodge’s William Kennedy reflected: “Absolutely fabulous day. We sold a mare before for 1.7 million - that was huge, but considering all the work put in on the farm, to see horses that we’ve raised ourselves, sell like this here, is fabulous.
“All credit to the staff – Nick and the team have done a fantastic job.
“We were very lucky. Firstly, Ethical Diamond himself is a fabulous horse. Once he’s got his ground and conditions, he has just excelled. For us, when we had him at home and raced him, we knew what a nice horse he was.
“It was easy for me to go back [to Awtaad], because I knew we’d get another nice horse. Obviously, I didn’t know we’d get a Breeders’ Cup winner, but I knew we’d get a nice horse and this foal has been superb.”
On the upwardly mobile sire Awtaad, Kennedy continued: “He’s a lovely horse. I’ve always supported him. It’s hard to get a Group 1 winner, a classic winner over a mile, at good value, especially in this market place.They take a little bit of time to get to their best, but he gets the results when he gets the right mares.”
AFTER two withdrawals halved Night Of Thunder’s offerings, the Kildangan Stud sire still managed to achieve an average price of €455,000. Ed Sackville’s €500,000 purchase from the Irish National Stud led the way, while his colt from Moyglare Stud Farm brought €410,000 from Zhang Yuesheng’s Ace Stud, who bid online.
After securing the son of Ribblesdale Stakes heroine Princess Highway, Ace Stud representative Paul Curran commented: “Obviously a very good colt by Night Of Thunder, who is a sire we love after this year. They are hot commodities at all of the major sales in Europe so we thought we got good value there.
“It's a very good page and it's important that it was a colt as well. The plan will be to race him in the green and white silks. Very happy to have secured him and we thought we got him for a very good price.”
Yuesheng has already enjoyed great success with Night Of Thunder, landing the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes with the Andrew Balding-trained Gewan.
Ace Stud was an obvious candidate to buy Baroda Stud’s Lope De Vega colt out of Queen Of Carthage, a full-brother to Yuesheng’s Phoenix Stakes victor Lucky Vega. Bidding online once again, the operation gave €260,000 for the Tipper House Stud-bred colt.