GOFFS returns to Yorton Stud Farm on Thursday, September 4th, and it is perhaps unsurprising to see the sale of National Hunt two-year-olds return, considering the store sales’ first offering of younger horses earlier this year.
As Yorton Farm Stud Owner David Futter explained: “We started this sale with the hope of getting NH horses into work earlier, something that has been so successful in France, and to now see the UK and Ireland producing racing programmes for NH 3YOs is a real win for what we are offering.”
Goffs UK Managing Director Tim Kent added: “The sale was, in some respects, ahead of its time when it kicked off in 2019, with David and the Yorton team pushing to get UK and Irish horses into work, and racing, earlier in their careers.”
Graduates’ success must have been another factor behind Goffs’ and Futter’s decision to revive the sale, with the inaugural edition in 2019 producing two Grade 1 winners in Redemption Day (£40,000) and Inthepocket (£25,000).
Both were resold privately by their Goffs buyers to their end users – Redemption Day presumably made a substantial profit for Donnchadh Doyle, and Inthepocket undoubtedly did for Paul Cashman, fetching £290,000 after his four-year-old maiden win.
Another 10 blacktype performers have emerged from the sale’s five editions, two of which were bought by Sue Bramall; listed-winning hurdlers Blue Borana and Master Nonantais. Their sires – Blue Bresil and Masterstroke – are both represented in next week’s line-up of 37 two-year-olds, alongside the likes of Doctor Dino, Golden Horn, Jukebox Jury, Nathaniel and Walk In The Park.
A Golden Horn half-sister to Goffs Yorton Sale flagbearer Redemption Day features as Lot 10, while a Vadamos brother to Grade 1 chaser Thunder Rock comes a few lots later (Lot 14). Lot 18 is a Cracksman gelding out of a blacktype sister to Nichols Canyon, with other dams including sisters to Grade 1 winners Bravemansgame (Lot 22), Ches Demonmirail (Lot 20) and Teahupoo (Lot 12).
A pair of two-year-olds by No Risk At All topped trade at the last sale in 2023, when Ian Ferguson and Dai Walters signed for the £165,000 top lot.
The top three lots are yet to run, but the fourth, a Bathyron gelding, has proven successful. Rathmore Stud’s £45,000 purchase resold for €68,000 at the Goffs Arkle Sale and after finishing second on debut, brought £120,000 at the Goffs UK Aintree Sale.
The average price two years ago was £31,556 and the median £27,500, while the clearance rate was 80%. Thursday's smaller catalogue of 37 lots, down from 50, should help to boost statistics.
Selling gets underway from 1pm on Thursday.