THE Goffs London Sale is an appropriate curtain raiser to Royal Ascot week, as international visitors gather at Kensington Palace Gardens to peruse potential runners for the week ahead. It’s a beautiful setting in which to be seen and people watch, while keeping hydrated on Chateau Léoube, and the sale itself often provides plenty of entertainment.

Last year, the crowd strained to identify who had provided the £8.1million bid for Prix de Diane heroine Sparkling Plenty, but much to Goffs dismay, it was revealed to have been made on behalf of owner/breeder Jean-Pierre Dubois. Al Shaqab later struck a deal to purchase a 50% stake for £5million.

After placing in both the Nassau Stakes and Prix de l’Opera, the daughter of Kingman resold at Arqana for a record-breaking €5million to a new partnership including Coolmore. At the time, M.V. Magnier divulged plans to send her Chad Brown and cover her with Justify, but she has not run in the US since.

High-profile buy-backs from earlier renewals have proven their worth, with Sauterne and Lazzatt each winning a Group 1 after being retained for £1.2million and £2.25million respectively.

The second highest-priced lot last year, a then two-year-old filly by Kingman and out of Laurens, hasn’t reappeared either since selling to Hamish Macauley and Amo Racing for £650,000.

The combination’s £480,000 buy Taraj ran that week for Dermot Weld, finishing 10th of 12 in the Hampton Court Stakes, and is now in training with Bill Mott.

Richard Ryan and Ciaron Maher’s purchase Pentle Bay gave them a better run for their money – £400,000 of it – when finishing second in the Chesham Stakes for George Boughey, but has yet to make his Australian debut.

Fellow Australian export Asian Daze, who sold to Gai Waterhouse, Adrian Bott and McKeever Bloodstock for £200,000, has been well-beaten on both her starts Down Under.

Her purchasers’ £1.2million investment in Hoo Ya Mal in 2022 was not rewarded, but they enjoyed better luck with 2023 recruit New Endeavour (£260,000), who won a Group 3 and was beaten a nose in the Doomben Cup, while 2021 selection Military Mission (£170,000) won four group races.

Upcoming offerings

Next week’s catalogue is headlined by Clive Cox’s four-year-old entire Ghostwriter. The Jeff Smith-owned bay won the Royal Lodge Stakes during an unbeaten juvenile campaign and ran with great credit in defeat as a three-year-old, including two thirds behind City Of Troy in the Coral-Eclipse and Juddmonte International.

The Invincible Spirit colt finished fourth in the Dubai Turf on his four-year-old return and was luckless in the Tattersalls Gold Cup last time, clipping heels and becoming short of room at different stages. He is offered with an entry in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, along with an entry in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

The strength of the breeze-up sales demonstrated the desire for two-year-old runners at Royal Ascot, and among the juveniles on offer next week is Karl Burke’s unbeaten filly Ali Shuffle. The first crop daughter of A’Ali is three from three and holds entries in the Queen Mary Stakes and Windsor Castle Stakes.

Stablemate Super Soldier made a winning debut at Leicester in April and has finished second on both his starts since, most recently in the Listed Prix la Fleche.

The Dark Angel colt’s target is the Coventry Stakes, where he could be joined by Ollie Sangster’s Bone Marra, who is also a possibility for the Windsor Castle. The Starman gelding overcame a slow start to win a five-furlong maiden on debut at Wolverhampton.

Albany hope Fairy Oak is one of two offerings from Michael O’Callaghan. By A’Ali and out of a blacktype Raven’s Pass mare, she made a hugely promising debut at Navan last weekend, when separating Ballydoyle colts Warsaw and Kansas.

Stablemate Michael Scofield, a 98-rated three-year-old gelding, will be offered as a possible runner in the Golden Gate Stakes. The American-bred son of Tiz The Law won his first two starts at Southwell before finishing fourth, beaten two and a half lengths, in a listed race at Newcastle.

Another Irish contender for the Golden Gate Stakes is Johnny Murtagh’s dual winner Fantazy Man, who has progressed from a rating of 75 to 92 this season.

Ascot form

The Gavin Cromwell-trained Snellen tasted Royal Ascot success two years ago in the Chesham Stakes and is now offered with a rating of 100, with the Kensington Palace Fillies Stakes as her target.

The Sheila Lavery-trained Kortez Bay completes the Irish offering, though his intended aim is the Group 3 Dubai International Stakes at the Curragh on June 28th. Runner-up in the Irish Lincoln, the four-year-old New Bay gelding is offered off the back of a fine second in the Listed Amethyst Stakes at Leopardstown.

Tropical Storm finished second in the Norfolk Stakes last season and will be offered off the back of his second listed win, which came over five furlongs at York. Trained by Andrew Balding for Teme Valley Racing, he is currently 25/1 for the Commonwealth Cup.

Monteille is another in-form sprinter, last seen winning the Prix du Gros-Chene at Chantilly, marking a second Group 3 success for Gerard Augustin-Normand’s homebred. Fellow French offering Woodshauna doubled his stakes tally in the Group 3 Prix Texanita, reversing the form with Maranoa Charlie (then fourth), who he had finished third to the previous month.

Moving up in trip, Yann Barberot’s Rafale Design is a progressive three-year-old last seen winning the Group 3 Prix Hocquart, won by Calandagan last year.

The James Ferguson-trained three-year-old Montpellier is more of an unknown quantity. By Wootton Bassett and out of Mab’s Cross, the Qatar Racing homebred has won a maiden and novice stakes to earn an official rating of 96.