THE commercial breeding industry appears to be in good stead if the opening day of the Goffs Premier Yearling Sale is anything to go by, with Wednesday’s opening session achieving a clearance rate of 86% and increases to both the average and median prices.

The 172 lots sold produced an average price of £45,326 – a 12% rise on last year’s equivalent on the same day – while the median rose by 13% to £34,000. Fifteen lots sold for six-figure sums, suggesting that the sale is on track to match last year’s total of 27. However, trade has so far failed to reach the £200,000 mark, which was reached on four occasions 12 months ago.

Wednesday’s highlight was a filly from the first crop of Derrinstown Stud sire Minzaal, and was appropriately knocked down to Shadwell’s racing manager Angus Gold. “Obviously we like to support our stallions where we can and I came up here to have a good look at them all,” Gold said after securing the daughter of listed scorer Hateya.

“We’ve got three at home which we like a lot and, like everybody, I was impressed with the foals last year. I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen here. I thought this filly had a bit extra about her. She was as nice a filly as I saw here. She’s a lovely model with a great outlook and is a very good mover.”

The session-topper was consigned by Jane Allison’s Manor Farm and bred in partnership with Allison’s partner, Hugo Merry, who said: “We bought the mare as a maiden, and she got off to a bad start by producing a not very attractive first foal. This was a beautiful filly all the way through, though.

“I like Minzaal and I like using Derrinstown stallions. We bred Anisette, who won three Grade 1s in America, from Awtaad and I still use him every year.

“The dam is one of six mares owned in a partnership by myself, Jane and a man called Jose Morera, and it's called the Morera Partnership. We bred Anisette and Making Dreams, a good filly by Make Believe, together.”

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Highflyer Bloodstock’s Anthony Bromley and Phil Cunningham were the leading buyers at last year’s sale, with a spend of £1,010,000 across two days, and are now favourites to retain the title after buying six yearlings for a total of £717,000 on Wednesday. Four of their purchases featured in the top 10, the most expensive of which was a Showcasing half-brother to Abernant Stakes victor Washington Heights.

The colt hailed from the Bearstone Stud draft, as did Bromley and Cunningham’s £140,000 recruit six lots later, a colt from the first crop of Perfect Power. Out of the listed-winning mare Excelette, the mid-April foal is a half-brother to dual listed winner Well Done Fox.

“That’s a great result, we were expecting about half of what they’ve made,” said Bearstone Stud manager Mark Pennell. “You never really know, but we knew we had some nice horses here. They were precocious types and we chose this sale because it’s early and it’s fresh in the season, so people are keen, they aren’t bored of sales yet!

“We’ve never been busier during inspections. During the first two hours on the first morning, we did 175 shows. The staff are all very tired, but they’ve worked hard and hopefully it’s paid off. We’ll have a few drinks tonight to celebrate.”

Bromley and Cunningham’s haul also included a Dark Angel filly from Baroda Stud, which cost them £150,000, and a Starman filly from Galbertstown Stables; a €30,000 pinhook whose price soared to £125,000.

Career best

Alice O'Brien and Bradley Wood’s fledgeling operation at Ashbrooke Stud enjoyed a day to remember when their €55,000 pinhook resold for £180,000. After securing the Havana Grey filly online, Jason Kelly signed alongside Bond Thoroughbreds and Bryan Smart.

A delighted Wood commented: “That's our first six-figure lot, we've gone close a few times but not quite made it, so we're over the moon. We were surprised she made quite that much, but coming into the sale we knew we’d get well paid to a degree. It's just with the way of the world at the moment you don’t know what the market will be like.

“She'd been vetted seven times, and she had some powerhouse names on her like Alex Elliott, Billy Jackson-Stops and George Scott. It's nice when you've got the right people on them, it makes the job a lot easier.”

Cover star

Richard Hughes, whose first Group 1 winner, No Half Measures, graces the front of this year’s catalogue, teamed up with Ted Durcan to add five recruits to his string. It wasn’t just the location that was familiar to Hughes, as he has plenty of history with the family of his most expensive purchase of the day, a Blue Point filly out of Fig Roll.

“It's a great family that I know well,” Hughes said after securing Longview Stud’s offering for £175,000. “I rode both Fig Roll and Cake, and other relations down the years. They’re all very small, and I think this is almost the biggest one in the family I've seen.

“She has loads of quality and looks very fast. She should be early. I'd like to think she could be a Queen Mary filly like her dam. Hopefully we'll be going to Royal Ascot with her.”