SEVEN lots broke the €100,000 mark at Goffs on Thursday and three of them were part of the elite Aga Khans Studs draft.
The two-day sale concluded with a positive set of figures compared to the previous year. Total turnover of €6.3 million was massively up on last year’s spending of €3.8 million, and it was helped this week by a new point-to-point section which brought in close to €600,000.
Topping Thursday’s session was Shamalza, a four-year-old filly by Lope De Vega from the Aga Khan draft. When trained by Dermot Weld, she won a Navan maiden first time out and only ran once more when unplaced.
She sold for €190,000 to agent Alex Elliott and will go back into training with Ralph Beckett.
Elliott said: “I wasn't really thinking about racing when I came over, rather to cover her with Kingman, but when I got here I loved the physical. She did well to win on her debut on good ground. She is a good mover, so I think we will put her back in training and she will go to Ralph Beckett. With a young mare like that we have got to see what she can do. It is a deep family, and there is a horse in there that Amo did well with [Craven Stakes winner Indestructible] and he is a Kodiac, a half to Invincible Spirit, and that's why I thought of Kingman.
“I bought her for Valmont and she will race in their colours. She is a winner, so we have nothing to lose. If we want to chuck her in at the deep end we can. She looks like she has been in training. There are lots of positives to her. I am happy to get her.”
Tally-Ho Stud’s Tony O’Callaghan gave €165,000 for Katashuna, a Night Of Thunder four-year-old filly who also won a Navan maiden for Dermot Weld and the Aga Khan Studs. She is out of the Group 3 winner Kataniya.
After some deliberation, O’Callaghan said he will put her back in training with Joseph O’Brien.
One of the best known names in the catalogue was Cameletta Vega, a Camelot mare out of the great Quevega. Now aged seven, she won a bumper and won over hurdles, and was picked up by Robert McCarthy of The Beeches Stud for €110,000.
McCarthy said: “We are delighted to be taking her home. She is a lovely young mare; most likely she will be covered by Crystal Ocean or Kyprios; we will sit down and decide. She has as good a pedigree as you could find, and I think she was a bit of value, I really do.”
The new point-to-point section of the sale was headed by Lady Aurora, a five-year-old mare by Muhtathir who won second time out at Ballyvodock for Denis Murphy.
The purchaser Aubrey McMahon said: “I saw her in September at Denis Murphy's and I also saw her as a three-year-old at the sales. When I saw her in September I really liked the physical. She put in a great performance the last day.
“She jumped really well and she is a lovely filly. I have a photograph of her from September, and looking at her today I would say she has grown half an inch. I had an order from a man looking for a good horse. She has the physical, sire and pedigree, and she jumps really well. I think she will go to Willie Mullins.”
Last weekend’s Tallow winner Onehellofalaugh was sold by rider-handler Derek O’Connor for €100,000 to agent Dan Astbury. The four-year-old by Postponed will be trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero.
Astbury said: “I actually saw the horse doing a bit of work a few weeks before he ran, and I know plenty about him. He put in a stellar performance given how much condition he had on him for a four-year-old. I hope he will be a nice novice hurdler next season, and a good staying chaser in time.”
At the end of proceedings, Goffs CEO Henry Beeby said: “Yesterday [Wednesday] was extraordinary with the session accounting for the top 22 weanlings at any UK or Irish February Sale and huge increases at the top of the market, as illustrated by the four six-figure transactions, and quadruple the number at €50,000 or above. If that doesn’t deserve the ‘premier’ tag, I don’t know what does! And those market leaders came from both the Flat and National Hunt spheres, so underlining the diversity and appeal of the catalogue.”
He added: “Today’s mixed offering continued the vibrant trade headed by the top prices of the season for a filly and in foal mare at €190,000 and €98,000 respectively. Again, these highs are the result of the Goffs Purchaser Attraction Team and our friends at Irish Thoroughbred Market combining to ensure another truly international contingent of buyers have converged on Kildare Paddocks over both days, with bidders from France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kuwait, Sweden, and, of course, the UK and Ireland.
“The new Point-To-Point section attracted a large group of buyers, despite some pre-sale predictions, and would have benefited from further entries if the weather has been kinder (have we ever seen a January as wet as this one?) as we had more buyers than lots for the category, so ensuring a very competitive trade. With a top price of €125,000, it made a good start to ensure it will become a regular feature of the sale in future. It just makes so much sense when we’re here and the handlers can do a day trip so, if we get more favourable weather in early 2027, it will only grow.”