The 2026 Goffs Orby Sale got off to a roaring start on Monday. The very first lot into the ring made €400,000 and the final lot sold for €550,000.
By the end of the session turnover surpassed €30 million, up 15% on the corresponding session from last year. Some 212 of the 232 yearlings offered were sold - that's a clearance rate of over 91%.
The average price of €142,159 is 6.4% higher than last year's two-day average and Monday's median price of €100,000 was over 5% up on the figure of €95,000 for Orby Book 1 in 2025.
There were 20 sales at €300,000 or more, up from 14 last year.
Minnie Hauk's sibling
A Justify yearling half-sister to Minnie Hauk sold for €1.4 million at Goffs on Monday afternoon.
Consigned by the Hyde family's Camas Park Stud on behalf of breeder Ben Sangster, the filly was expected to make headlines on day one of the Orby Sale, following the exploits of her older sibling (by Frankel) who topped this sale herself and won three Group 1 races last season before being beaten narrowly in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. She was Europe's champion three-year-old filly of 2025.
Shortly after 4.15pm on Monday, Minnie Hauk's half-sister entered the sales ring and auctioneer Henry Beeby asked for an opening bid of €2 million. The asking price was quickly halved twice more before an opening bid of €300,000 was landed.
The price rose rapidly to €800,000 before stalling momentarily. Then the bidding war really took off, jumping in €50,000 increments to €1 million and then increasing €100,000 at a time. In a matter of seconds, the price was at €1.4 million. "Look at the way she walks," Beeby said, scanning the arena for a fresh bidder before bringing down the gavel in favour of M.V. Magnier.
The successful buyer said: "In fairness to Ben and Lucy [Sangster] they’ve been great supporters of ours for God knows how long, and Ollie [Sangster] in fairness to him is doing great as a trainer. It’s a great result for them.
"Justify is having another very good year again. Haffner looks like he could be a very good horse; he’s very quick.
"If she is anywhere as good as her sister I think we will be doing alright. [Minnie Hauk] ran an absolute blinder last year [in the Arc] and Aidan is very happy with her again. She will not race again next year, and I would presume Michael [Tabor] and Derrick (Smith] may want to go to Justify with her. It looks like [the cross] works, so I’d say that might be the reason they might go to him with her."
A "delighted" Ben Sangster said: "She is going to the right hotel, Ballydoyle, which is obviously a key factor for the family – and I’m delighted with the price. Couldn’t be happier."
Sangster has not given up hope that Minnie Hauk could go one place better in the Arc next Sunday.
"She is a 20/1 shot, but it might happen – she might make this one look cheap! Multilingual is in foal to Frankel, we have no foal. She is due in February, touch wood.
"This is nerve-wracking. Watching any race or being involved in anything like that [the sale] is high expectation. She was a beauty from birth. I was reasonably relaxed because I knew that she was a collector’s item, and now she has gone to the best place possible."
Magnier made one other purchase on Monday, joining with Peter Brant in buying a colt from the first crop of Little Big Bear for €375,000. Bred by Kilfeacle Stud and sold by Camas Park, the colt is a half-brother to Green Charmer, placed in the Group 2 Futurity Stakes at the Curragh this season.
Joseph O'Brien
Joseph O'Brien was the leading buyer on Monday, spending €1.8 million on six horses, though he also co-signed for another five with Highflyer.
O’Brien went all the way to €750,000 to ensure that the Baroda Stud-consigned Blue Point full-brother to his recent six-length National Stakes winner Folsom Blues would also enter his Carriganóg Racing stables.
“His pedigree made him an obvious colt for us,” said O’Brien. “His brother has obviously done well for us. We've had a bunch of those siblings and there's a lot of similarities between them, they're all useful little horses.”
Folsom Blues and today’s big-priced lot are also half-brothers to Killavullan Stakes winner Atlantic Coast and Listed-placed Greek Mythology, and are out of Al Shira’aa Racing’s Group 3-placed Oasis Dream mare Liwa Palace.
O’Brien added: “He’s for an existing owner and I'm delighted to have him.”
The same trainer also signed at €400,000 for the first lot in the ring, a smashing New Bay full-brother to dual Group 1 heroine and 1000 Guineas runner-up Saffron Beach, offered by Ballylinch Stud.
Joseph O'Brien will also train the €550,000 Night Of Thunder filly who closed out Monday's session. A daughter of Group 3 winner and Poule d’Essai des Pouliches runner-up Sea Of Grace, she was purchased by US attorney Wells Watson and his agent Andrew Cary, who bought Irish Oaks winner Johanna Walsh at this sale two years ago.
"Johanna Walsh was our Oaks filly and I’m hoping this will be our Guineas filly,” beamed Watson about the Castlebridge offering. "I always wanted a Night Of Thunder filly as we’ve got a beautiful colt by the sire at home, and this filly looks just like him. It’s exciting.
“We had a long wait, and I did a lot of anxious looking around to see who else was here in case I needed to handicap the field!”
Watson went to great measures to ensure some luck with his gleaming new purchase, as he came to Goffs wearing the exact same clothes he wore when he bought Johanna Walsh.
“I had to look at the pictures from the sale before I packed, and then I made sure I had the same trousers, shirt, coat and cap,” he laughed. “I hope it brings me the same success.”
George Scott victorious
In-form trainer George Scott and bloodstock agent Billy Jackson-Stops joined forces to see off Juddmonte and secure the imposing son of Frankel and brilliant racemare Laurens from The Castlebridge Consignment at €575,000.
“He’s for Victorious Forever,” said Scott. “Shaikh Nasser was on the phone to us during the bidding. He’s always a little bit stronger when he’s on the phone. When we’re buying these colts for Victorious Forever we’re looking at the end game. We've got a lot of nice horses, but we’re looking to make it sustainable.
“Nothing's guaranteed, but at least if you end up with a very good horse, then you've got a pedigree behind you, and that's your job done. So it made sense for the operation to take a chance on a horse like this. The operation is moving in a direction where they want to be standing stallions. This horse has a long way to go, but at least the box of pedigree is ticked if he does make it that far.”
Expanding more on his new purchase’s physique, he continued: “I just thought he improved every time we saw him. We saw him early on when we came, and as the week went on he clearly grew in confidence. We had him valued a little bit lower to begin with, but when he came up to the ring he just grew another leg.
“He really just looked like a very, very nice horse, and the pedigree speaks for itself. He is almost a collector’s item. It's a sale that we’ve been very lucky at in the past.”
Wootton Bassett colt
US agent Mike Akers struck at €520,000 for a Baroda Stud-consigned Wootton Bassett colt out of Irish 1000 Guineas third Foxtrot Liv, therefore a full-brother to last Friday’s Godolphin Stakes runner-up Archers Bay.
“Wootton Bassett needs no introduction, I mean he’s been one of the top stallions for a long time now,” said Akers. “Sadly, they’re not making them anymore. He’s really stamped a lot of his progeny – they've got bone and size. He can get you a horse that can sprint or one who can run all day. He's been quite an influence for a long time.
“We have a couple of clients who’d be happy to put tack on him. He's not for anyone in particular just yet. We've got a couple of guys who can play at that level.”
Artificial intelligence
Jason Kelly, acting for Bond Thoroughbred, had the final say on Lynn Lodge Stud’s Wootton Bassett colt out of No Kay Never, a stakes-placed No Nay Never full-sister to Grade 2 winner and Grade 1 third True Valour, with a bid of €500,000.
Bond Thoroughbred’s Charlie Bond said: “He was Paddy [Twomey]’s pick of the sale, so it made sense to buy him. Paddy won the Goffs Million the other day, and the second too, so he's going well. The colt is a strong type by Wootton Bassett, who’s flying.
“The horses we buy are the trainers' picks, so they fall on their own swords. This is the first year we've really got AI [artificial intelligence] involved after the trainers have chosen the horses they train for us, so it'll be interesting to see how they turn out.
“The trainers come with a shortlist and we compare it with the shortlist we put together with AI. Then our own vets will look them over and cut down the list again if need be.
“We've got AI within our tyre business so it made sense to apply it to the horses too. We're checking all the pedigrees and then the horses’ looks as well. Hopefully by doing that we can take the racing operation up a notch.”
Bond Thoroughbred’s name appeared on the dockets of several more in-demand lots, including a Sea The Stars colt out of a Holy Roman Emperor half-sister to Australian Group 3 winner Jet Away for €350,000 and a Havana Grey full-sister to Westow Stakes scorer Great State for €320,000. Both were sold by Manister House Stud.
Peter and Ross Doyle bought nine horses on Monday, and Andrew Balding made five purchases. Amo Racing signed for four yearlings (spending €715,000). Godolphin's name does not appear on the end-of-day results.
The sale continues on Tuesday.
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