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THE Aga Khan Studs draft has long been a staple of the Goffs Autumn Horses in Training Sale and so it proved again on Monday when the day's top five lots were all part of the 15-strong Aga Khan consignment from the Weld and Murtagh yards.
Top of the pile was the three-year-old colt Tangapour from the Murtagh yard. The son of Wootton Bassett will be remembered for his 300/1 second place to stable companion Zahrann in the Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes in August.
He was sold today to agent Alessandro Marconi for €185,000 and is likely to continue racing in Dubai. A few years ago Marconi bought Erzindjan at this sale for €160,000 and that horse went on to run respectably in Group 1 company in Dubai before returning to Britain this year where he was a reliable high-class handicapper.
Marconi said: "Ownership is in the making. I have had good success here in the past. Johnny Murtagh was happy with him and would be happy to keep him. Plans need to be made. His rating is more reflective of a horse rated 95 than of 104 at the moment.
“I have never been happier to miss a plane for Keeneland. We have to be thankful to Princess Zahra for her loyalty to Goffs and Arqana. Her drafts are always worthy. There is an issue with quality at the sales at the moment [for horses in training]. There are plenty of private purchases of course. We are grateful to be able to buy into Aga Khan families."
Last week Yorkshire trainer Declan Carroll paid 150,000gns in Newmarket for Sujet, a Juddmonte cast-off from the Dermot Weld stable. Carroll was not at Goffs on Monday but, through the sales company's Joey Cullen, he secured the Dermot Weld-trained Esherann for €95,000. The three-year-old Wootton Bassett colt (a half-brother to Erzindjan) won a one-mile maiden at Naas in June and is rated 92.
Carroll, who saddled the two-year-old Lifeplan to win the Gimcrack at York this year, said of Esherann: "He is for a longstanding owner. I watched him racing during the year and have bought some nice horses off Mr Weld in the past. He recommended the colt and I was happy with that. He will be put away for the winter and hopefully go for some nice handicaps on the grass next year.”
Reyenzi, first past the post in the Group 3 Gallinule Stakes this year for trainer Johnny Murtagh, was sold to Stuart Boman of Blandford Bloodstock for €70,000. He is likely to go to Dubai to race.
Newmarket trainer George Scott will train Rizal, a three-year-old gelding by Lope De Vega, who was sold out of the Murtagh yard for €58,000. He has a rating of 72.
Alan O'Keeffe, partner of trainer Jennie Candlish, paid €48,000 for Vidmiyr, a placed two-year-old from the Murtagh stable.
Away from the Aga Khan draft, the most interesting transaction concerned trainer Eric McNamara, who bought handicap chaser Sea Music out of Emmet Mullins' yard for €43,000. McNamara famously won the Paddy Power Chase and Munster National a few years ago with Real Steel (£27,000 purchase) and last month he saddled the first two in the Munster National through French Dynamite and Weveallbeencaught (Getaway), both geldings were purchased earlier this year, for €40,000 and £40,000 respectively.
The seven-year-old Sea Music won a listed chase at this year’s Punchestown Festival. McNamara said: "He is only seven, and I hope that there might be a big day out with him. I will put him away and bring him back for a spring/summer campaign.
“He is the price of a store horse, and I think he represents a bit of value. I was thrilled with French Dynamite and Weveallbeencaught. It doesn’t always work out, but we had great success too with Real Steel who followed the same route.”
At the end of the session, Goffs CEO Henry Beeby said: "We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again, and we’ll keep on saying it. Send us the horses and we will deliver.
“Yet again, with the top five lots the Aga Khan Studs draft has graphically illustrated that the Goffs Autumn HIT Sale can and will return the highest prices for the category, and I am not embarrassed to say that it frustrates us to see so many Irish horses travelling to England last week when we have such an international buying bench in Kildare Paddocks this week.
“As the only sale for the form horses in Ireland we prove our point year after year, with owners and trainers delighted with the outcome of their drafts, and my end of sale comments highlighting the same issue. The fact is it costs less in terms of travel, entry fee and commission to sell here, so we will keep banging the drum and strive to persuade more Irish horses to enter and reap the dividend of the unique Goffs service.
“The international nature of the buyers’ profile and the opportunities they present is clearly demonstrated by a review of the results, with horses heading to Italy, Germany, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Czech Republic, Mongolia, UAE, Qatar, Libya, Saudi Arabia and the UK. Those buyers flock to Goffs each year and ensure a lively atmosphere in the ring as they interact with us and compete with each other. We appreciate their business and wish them well with their Goffs horses in training.
“Today’s small catalogue has returned acceptable statistics with a strong clearance rate and a very pleasing leap in median price to underline the relative strength of the sale.”
The Autumn Yearling Sale continues until Wednesday.
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