CEISTIU, dam of this season’s Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood winner Merchant, will be offered at the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale.

A nine-year-old daughter of Vocalised, Ceistiu is in foal to leading sire Mehmas. She is an own-sister to multiple Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed Steip Amach and is also a half-sister to the Group-winning Ceisteach, while another half-sister produced last year’s Group 1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes winner Scorthy Champ.

Ceistiu will be consigned by Clare Manning’s Boherguy Stud on behalf of breeder Jim Bolger, who said: “We’re looking forward to offering a most attractive young mare - already the dam of a highly exciting group winner in Merchant and from a very happening pedigree. She is also in foal to an exceptional stallion.”

Merchant has been one of the season’s standout middle-distance three-year-olds, impressing with his victory in the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot for trainer William Haggas and owners Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, who purchased the son of Teofilo as a yearling from Boherguy Stud at the Goffs Orby Sale. He went on to claim a gritty victory in the Group 3 Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, ahead of the classy Wimbledon Hawkeye.

Goffs CEO Henry Beeby said: “We are grateful to Mr Bolger for once again entrusting Goffs with a mare of this calibre, which follows a number of successful collaborations over the years, not least with the likes of Banimpire who topped Goffs November at €2.3 million.”