TOP LOTS

FOR the third time in four years, the sale played host to a seven-figure foal as agent Hugo Lascelles spent €1.1m on a daughter of Galileo during a session where the dispersal of stock bred and owned by Coolmore and the China Horse Club dominated proceedings.

This Galileo, who was bred in the partnership name of Desert Star Phoenix Jvc, had everything to recommend her. Not only is she a daughter of legendary Galileo but she is an own-sister to the former Group 1-winning juvenile and recent Melbourne Cup second Johannes Vermeer as well as this year’s Group 2 scorer Elizabeth Browning. The latter was sold for 700,000gns at last month’s Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale.

This filly is just the fourth produce of the Holy Roman Emperor mare Inca Princess and she was bought to race in England for American interests. She also has the distinction of being the joint second highest priced foal to be sold in Ireland.

MORE GALILEOS FOR BOLGER

Aside from Aidan O’Brien no trainer has enjoyed as much success with Galileo as Jim Bolger and the Coolcullen trainer’s nephew, Ken, picked up the two remaining foals on offer by the sire. Both were offered from the Castlebridge Consignment on behalf of Coolmore and the China Horse Club and the more expensive of the pair was a €625,000 colt out of the dual Australian Group 1 winner Melito. Much later in the day, Bolger forked out €400,000 for a Galileo filly out of the multiple New Zealand-based Group 2 winner Fix.

CAPTIAL IDEA

Over the course of the third day the Capital Bloodstock team of Neil Gilchrist and Peter Vaughan secured a number of prized foals. Their spending was headed by a €460,000 son of Sea The Stars out of a half-sister to Group 1 performers in Australia and France. Capital Bloodstock also signed for Kodiac foals who fetched €250,000 and €220,000 and they gave €220,000 for a son of Lope De Vega out of a half-sister to the Group 3-winning dam of this season’s prominent freshman sire Havana Gold. All four were bought to race and will now head to England.

THARWAH THRILLS

Twelve years ago Rossenara Stud’s John McEnery made the inspired decision to pay 17,000gns for Thawrah at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale. In the intervening period she has bred the Group 3-winning Heeraat and the listed scorer Ambiance and her progeny have repeatly found favour in the sales ring.

During Wednesday’s session, Anna Sundstrom, acting for the very active High Valley Equine venture, splashed out €340,000 for Thawrah’s Dark Angel colt. This sale means that Thawrah’s progeny have now grossed in excess of €1 million for Rossenara.

SHADWELL STRIKE

The first foal to be offered from the first crop of the top sprinter Muhaarar fetched €340,000 and he was bought for Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum who bred and raced the Oasis Dream horse. This colt is out of the Moyglare Stakes winner Miss Beatrix.

The Shadwell team also spent €270,000 on a daugher of Sea The Stars out of the Group 3-winning Shamwari Lodge, and they also secured a €200,000 daughter of More Than Ready who was bred by the China Horse Club.

GOLDEN FIRST

The Derby hero Golden Horn made an impact with his first foals when Yellowford Farm’s daughter of the Cape Cross horse and a winning Galileo mare was bought by the French syndicate Cheval Invest for €290,000.

This filly will be reoffered in due course but connections indicated that they may race her before she returns to the sales ring.

POSITIVE MARKETS

AFTER the conclusion of the Breeding Stock Sale last night, the focus shifts back to the foal market for the weekend where 361 lots are catalogued today and tomorrow.

Traditionally these foals that would have been sold on the Monday and Tuesday of this sale in previous years and these are the two quietest days of the sale.

However, the strength of the trade witnessed during Part I is surely a positive for the weekend and the fact that so many pinhookers found it a challenge to accumulate stock means that they will surely give due consideration to the foals on offer over the next two days. Trade will undoubtedly be at a lower level to what is was earlier this week but there is every reason to think that it will take step forward from last year.

As he looked back on the first three days of the sale on Wednesday evening, Goffs chief Executive Henry Beeby declared: “It is rare for any foal to realise over 1 million at any sale but there was something very special about the sale-topping Galileo filly that headed today’s incredibly strong sale.

“We wish the buyers the best of luck and hope she follows in the footsteps of the last Goffs foal to make that price; now named Ghaiyyath he heads into the winter as one of the market leaders for next year’s Epsom Derby.

CUSTOMER FRIENDLY

“Trade over the three days has made significant advances and we have to put a lot of that down to the more customer friendly format that has allowed purchasers considerably more time to view all the Part 1 foals.

“Logistically the format has made life significantly easier for both vendors and purchasers although, of course, nothing is perfect so we will review the format after the entire sale as we still have two days of commercial foals to sell at the weekend.

However, it is our firm belief that Part 2 will also benefit from the change and the level of trade so far.

“Since the weekend Kildare Paddocks has been buzzing and that positive atmosphere was very evident from the first lot on Monday morning.

“For the third time in four years the sale has been topped by a millionaire foal but the constant of the week has been the sustained demand at all levels as end users and pinhookers battled each other for lot after lot each day.

“As ever, we are indebted to our vendors who have trusted us with the cream of the Irish foal crop and have been duly rewarded with a trade that firmly cements the sale’s market leading status,” he concluded.