EXCITEMENT is building at Goffs this weekend as the countdown continues to the November Foal and Breeding Stock Sales, which start on Monday and finish next Saturday.

While there is sure to be fireworks on Wednesday, when Ghaiyyath’s full-brother is among the foals on offer, the real drama is expected on Friday afternoon when the 40-strong Niarchos Draft of superbly-bred fillies and mares come under the hammer.

Bidding is certain to reach seven figures when four-time Group 1 winner Alpha Centauri (in foal to Sea The Stars) enters the ring, and her Group 1-winning half-sister Alpine Star (covered by Frankel) and Group 1 winner Albigna (in foal to St Mark’s Basilica) are also sure to fetch monster prices.

Henry Beeby, CEO of Goffs, said yesterday: “The addition of the Niarchos Draft to the November Sale has raised the profile of the sale into a truly global event. There are buyers from the US, Japand and Australia coming, along with the usual faces.

“Even without the Niarchos horses, the catalogue reads as well as any other year but now it is simply unmissable for anyone who wants to invest in bloodstock.

“You can’t overstate the expertise and devotion the Niarchos family has put into its breeding programme. An opportunity like this only happens once in a generation.

“This is what we live for in Goffs. We take enormous pride in being able to offer these wonderful mares and fillies. We’re deeply grateful and excited and can’t wait.”

Ever since the Niarchos family announced it was placing the majority of its breeding stock on the market, there has been speculation as to whether the family will buy back many of the lots on offer or put reserve prices in place which will put them out of reach for all but the biggest bloodstock operations.

A prominent bloodstock agent, who asked not to be named, said: “We’re reliably told there will be reserves but the horses are there to be sold. It seems that some of the mares may be owned by multiple family members and it is possible that they may try to buy out the other shareholders.”

Cathy Grassick of Brian Grassick Bloodstock refused to be drawn on what sort of prices the top mares could fetch. “That is literally the million-dollar question,” she said. “What I will say is that it is fantastic for the Irish bloodstock industry that such a prestigious operation as the Niarchos Family is selling its stock here.

Grassick expects the influx of overseas buyers for the Niarchos horses will also have a knock-on effect for the rest of the catalogue.

“The whole catalogue has drawn a lot of international attention, not just the Niarchos Draft,” Grassick said. “The Aga Khan and Godolphin consignments are excellent, there’s Insinuendo, Matilda Picotte and the dam of Fev Rover. We are selling the Irish Oaks third, Cairde Go Deo, on behalf of Mark Dobbin.”

On foal trade, Grassick added: “The standard of the Goffs Foal Sale has been excellent in recent years, growing strength-on-strength. It has been a difficult year for breeders, by and large under both codes, but pinhookers will not want to miss this sale and you’d have to be optimistic that the market will be strong for quality stock.”