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THE Irish National Stud (INS) landed a monster touch on day two of the Goffs November Foal Sale when selling a Palace Pier filly for €220,000.
The foal is out of Big Break, a Dansili mare which the INS bought last year for just €30,000, carrying this filly. In the meantime the pedigree has received two fantastic upgrades thanks to the Group 2-placed two-year-old Pacific Mission and three-year-old Frankel colt Gran Descrans (winner of three races this season), both out of Big Break, who herself is a full-sister to the prolific Famous Name.
Tuesday’s buyer was CBS Bloodstock, the initials standing for Charlie, Ben and Sonny, children of Ballyphilip Stud’s Paul and Marie McCartan.
Exactly a year ago, Paul and Marie bought the top lot at this session when paying €185,000 for a Sioux Nation filly which they sold last month for 475,000gns.
Irish National Stud CEO Cathal Beale said: “It was a great bit of luck really. Ninety-nine times out of 100 you buy these mares and nothing bounces your way, but on this occasion everything that could’ve gone right, went right. We’re extraordinarily lucky that Palace Pier has had such a good season.
“The mare herself always had lots of residual value. She’s a lovely Dansili mare, but the two-year-old and the three-year-old have turned out to be very good. The Frankel horse (Gran Descrans) has been good all season and then the two-year-old, by Lope De Vega, is Pacific Mission, and she’s got her black-type and was unlucky at the Breeders’ Cup. There’s a helluva lot of luck attached to it, more than anything else.
“It’s a family we know well with Famous Name [who stood at the Irish National Stud], and it’s a deep Juddmonte pedigree. When you buy from the Juddmonte draft, you always have a chance. We knew we had a Frankel, Lope De Vega and a Kingman coming through, so it didn’t take a lot of imagination from that point of view.
“Plus, she’s a nice mare by Dansili, who’s a very good broodmare sire. We were delighted to get her on the day and she’s been very lucky since. She was covered by Shouldvebeenaring earlier this year.”
Paul McCartan added: “She has a beautiful Juddmonte pedigree, and the update with Pacific Mission was a big factor too. We will hopefully get more blacktype there. A beautifully-balanced filly, all quality, and we all liked her. These are the ones that you need to be buying.
“As I said about a filly I bought last year, if the pinhook doesn’t work out, I'd be very, very happy to keep and race her.
“Palace Pier has made a great start, and that was also a big factor. He is a very admired stallion now, and sought after. The whole package was great. The dam's full-brother Famous Name was as tough a racehorse as you could imagine.”
Alex Elliott buys
Alex Elliott, signing as Abacus Investments, had the final say on the Baroda Stud-consigned Havana Grey half-sister to Listed-placed Moswaat with a bid of €190,000.
“She’s been bought to pinhook, I absolutely loved her,” said the agent. “She’s a Havana Grey filly out of a well-bred Giant’s Causeway mare who has already produced a black-type performer. She’ll be back for sale next year.”
Boherguy Stud’s Clare Manning was thrilled to sell her Mehmas half-brother to this year’s dual two-year-old winner Al Shaham, out of the Pivotal mare Cuckoo Clock, for €150,000, with Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock signing the docket on behalf of Pier House Stud.
“I'm absolutely over the moon, and delighted he’s gone to such a good home,” she said. “Myself and Noel McDonnell, who works at Baroda Stud, bought the mare a good few years ago and we’ve had four colts out of her. She produces a nice foal every year but this lad was just exceptional.
“He’s been very easy to deal with since the day he was born and he came up here and had more than 250 shows and more than 20 vets. He’s just been perfection.”
Pier House Stud’s Brendan Morrin was equally ecstatic to secure the Mehmas colt.
“I thought he was one of the best lots by the sire in the sale,” he said. “He’s out of a Pivotal mare, and I don’t have to tell you about Pivotal mares. We’ve had success with them before.
“The colt was a great mover, and to be honest it was more than I wanted to give for him, but that’s the way the market is. He is a nice horse and came recommended from Clare. I can’t really say much more, but I’m happy to get him.”
A total of 203 lots were sold on Tuesday for a clearance rate of 83%. Turnover was up 4%, as was the average price of €42,959, while the median climbed by 6% to €35,000. There were 15 six-figure lots during the session, compared to 11 on this day last year.
The sale continues on Wednesday when the majority of the better-bred foals will be offered.
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