AFTER a solid opening session, trade took a step forward at Goffs on Tuesday as mostly pinhookers did battle for the many choice foals on offer.

A top lot of €200,000 and a clearance rate of 82% helped push the aggregate to €7,608,500, while the average and median settled at €36,935 and €31,000 respectively.

Big things will be expected from the first crop of Ghaiyyath when they start hitting the track next summer and a colt by the Darley stallion topped the session when selling to Tally-Ho Stud for €200,000. Offered by Milltown House Stud as lot 424, the colt out of the High Chaparral mare Experte benefitted from a timely update when his half-sister Pipsy won the Listed Legacy Stakes at Dundalk last month for Ger Lyons.

Tally-Ho sold a nice Ghaiyyath filly in the Orby Sale that they had pinhooked as a foal and the farm’s Roger O’Callaghan said: “We’ve had a bit of luck with the sire but I’m really delighted for the breeders Noel and Jill Finnegan who have bred a lovely foal.”

The colt was led up by the breeder’s grandson Jack Finegan, who added: “We’re very grateful to Tally-Ho Stud, who have been great supporters of the farm over the years. He is a very good foal who walked well and we had the right clients lining up for him, so we’re delighted that he made what he did. He’s a half-brother to a stakes winner in Pipsy and she timed it well - we just about got it into the catalogue.

“We have ten mares on the farm and there are three generations of us working there, which is nice to have. My grandfather Noel still does the hard yards and is fitter than I am, while my mother Jill manages the farm. It’s a family effort, so a result like this is very special.”

The Tally-Ho team never stray far from their bidding area at this sale and returned to buy lot 460, a son of Acclamation for €90,000. The colt was consigned by Annshoon Stud and is a full-brother to smart sprinter Stone Of Destiny.

Woods on the mark

Lot 393, a colt by Havana Grey, breached six figures when selling to Frannie and Niamh Woods of Abbeylands Farm for €130,000. Consigned by Olive O’Connor, the colt is the second produce out of juvenile winner Colouring, whose first foal - a year older full-sister to this colt - sold to Joe Foley for 280,000gns last month having been pinhooked in this ring last year by Paul McCartan for €68,000.

“He is a beauty, the sire speaks for himself and he has been bought for resale,” Frannie Woods said. “Hopefully the full-sister can do her bit to help our cause next year and let’s hope he can be lucky.”

After providing the joint-top lot on Monday, foals by Earthlight continued to be much sought after on Tuesday and the Darley stallion was the first to provide a six figure lot when lot 303 was bought by Timmy Hyde of Camas Park Stud for €115,000.

Consigned by Pa Doyle of Galbertstown Stables, the colt was bred by John and Mary Donworth and their daughter Orla, and is out of Stone Roses, who has bred three winners to date.

“I’m delighted for the Donworths; Orla works here in Goffs and this is the first horse I have consigned for them,” Pa Doyle said.

“This is a beautiful colt, he hasn’t put a foot wrong since he got here, has a wonderful attitude and looks very much a racehorse already. The stallion looks very promising based on the stock I’ve seen so far.”

Earthlight in demand

Ten minutes before this, Doyle enjoyed another good trade with the stallion when selling an Earthlight filly for €70,000 - this time to another good team of judges in the O’Callaghan’s of Yeomanstown Stud.

Lot 299 was bred by Jim McCormack out of the dual Italian stakes winner Spectralight and Doyle said: “I’m delighted for Jim, he puts a lot into this game and he deserved a good result like that. Trade is very strong here today, as it was on Monday, and it’s great that the two foals have gone to such good homes like Camas Park and Yeomanstown.”

Earthlight, who will stand for €15,000 in 2024 and will have his first runners also next year, got Tuesday’s session off to a good start when lot 256 sold to Luke Barry’s Manister House Stud for €74,000. Out of the Group 2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein winner and Group 1-placed Pollyana, the Stanley Lodge-consigned filly is a sister to two winners and there could be further updates to her pedigree next year given her yearling half-brother by Wootton Bassett was bought by the Amo Racing team for 140,000gns last month.

The Yeomanstown team added a well-related Cotai Glory filly to their pinhooking squad when bidding €100,000 for lot 389. Offered by Greenville House Stud the filly is the second foal out of Clearwing who hails from the ultra-speedy and high-achieving family of Galeota, Justineo and Logo Hunter, among a multitude of other stakes winners.

Later in the sale, the O’Callaghans signed for lot 486, a €90,000 Starspangledbanner colt out of Linda Barrett from Grenane House Stud.

Horan success

The sale of lot 305 represented a fine pinhooking touch for Jerry Horan of Ballynure Park after his Havana Grey colt sold to team Morrin’s Pier House Stud for €90,000. Horan bought the colt’s dam Style And Grace for just 12,000gns last year at Tattersalls carrying this colt and he was quick to praise the stallion for his good fortune.

“Havana Grey is just a world-class stallion and he’s only going to get bigger and better,” he said.

“This colt was very popular and, if I’m honest, I thought he’d make €50,000 or €60,000 all day, but I’m delighted that he exceeded my expectations. All the right people showed a lot of interest in him. He’s a good, solid colt and, with a bit of luck, he’ll do a job for the Morrins next year.

“I bought three mares in-foal to Havana Grey last year and four yearlings by him this year, so I’ve a lot of faith in him and have supported him accordingly, but he’s a top class sire.”

Popular Blue Point

Blue Point’s profile is heading in a similarly upward trajectory as Havana Grey’s and lot 313 caught the eye of noted pinhooker Mick Fitzpatrick, who went to €85,000 to secure the colt from Awbeg Stud.

The foal is out of the Lawman mare Testimony, who bred a stakes-performing two-year-old in Italy this year as well as the three-time winner Batraan.

A dispersal of foals from German stud Gestut Hony Hof, presented by the Castlebridge Consignment, concluded the session and lot 527, a son of Galiway, proved popular selling to Mick Fitzpatrick of JC Bloodstock for €120,000. The colt is the second produce of three-time winning stakes performer All For Rome.

The same draft also supplied a Sioux Nation colt, lot 531, who sold to Goodwill Bloodstock for €125,000. This foal’s two-year-old half-brother won a valuable sales race at Baden Baden last month and looks one of Germany’s leading juveniles.

The action continues on Wednesday from 10am.