FURTHER evidence of a return to normality was supplied by this week’s Goffs February Sale which bounced back from its enforced one-year online stint to post a strong set of final results.

Two years ago this was the last sale to take place in Ireland prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and this was the first auction to be staged at Kildare Paddocks since then without being subjected to the various restrictions that have dominated both sales and race meetings.

The result was a fine edition of this mixed auction which outstripped all recent renewals of the February Sale.

A comparison with last year is almost completely irrelevant and, as expected, the figures from 12 months ago were banished to the distant past, but trade was also operating on a different level to 2020.

In the space of two years the turnover for this sale went from almost €4.1 million to just over €6 million this time around and this took place from an offering of just 40 more horses.

The average jumped from €13,965 to €17,103 while the median improved to €9,000 from €6,500 in 2020.

Further evidence of a bright beginning to the year at Goffs was supplied by the clearance rate which progressed from 65% to 72%.

Decent trade

The various categories catered for over the three days performed well and witnessed decent trade and the number of transactions at €50,000 and upwards offer clear evidence of this sale’s performance.

In 2020 only 13 lots managed to fall within this bracket but that number rose to 28 this week and at no point in the last decade has this sale produced as many transactions at this level.

This offers clear evidence as to the performance of this year’s sale although allowance should be made for the presence of various quality offerings from the Shadwell empire which wouldn’t usually come up for offer at public auction.

“We are pleased to have kicked off 2022 in a positive way and, perhaps more importantly, with a feeling of normality,” said Goffs’ chief executive Henry Beeby.

“The result has been a sale of vibrancy that picked up the positivity of the Goffs November Foal & Breeding Stock Sale with strong competition in each category.

“Heartening”

“Of course comparisons with 12 months ago are largely redundant given the circumstances forced upon us in 2021 but it is heartening to see that the sale has made significant progress when compared to 2020, rising by nigh on 50%.

“As in November we would like to pay particular tribute to the Shadwell Estates draft from Derrinstown Stud and from Baroda Stud as their blue-blooded consignment added additional depth to the catalogue, although there were several other drafts of note for which we are also most appreciative whilst we are grateful to the entire vendor group for supporting the sale as their first choice in such huge numbers.

“They have been rewarded with a broad and eclectic buying bench from home and abroad all of which was backed up by a significant online presence. So all in all a very encouraging start to 2022 which allows us to look forward with a degree of hope and confidence,” he said.