As expected trade moved up several gears on day two of the Goffs November Foal Sale which produced a top price of €185,000, good demand throughout the day and notable gains on the corresponding day from 12 months ago.

At the conclusion of Tuesday's session sale the turnover came in at just under €8.4 million which was a 10% progression on last year. The average also recorded double-digit growth as it came in at €38,863, which is 12% ahead on 2021 while the median progressed from €28,000 to €30,000. The clearance rate of 83% was just a point behind last year.

Ghaiyyath stars again

Some seven years after he dominated the Goffs November Foal Sale when selling for €1.1 million, Ghaiyyath was very much to the fore at Kildare Paddocks courtesy of his first crop of foals.

After that sole visit to the sales ring when he was picked up by Godolphin, Ghaiyyath developed into a racehorse of rare talent as evidenced by a string of breathtaking performances on the track which yielded a series of Group 1 triumphs.

Thus he joined the stallion ranks with impeccable credentials and the qualities that made him a top-class performer have made him a major draw for many pinhookers this week as evidenced by a superb colt from Ridge Manor Stud for whom Pier House Stud outlasted the Tally-Ho Stud team with a bid of €185,000. This colt is the first produce of a winning half-sister to the Group 3 winner and Nassau Stakes second One Voice.

“For us he was the best foal in the sale today. He’s very scopey horse for a first foal and then he’s by Ghaiyyath, who was the highest rated horse in the world at one stage,” commented Pier House’s Brendan Morrin.

“We have used him and his foals are very much of a type. Obviously he’s a son of Dubawi and we’ve all seen what his sons can do through the likes of Night Of Thunder and New Bay. You couldn’t get enough of Dubawi,” continued Morrin.

Thunder struck

As the session neared its conclusion Grove Stud's Brendan Holland spent €180,000 for a Night Of Thunder colt from Airlie Stud whose dam is a listed-placed daughter of Street Cry.

“He’s a very nice horse by a top sire and there’s not many on the market nowadays. He’s out of a blacktype mare whose two-year-old is a winner this year and he’ll be back for resale next year,” stated Holland. “I’ve been lucky with the sire already and I sold a good filly by him a couple of season ago in Lady Penelope.”

New Bay in demand

The demand for New Bay’s stock was in evidence throughout the day and Ballylinch Stud, where the sire resides, supplied a €145,000 colt who shares his stallion with the likes of Bayside Boy and Bay Bridge. John Rowe, signing as Spirnac Bloodstock, secured this relation to the multiple listed-placed Akira.

“We really liked him, we thought he was the nicest foal here today. New Bay is absolutely killing it and he ticked all the boxes,” commented Rowe, who also spent €115,000 on a Mehmas own-brother to this season’s very useful juvenile Mehmar.

“The sire is going in the right direction and this colt is just a king. He had everything - the walk, the physical and great strength. We loved him.”

Also coming in at €145,000 was a Mehmas colt consigned by Amy Marnane and bought by Tally-Ho Stud where the increasingly influential son of Acclamation resides.

Meanwhile a New Bay colt related to the Group 1-winning juvenile Marcel cost the Camas Park Stud team €140,000. This colt was offered by Oghill House Stud and his sale was a very poignant one for the noted nursery.

“My father, Hugh, passed away about six weeks ago and he would’ve loved to have seen that today, so it’s a little bit emotional. We’re going to enjoy it and we’ll raise a glass to my father this evening. This is his legacy and we’re going to continue it on for him and make sure we do him proud,” explained Oghill’s John Hyland.

“It’s a brilliant result. This is a tremendous colt and from the day he was born we’ve been really fond of him. New Bay has gone from strength to strength and has had a great season, you can see that with his new fee, which is well deserved because he’s a phenomenal stallion. The family has been lucky for us because we bred Marcel with my uncle, David. It’s a young family just starting out so, please God, it’ll bring us a bit of luck. I wish the buyers all the best with him in the future,” he added.

Pinhookers

A well-related son of Dark Angel will be returning for sale next year after costing Yeomanstown Stud €98,000 and next year’s yearling sales is also the plan for a Galiway colt from Rochestown Lodge Stud who cost Philipp Stauffenberg €95,000.

“He’s a very nice colt by a very good sire who has proven himself the hard way. For us he was probably the colt of the day. I ended up giving more for him than I intended but that’s usually the way for the ones you want,” stated Stauffenberg.

A colt from the first crop of the Sussex Stakes winner Mohaather cost Ciaran Conroy €95,000 to provide his connections with an instant return on the €60,000 they paid for his dam in this ring last year, while Eddie O’Leary’s spending took in a €92,000 Starspangledbanner grandson of the Cheveley Park Stakes winner Carry On Katie.

The sale continues on Wednesday, a day when the largest number of 'blacktype' foals will be on offer.

COMPARATIVE FIGURES FOR DAY TWO

YEAR CAT OFF SOLD AGGREGATE AVERAGE MEDIAN

2022 285 257 214 €8,316,750 €38,863 €30,000

2021 282 254 214 €7,374,500 €34,460 €28,000

2020 268 219 174 €4,855,900 €27,907 €20,000

2019 271 231 196 €6,588,200 €33,613 €26,000

2018 264 230 169 €5,457,000 €32,290 €26,000