‘Probably the best they’ve ever put together’ – quality catalogue assembled for unique Goffs London Sale

The Goffs London Sale is set to kick off Royal Ascot week in style today, when a diverse and quality catalogue of 28 lots will be offered in the grounds of Kensington Palace Gardens.

A growing source of tried European stayers for the Australian market, the sale’s novelty and timing have proven enticing factors to prospective buyers. 

Among the regulars on the buying bench are the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable, with last Saturday’s close Q22 second and Lord Mayor’s Cup winner New Endeavour a highlight purchase from the 2023 sale, going for £260,000 to his trainers and Johnny McKeever. 

“It’s a great social event to kick off the week and it brings to focus several horses who are running [at Royal Ascot] with chances that are also in the sale. That’s a big incentive to a certain type of people to bid on these horses, it’s a brilliant idea,” McKeever told ANZ News.

“I’ve been attending the sale with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott for the last ten or so years, more or less ever since it started, and we’ve bought a few horses most years and had a fair amount of success. 

“It’s definitely a place where Gai likes to target because it’s getting a horse into Australia a bit earlier than waiting for the Autumn sales – giving them more time to acclimatise. That is one of the major attractions. 

“If you get one of these horses before it’s had an extensive three or four-year-old campaign, it’s leaving more miles on the clock for when they arrive in Australia. 

“And also, if it is one with a realistic entry to race at Ascot, it gives the owners something to cheer at. Normally we run them realising it’s probably not going to be our main aim. It just gives everyone a bit of fun – racing is meant to be fun.”

In addition to New Endeavour, who placed second in the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot three days after he was purchased at Goffs London, Tulloch Lodge and McKeever also purchased Military Mission at the event in 2021 for £170,000. 

The Irish import went on to win four Group races in Australia, including the 2023 Zipping Classic at The Valley. 

“We bought New Endeavour, and a few years before that Military Mission off Hugo Palmer,” McKeever said.

“New Endeavour has been Group 1-placed, he won a Group 3 the other day and he’s probably capable of winning a Group 1 in Australia. He ran second for us in the Royal Hunt Cup the year we bought him and we had a great thrill with that. 

“Military Mission the year we bought him, he came fifth in the King George V Stakes [at Royal Ascot]. We also bought Hoo Ya Mal, who didn’t quite make it in Australia but he did win a Group 3 at Goodwood before we got there and was a leading fancy for the St Leger here.  

“All in all, we have had some good success out of the sale and that’s normally from buying one or two a year. It definitely gives the Waterhouse-Bott clients a bit of fun.”

A total of 24 individual sires are represented among the horses in training in this year’s catalogue, which also includes two stallion shares in unbeaten Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Ace Impact and Cambridge Stud shuttle sire Hello Youmzain.

The line-up of eight stakes winners and four stakes-placed runners is headed by the Group 2-winning and Group 1-placed colt Ghostwriter (10), as well as Group 3 winners Rafale Design (15), Namaron (20), Monteille (8), Woodshauna (18) and Path Of Soldier (30). 

Other entries include unbeaten Wootton Bassett gelding Montpellier (4) and Kortez Bay (14), a gelded son of New Bay who was Listed-placed over a mile last time out at Leopardstown.

Meanwhile, unexposed four-year-old colt Roi De France – a stakes-placed son of Sea The Stars whose dam is a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Lillie Langtry, the blue hen dam of Group 1-winning Galileo sisters Minding, Tuesday and Empress Josephine – goes through the ring as Lot 3.

“We’ve studied the catalogue and been out to see the various lots,” McKeever said.  

“It’s got a very good variation, two-year-olds, sprinters, stayers, three-year-olds, four-year-olds – I would say the quality of this year’s catalogue is probably the best they’ve ever put together. 

“There is something there for everyone I would’ve thought.”

The full catalogue for the Goffs London Sale can be viewed here. 

Goffs London Sale

Read more

From the sublime to the ridiculous: five of the biggest moments from Goffs London Sale history 

‘He could still make the stallion shed’ – London Sale calling as high-class talents come under the hammer on the eve of Royal Ascot 

Gezora maintains a Diane link with first European Group 1 for Almanzor 

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