Fireworks fail to ignite as Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale gets under way

It was a rather subdued start to November at Goffs for day one of the Autumn Yearling Sale where many vendors felt like the crowds at a firework display when the anticipated pyrotechnics failed to ignite.

The roman candle among them was a filly from the second crop of Inns Of Court who caught the eye of Johnny Murtagh when shown by the team from the Castlebridge Consignment. 

Foaled in March, she is a half-sister to Caught U Looking who won the Group 3 Weld Park Stakes at the Curragh in late September for Noel Meade, Tony O'Callaghan and breeder Peter Kelly. That form helped her achieve a price of €50,000 which was considerably more than the €27,000 her Harzand half-sister brought at this sale last year.

"She is a big, scopey filly and with the dam producing a Group winner with her first foal it's encouraging," said Murtagh, who had bought the filly on spec but should have no problem finding an owner for the well-related bay.

Her dam is an unraced Mastercraftsman half-sister to a pair of Group 3 winners by Exceed And Excel; Double Or Bubble won the Supreme Stakes and Abernant Stakes and the Listed Flying Fillies Stakes while Mix And Mingle was successful in the Chartwell Fillies Stakes and second in the Dick Hern Fillies Stakes.

Their dam, Mango Lady, is a winning Dalakhani half-sister to the King Edward VII Stakes winner High Accolade and out of a daughter of Canadian champion three-year-old filly Northern Blossom.

The session-topping filly was the only yearling to make €50,000 on the opening day of the sale whereas on the equivalent day last year, a trio of yearlings made at least that amount.

Sottsass colt from family with global appeal

She won't have far to travel to begin her journey as a racehorse but the Sottsass colt who made €37,000 will have a little further to go as he will be racing in the Slovak Republic.

Consigned by Treadstone Bloodstock and bred by Mark Burke, he is a half-brother to Nimbostratus who has clocked up even more air miles than this colt will. She won a Navan two-year-old maiden on her second start for Ger Lyons before she was purchased to race in America where she was third in the Grade 3 Sweet Life Stakes and the Listed Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Stakes. A half-sister to three winners, she then wound her way to Australia.

The breeder purchased their dam, Bahama Spirit, for 10,000gns in December 2019 when Nimbostratus was a yearling and has bred a Kodi Bear two-year-old filly and a Gleneagles filly foal as well as this Sottsass colt.

Treadstone Bloodstock's Sottsass colt in the ring where he made €37,000 Credit: Sophie Webber Photography

Bahama Spirit was bred by the late Lady O'Reilly and is an Invincible Spirit half-sister to the Group 4 Naas Sprint Stakes winner Brazilian Bride, dam of the dual Listed Cleves Stakes winner Rivellino, and to Listed Derby de l'Ouest winner Rio Tigre. 

Their dam, the Kingmambo mare Braziliz, is a half-sister to Or Vision, dam of Group/Grade 1 winners Dolphin Street, Insight and Saffron Walden, and to Brigid, dam of Group 1 winners Listen and Sequoyah who in turn is the dam of Henrythenavigator.

He will join the stable of owner Hana Polednikova, whose biggest victories include the Italian St Leger, multiple Group and Listed wins her native Czechia, and chase successes in France.

Polednikova has previously purchased horses in Ireland but this was her first visit to Goffs.

"We have friends in the horse business in Ireland and have a good mare that we bought here, so we decided to come to Goffs and see if we could buy something. My husband said we will buy one horse but maybe tomorrow (Thursday) we will buy another one," she smiled.

Hana Poldednikova who purchased the Sottsass colt to join her string in the Slovak RepublicCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

Her equine interests are not confined to the thoroughbreds she has in training in both Czechia and the Slovak Republic, with her stable at home also comprising showjumpers and riding horses. She explained that it was something akin to a horsewoman's instinct that prompted her to go all the way to €37,000 for the colt.

"He has a good page and is a nice, compact horse but he also gave me a good feeling when I inspected him and that was really important. We've had success with horses that we bought in Ireland in the past and I hope this horse will also be lucky for us," she added.

Keeping it in the family

Cristiana Brivio of Razza Latina is a familiar face at this sale and has sourced a number of black-type performers from the sale including Sphere Of Fire, who was second in the Listed Premio Nogara. Brivio bought the now five-year-old for €5,000 at the 2019 iteration of the sale and returned for her Ribchester half-sister, who set the early pace when knocked down for €33,000.

Their dam Pile Ou Face by Exceed And Excel was the winner of 15 races in Italy so there is an affinity between Italy and the mare and Brivio will be hoping that this yearling will have a similar level of success.

"Her half-sister is a very good and consistent filly but this filly is very nice and a stronger horse than Sphere Of Fire," Brivio said. "Hopefully she can be as lucky as her."

Cristiana Brivio was busy buying more yearlings at Goffs on WednesdayCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

Their second dam is a Stravinsky half-sister to Grade 1 Hollywood Derby and Shoemaker Mile Stakes winner Daytona, out of a half-sister to Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Madeleine's Dream. Their fourth dam is the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner L'Attrayante and the fillies were bred by Noreen O'Donovan and consigned by Cloney Stud who offer their half-sister by Blue Point at the upcoming Goffs November Foal Sale.

Their purchaser was busy throughout the day and secured a second crop son of Soldier's Call for €20,000. Consigned by Ladytown Stables, he is a half-brother to Red Linn, a son of Red Jazz who made a winning debut at two in a Leopardstown maiden for Tom Mullins.

They are out of Araghaidhlinn, an unraced Tagula daughter of Dangle, who was second in the Listed Flame of Tara Stakes and the family is that of Group 3 Brownstown Stakes winner Realtra.

Brivio said of the colt: "He's very nice and strong with a lot of quality and he is a very good walker. I think he will be a two-year-old."

Europa League

Interested parties from around Europe were in attendance at Goffs with their representatives and agents particularly prolific.

Edgar Byrne, who purchased Save Your Love out of Johnny Murtagh's stable for €50,000 here on Tuesday, was back among the bidders for yearlings on Wednesday and landed two of the session's pricier lots.

At €32,000 Ballinafad Stud's colt by US Navy Flag was the most expensive of the two. A half-brother to no less than six winners, he was led out unsold for €5,500 at last year's November Foal Sale and the decision by connections to back their judgment was a wise one. He is out of Before The Storm, a Sadler's Wells half-sister to Listed Cheshire Oaks and Washington Singer Stakes winner Valentine Girl and full-sister to Plum Fairy, dam of Group 1 Sydney Cup winner Stand To Gain.

Edgar Byrne watches the action intently at GoffsCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

Byrne also bought a Kuroshio colt from Loughill for €30,000. A half-brother to four winners, he is out of Ballet Dancer who is a Refuse To Bend winning half-sister to Castafiore, by Street Cry. Successful on the Flat for Godolphin, Castafiore went on to win the Grade 2 Altcar Novices' Chase for Charlie Longsdon. The Kuroshio colt's second dam was a Grade 3 winner and is a Theatrical full-sister to Blandford Stakes winner and sire Humbel and a half-sister to Escena whose Grade 1 victories included the Breeders' Cup Distaff.

A late flurry of bids helped put a bit of colour in the sale's cheeks but there was no dispelling the pale pallor of many vendors and the statistics will not have improved their outlook.

With 246 yearlings offered on Wednesday, a total of 173 changed hands giving a clearance rate of 70 per cent compared to last year when 191 of the 249 to go through the ring sold for a clearance rate of 77 per cent. That contributed to a decline across the board in all the key indicators with the aggregate suffering the sharpest drop of 25 per cent to €1,367,600. The average, at €7,906, was down 16 per cent year-on-year while the median fell by 17 points to €5,000.

The results continued the recent downward trend at sales and there are no easy answers for the questions this provokes. 

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