Aga Khan's Erzindjan tops sale at €160,000 with Dubai Carnival mission ahead

The Aga Khan Studs’ draft at the Goffs Autumn Horses In Training Sale has long been established as a source of high class horses for owners and trainers around the world, both on the Flat and over jumps.

Last year’s offerings clad in the famous green and red livery included Tashkhan, at the time an unplaced two-year-old Born To Sea gelding but now known as the horse who split Trueshan and Stradivarius in the Group 2 British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot.

The boutique draft of four horses offered by the Aga Khan Studs at the 2021 renewal of the sale was hotly anticipated and the star of the quartet was the Group 3 Amethyst Stakes second Erzindjan. The three-year-old Lope De Vega colt sparked a bidding war, with spotters in the auditorium and outside busily announcing increases in price while online bids also flew in.

After the conclusion of a lively sale, where he made €160,000, Erzindjan will be exchanging the damp Irish winter for the heat of the desert as he was purchased by agent Alessandro Marconi on behalf of an owner with Ahmad bin Harmash in Dubai.

Alessandro Marconi: delighted to acquire the top lotCredit: Goffs

“He was the best horse in the sale and the one we really wanted,” said Marconi after relaying the news of their successful purchase to his clients, who will aim the colt at the Dubai Carnival.

“He’s a classy horse and we trust the Irish form. Obviously last week [at Tattersalls] it was very difficult to purchase these types of horses, and we’re delighted to buy from the draft of the Aga Khan.

“Ahmad bin Harmash will take great care of him for a client who has several horses in the stable but nothing compared to this one, so hopefully he’ll be successful.”

The colt is out of the Listed Platinum Stakes winner Eshera, an Oratorio half-sister to the Group 2 Blandford Stakes winner and Group 1 Hong Kong Vase, Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks third Eziyra. His second dam Eytarna is a Listed-placed Dubai Destination half-sister to the Group 1 winners Enzeli, Estimate, Ebadiyla and Edabiya.

Erzindjan in winning action on the track this year under Colin KeaneCredit: Patrick McCann

Two years ago the Aga Khan draft contained a Dark Angel filly named Sonaiyla, who was a dual winner for Michael Halford. Sold for €110,000 to BBA Ireland, she went on to win the Listed Sweet Mimosa Stakes for Ennistown Stud and Paddy Twomey before finishing third to Glass Slippers in the Group 1 Flying Five Stakes and selling to Moyglare Stud. This year she added the Group 3 Ballyogan Stakes to her CV and her three-year-old half-brother by Olympic Glory, Silaiyli, was a member of the Aga Khan draft at Goffs on Monday.

Like Sonaiyla, he was trained by Halford, for whom he won a Dundalk maiden this year, earning him a Racing Post Rating of 95. Silaiyli made less in the sales ring than his half-sister, bringing €56,000 from JS Bloodstock for Qatari trainer Ibrahim Al Malki.

Elliott back for more

Gordon Elliott’s Zanahiyr, a Grade 2 winner at Down Royal last Friday, was sourced from the Aga Khan Studs last year and the trainer, along with agent Aidan O’Ryan, was in the market for another juvenile hurdling prospect from the Aga Khan’s 2021 offering.

The pair identified the Lope De Vega gelding Ebasari as one with the scope for jumping and duly bought the three-year-old, from a branch of the same family tree as the sale-topper, for €48,000.

“He has been bought on spec and looks a nice horse to go hurdling with,” said O’Ryan. “If he turns out to be half as good as Zanahiyr then we’ll be very happy.”

Aside from his Down Royal triumph last week, Zanahiyr has two other Graded wins over hurdles and was second in Punchestown’s Grade 1 Champion Four Year Old Hurdle and fourth in the Triumph Hurdle last season.

Elliott and O’Ryan also signed for a three-year-old Zoffany gelding named Britzka, consigned from the yard of Eddie and Patrick Harty.

Placed three times this season, he is out of Albarouche, a Sadler’s Wells full-sister to Dragon Dancer, who was a short-head second to Sir Percy in a frantically tight finish to the 2006 Derby, and from the great Lanwades family of Alborada, Albanova and this season’s dual Group 1 winner Alpinista. He brought a successful bid of €40,000.

Plan B for Brouder

Gearoid Brouder had to go to plan B when bidding on Eagle’s Flight, a four-year-old Gleneagles half-brother to Group 1 Champions Mile and dual Singapore Airlines International Cup winner Dan Excel, who had raced as Dunboyne Express when previously trained in Ireland.

Eagle's Flight, who went the way of Gearoid Brouder for €100,000Credit: Goffs

The dual-purpose trainer took out his licence this year and recently celebrated his first success in that role with the victory of Astrophysicist on the Flat at Gowran. Brouder came to Goffs with the idea of purchasing two horses for a total of €75,000. That, however, is not what happened as he ended up going to €100,000 for one horse.

He explained: “We came here to buy two and this fella was always in the pipeline, the lads said, ‘If you don’t get the two you want, go all out on this fella’. I was a bit nervous to be honest when the bidding got that high.”

Another trained by Halford, he is out of Love Excelling, a Polish Precedent half-sister to Oaks winner Love Divine, who is the dam of Galileo’s first St Leger winner Sixties Icon. Eagle’s Flight, a three-time winner in the silks of his breeder John Connaughton, has an official rating of 86 and may be set for a change of direction for new connections.

Gearoid Brouder: has the rather contrasting places of Dundalk and New York on his mindCredit: Goffs

“We might give him a spin around Dundalk and let him off then, give him a break and bring him back hurdling,” added Brouder, who is preparing to go to New York for a number of weeks to work for trainer JP McAllen.

Facts and figures

The sale, which everyone was pleased to see back live after being forced into virtual reality last year, recorded an improved clearance rate of 78 per cent, with 95 of 122 lots offered finding a buyer.

The aggregate of €1,284,900 was up 26 per cent on last year’s online sale, which had actually recorded a higher turnover than in 2019. The median of €8,000 was up 14 per cent on 2020 but the average dipped 18 per cent to €13,525.

Henry Beeby, Goffs’ group chief executive, said: “Trade today has been buoyant and driven by international interest, with buyers from the Czech Republic, UAE, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Qatar, Scandinavia, Slovakia, the UK and, of course, Ireland. We also accepted bids from Australian interests.”

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