Final crop of Flemensfirth foals prove highly popular at €80,000 and €48,000

Flemensfirth defined the Beeches Stud for two decades, in that time siring a Gold Cup winner in Imperial Call, an Arkle and Lexus winner Tidal Bay, multiple Grade 1 winner Flemenstar and current star Topofthegame among a galaxy of shining offspring.

Time catches up with everyone, and so it was for the Group 1-winning son of Alleged who was retired this year at the age of 28. And so with only two foals from his final crop offered at Goffs on Thursday, frenzied bidding was guaranteed for the collectors’ items.

A bold bidding strategy helped Peter Molony nab the first of the Flemensfirth foals to come under the hammer, a filly from John Dwan’s Ballyreddin Stud who was one of the early lots on Thursday morning.

Opening the bidding at €50,000, the Rathmore Stud owner, whose sales purchases include the brilliant Honeysuckle, was forced to work hard to see off determined pursuers and eventually emerged victorious at €80,000.

The happy buyer remarked: “I saw her at the farm around six weeks ago and I loved her, but she has turned inside out since then.

"It’s the last crop of Flemensfirth foals but there is plenty to happen on the page – the mare has a couple of Martaline horses to run yet, so there’s plenty to look forward to with her. We will take our time deciding whether to bring her back for the store sales.”

Lot 288 is a half-sister to Irish Saint, winner of the Grade 2 Adonis Hurdle and Pendil Novices’ Chase who was also placed in the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle, Scilly Isles and Henry VII Novices’ Chase for Rebecca Curtis.

Her second dam is a half-sister to the sire Bonbon Rose, who won the Grade 1 Prix Ferdinand Dufaure Chase, and to the dam of Grade 1 Manifesto Novices' Chase and Galway Plate winner Clarcam.

Kieran Shields purchased the Flemensfirth colt consigned by the Beeches Stud, out of the Presenting mare Presenting Juno, for €48,000.

Lot 364 is related to a number of talented offspring by his sire as his dam is a half-sister to the dam of Relegate, who won the Grade 1 Champion Bumper at Cheltenham for Willie Mullins and Katie Walsh, and Mrs Hyde, the winner of two Listed hurdles so far this season for Brian Ellison.

Trade surpassed expectations, which had been dampened by the uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic, but buyers utilised all the tools put at their disposal by Goffs to generate strong trade, which was conducted in the safest and most sanitised conditions imaginable in the circumstances.

An army of stewards, gallons of hand sanitiser and strongly enforced social distancing measures ensured all protocols were adhered to without exception and in a friendly spirit.

Just before the closing mares’ section of the two-day sale, Goffs took the time to recognise the contributions made by Ros Easom and Jim Rossiter in developing the National Hunt side of Goffs’ business as the pair bowed out of their roles as agents for the company.

Easom, an accomplished rider, covered the mid-west area and unearthed diamonds like Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander and Paisley Park, while Rossiter, the longest serving member of the Goffs’ team of National Hunt agents, was responsible for bringing luminaries such as ten-time Grade 1 winner Beef Or Salmon and Commander Of Fleet to the Goffs sales ring.

Socially distanced presentations were made to Easom and Rossiter, who covered the south-east of Ireland, in the sales ring by Eimear Mulhern, chairman of Goffs, and Ronan Griffin, the company’s bloodstock director.

Overall trade was on a par with last year, demonstrating the robustness of the National Hunt market, with the aggregate of €5,219,100 down just 1.4 per cent on the 2019 figure of €5,291,850 from 41 fewer horses sold.

The clearance rate of 71 per cent was up by a point on last year, while the average grew by 11 per cent to €16,010. This year’s median figure of €10,000 dipped by four points from 2019.

Goffs group chief executive Henry Beeby said: “We have been both relieved and delighted with the strength and depth of the two days, which was good enough to feel 'normal'.

"Indeed, there has been fierce competition for the superb bunch of foals with which we were entrusted by our vendors, and to end up with a set of figures that were anywhere near last year’s excellent results, never mind ahead, is such a relief."

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