Ghaiyyath colt goes clear at €185,000 as Dubawi's sire sons dominate at Goffs

Progeny of Dubawi’s sire sons were in high demand on day two of the Goffs November Foal Sale on Tuesday as high-rolling pinhookers were forced to dig deep to secure the brightest prospects for next year’s yearling sales.

The market was headed by Ridge Manor Stud’s Ghaiyyath colt out of Cross My Mind, who went the way of the Morrin family of Pier House Stud at €185,000. The first-crop colt, who was bred at a fee of €30,000, is the first foal out of the winning sibling to Blue Wind Stakes scorer One Voice.

“I thought he was the best horse in the sale today,” said Pier House’s Brendan Morrin. “To me those Ghaiyyaths are all of a type, he makes a lovely horse and this colt is a grand, big scopey type for a first foal. We didn’t think we’d have to give that to get him but we were anxious to have him. He comes from a good farm and good breeders too.

“Ghaiyyath was rated the best horse in the world at one time. We bred to him twice ourselves, and Space Blues too, you couldn’t have enough Dubawi in any family because he’s the best sire in the world. Tony O’Callaghan was runner-up on him. I was disappointed when I saw him come in as I knew he was going to make this horse expensive for me!”

Darley’s Kildangan Stud resident Ghaiyyath is himself a graduate of the Goffs November Foal Sale, having topped the 2015 edition when he was knocked down to John Ferguson at €1.1 million. His three day two lots averaged €104,667.

Holland strikes for son of super sire Thunder

Ghaiyyath is not the only son of Dubawi on the Kildangan roster as he stands alongside the exciting and proven Group 1 sire Night Of Thunder, whose flag has been flown this season by the champion sprinter Highfield Princess.

Airlie Stud consigned the sole lot by Night Of Thunder offered on Tuesday and the colt out of the UAE 1,000 Guineas runner-up Good Place duly went the way of Grove Stud’s Brendan Holland at €180,000.

The Night Of Thunder colt who caught the eye of Brendan HollandCredit: Peter Mooney

“He’s been bought for resale as a yearling,” said Holland. “Night Of Thunder is a super young stallion and there’s not a lot of them on the market - there’s only three for sale next week in Newmarket. This colt’s out of a black type mare and I’ve been lucky with the sire before. I’ve sold a black-type winner by him in Lady Penelope [won the Listed Polonia Stakes].”

The colt was bred by Rosemont Stud after the Australian outfit purchased the mare in conjunction with Airlie for €80,000 at last year’s November Breeding Stock Sale when she was carrying her Night Of Thunder foal in utero.

Big day for New Bay

Another son of Dubawi making waves is Ballylinch Stud’s New Bay, who enjoyed a Group 1 double on British Champions Day when Bay Bridge landed the Champion Stakes and Bayside Boy claimed the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

The biggest figure generated by his six lots on Tuesday was given for the Ballylinch-consigned colt out of Agala, who went the way of John Rowe, signing as Spirnac Bloodstock, at €145,000.

“We really liked him, we thought he was the nicest foal here today,” said Rowe. “New Bay is absolutely killing it and he ticked all the boxes. The sire is going in the right direction and this colt is just a king. He had everything; the walk, the physical, great strength. We loved him.”

The New Bay colt out of Agala with team BallylinchCredit: Peter Mooney

Bred by Max and Lyn Morris, the colt boasts a Ballylinch Stud sire on both sides of his pedigree as not only is he by New Bay, who will stand for an upgraded €75,000 in 2023, but his unraced dam is a daughter of the operation’s headline act Lope De Vega and the Listed-placed Akira.

Emotional result for Oghill

New Bay also provided a poignant result for the Hyland family of Oghill House Stud when Timmy Hyde of Camas Park Stud went to €140,000 for the colt out of Tidewalker, an unraced sister to the Racing Post Trophy hero Marcel.

This is Oghill’s first foal sale since the passing of the widely respected Hugh Hyland, who forged an enviable reputation from the Monasterevin farm having been responsible for producing high-class talents such as the aforementioned Marcel, Quick Suzy, Rose Of Kildare and Washington DC.

“My father passed away about six weeks ago and he would’ve loved to have seen that today, so it’s a little bit emotional,” said Hugh’s son, John.

“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.”

The colt is the second produce of Tidewalker, a daughter of Lawman whose pedigree goes back to Hamdan Al Maktoum’s Melbourne Cup winner At Talaq. As well noting the poignancy of the sale, Hyland was full of praise for the stallion.

“It’s a brilliant result,” he said. “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.”

The New Bay colt out of Tidewalker who was a poignant result for Oghill House StudCredit: Peter Mooney

New Bay’s current foal crop was bred in 2021 when his fee was €20,000. His six lots at Goffs on Tuesday sold for an average of €77,333 and a median of €72,000.

Marnane makes Mehmas connection count

Another lot by an upwardly mobile young sire brought €145,000 when Tally-Ho Stud secured the Mehmas colt out of Azagba from Amy Marnane Bloodstock. The Listed-placed dam is a daughter of Deportivo who raced in the colours of the vendor’s mother, Theresa.

“The mare just produces a proper horse every single time,” said Amy Marnane. “The team at home has done an amazing job with not only him but all of the foals this season. He’s by Mehmas, who’s one of the best sires around at the moment, and we raced the mare ourselves.

“She was very good, she was rated 97 and was just beaten in a five-and-a-half-furlong Listed race. Hopefully this colt will do the same, if not even more, for the new connections.

"The mare is in foal to Starman, so we’re keeping with the Tally-Ho theme. We’ve been very lucky there and Starman was an electrically fast and consistent racehorse so that’s an exciting covering.”

Azagba, who won three races in France besides her runner-up finish in the Prix Cor de Chasse, was a typically shrewd purchase by Marnane’s father, Con, as the filly was picked up for just €12,000 at the Osarus Yearling Sale in 2013.

More Mehmas mania

Mehmas was also responsible for the first foal to head into six-figure territory when Kildallan Farm’s colt out of She's Different was knocked down to John Rowe, who signed as Lilly Bloodstock, at €115,000. That breeding makes the youngster a brother to Marble Hill Stakes third Mehmar.

“He’ll head back to the farm and we’ll see what happens but the hope will be that he’ll come back to the sales next year,” said Rowe. “He’s a lovely colt, he’s got a great walk with great presence about him. He’s got the page and the sire was a big part of the equation too.

"He’s been bought for a syndicate and we’re very happy to get him because the good ones are hard to get.”

When asked who his partners were in the syndicate, Rowe said with a smile: “That’s yet to be decided as I still need to find some!”

Bred by Tony Killoran, the late-March foal is the second produce of She's Different, a winning Epaulette half-sister to the Listed-placed Medieval and to the dam of Group 3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes scorer Epsom Icon. The page goes back to Cheveley Park Stud’s Fillies’ Mile heroine Red Bloom.

The session concluded with a clearance rate of 83 per cent as 214 foals found a new home from 257 offered. Turnover was 11 per cent up year-on-year at €8,316,750, while the average rose by 13 per cent to €38,863. The median was €30,000, an increase of seven per cent.

The November Foal Sale continues on Wednesday, with the headline session starting at 10am.

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