Grade 1 pedigrees and sizzling sires to produce an early Christmas cracker

Unprecedented demand for places has seen the Goffs December National Hunt Sale, which gets under way on Tuesday at 10am, expanded to three days.

Last year's sale set a record price for a National Hunt broodmare when a thrilling bidding battle between the Coolmore team and Noel and Valerie Moran of Bective Stud ended with the 11-time Grade 1 winner Apple's Jade, who was in foal to Walk In The Park, selling to the Morans for €530,000.

The broodmare section of this year's sale is headlined by another Grade 1 winner to have carried the maroon and white silks of Gigginstown House Stud to glory, Shattered Love (Lot 723). Like Apple's Jade she took on the geldings and beat them, winning the Grade 1 JLT Novices' Chase and Neville Hotels Novice Chase, and she too is offered in foal to Walk In The Park.

Another member of the popular Gigginstown House draft that is bound to be popular with breeders follows Shattered Love into the ring. Darling Daughter (724) is offered in foal to Crystal Ocean, whose first foals have set sales rings alight this winter. The Grade 2 bumper winner is by leading sire Presenting and out of the Grade 3 winning hurdler Premier Victory, a Winged Love full-sister to Midlands National winner Firebird Flyer.

Also offered in foal to Crystal Ocean from the Gigginstown draft is Listed winner Tintangle (726), who was third in the Grade 1 Future Champions' Novice Hurdle and is a Yeats half-sister to the Grade 3 winner and multiple Grade 1-placed hurdler Tombstone.

Railstown Stud offers a winning Cable Bay half-sister to Grade 1 winner Allmankind, from one of the best families in the stud book. Cable News (727) is out of Wemyss Bay, an unraced Sadler's Wells full-sister to Group 1 winner Beat Hollow, the sire of last season's Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Minella Indo. It's the famed Juddmonte family of Martaline, Coastal Path and Reefscape, as well as Oasis Dream and Kingman.

Listed winner Ard Abhainn (731A), by the brilliant Jeremy, is an intriguing wildcard addition to the sale. Offered by Castlefarm Stud and in foal to Walk In The Park, she is out of the Grade 3-placed Sheer Frustration and her pedigree traces back to the family of the legendary Moscow Flyer.

Burrows Saint was the first Irish Grand National winner for Willie Mullins and his full-brother sells at Goffs this weekCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

The first foals to come on the market by Crystal Ocean and the first Irish-bred crop of Poet's Word caught the attention of leading pinhookers at earlier sales and the pair, who memorably locked horns in a stirring finish to the 2018 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, have healthy representation once more at Goffs.

Closely matched during their racing careers, they are keeping pace as young sires and Crystal Ocean has 28 foals due to come under the hammer, while Poet's Word has 27.

Yellowford Stud's Crystal Ocean colt (174) is the second foal out of Grade 3 Shannon Spray Novice Hurdle winner Lackaneen Leader, who was also Grade 1-placed over hurdles. She is an Oscar half-sister to the Grade 1 winner Don't Touch It from the family of Triumph Hurdle heroine Snow Drop.

From Conna Stud comes a Crystal Ocean half-brother to Grade 2 winner Minella Awards and Grade 2-placed Montys Meadow (271), while The Beeches Stud, where the Group 1 winner resides, sends a colt (570) out of the Listed winner and Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle runner-up Aurore D'Estruval.

Kilmoney Cottage Stables consigns a Poet's Word colt out of Grade 3 Shannon Spray Novice Hurdle winner and Grade 1 Irish EBF Mares' Champion Hurdle third Keppols Queen (149).

Athnid Stud offers the first foal out of the Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle runner-up Barra, a colt by Poet's Word (583). By Vendangeur, Barra is a full-sister to the Grade 3-placed Creation.

Haras d'Etreham's leading sire Saint Des Saints has a sole foal catalogued (171) but, as befits a stallion of his status, his representative is very well-bred. Rathmore Stud consigns the full-brother to Irish Grand National winner Burrows Saint on behalf of Yeo Barton Bloodstock, and their dam La Bombonera is a Listed-winning full-sister to Grade 1 Prix la Haye Jousselin Chase winner Lagunak.

A Getaway half-sister to last season's Grade 1 Champion Bumper winner Sir Gerhard is set to be one of the early highlights of trade on Tuesday. Ruthstown Stables consigns the filly (54), who is also a half-sister to Hey Johnny, winner of two bumpers this year, and this is the family of Zafeen.

Among the dozen or so foals from the Motherway family's nursery of Yellowford Stud is a Getaway full-brother to Listed bumper winner Vegas Blue (592) out of a three-parts sister to the multiple Grade 1 winner Bellshill.

Goffs December National Hunt Sale factfile

Where Kildare Paddocks, Kill
When Three-day starts on Tuesday at 10am
Last year's stats From 460 offered, 326 sold (71 per cent) for turnover of €5,219,100, an average of €16,010 and a median of €10,000
Notable graduates Apple's Jade (sold by Gigginstown House Stud, bought by Bective Stud for €530,000); Sporting John (sold by Grange Hill Stud, bought by Richard Frisby for €20,000); Flooring Porter (sold by Ryehill Stables, bought by Richard Rohan for €6,000)

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