'He was a no-brainer' - punchy pinhook sees Kingman colt top trade at €550,000

Philipp Stauffenberg will be hoping the strength of this year’s yearling market can be maintained into 2023 having pinhooked the top lot at the Goffs November Foal Sale on Wednesday for a cool €550,000.

The youngster in question is Airlie Stud's Kingman colt out of Dane Street, who boasts something of a recession proof pedigree as his four winning siblings are headed by the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes heroine Skitter Scatter.

The page has undergone a couple of significant enhancements this year, with the mare’s two-year-old Victory Dance winning the Listed Denford Stakes, while her Grade 3-placed daughter Data Dependent bred the Group 3-winning Aspen Grove.

This is the second top lot that Dane Street has produced as Victory Dance, who was also runner-up in the Superlative Stakes, joined the Godolphin fold at 700,000gns at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale in 2020.

“As the auctioneer said, he has a stallion’s pedigree,” said Stauffenberg. “I was actually the underbidder on the Dubawi [Victory Dance] and I think there’s a lot of upside because I hear that he is going extremely well. If he wins something nice next year then that will improve the page again and then he definitely has a stallion’s pedigree. It’s a good family, a deep family, and if Kingman comes up with a nice horse too and everything falls together then I won't be too worried.

Philipp Stauffenberg: 'This colt is the most expensive I’ve bought for pinhooking.'Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

“How many chances do you have to come up with something like him to go to war with next year? There will be very few so okay, it’s a lot of money, but you hope it’s spent halfway wisely. Sometimes it’s more risky to buy one for €200,000 with a lesser page. I think he was a no-brainer.”

Stauffenberg is no stranger to high stakes pinhooking and has enjoyed some sensational results with his past endeavours, most notably the No Nay Never sister to Arizona who went from €260,000 foal to 825,000gns yearling when purchased by Cheveley Park Stud at Book 1 last year. However, he said the acquisition of the Kingman colt represented his single biggest outlay to date.

“A few years ago I struck an opening bid of €1.5 million but I didn’t get her,” he said. “That was for the filly from the first crop of Frankel out of Finsceal Beo. That was a different project as a client of mine wanted to have her but this colt is the most expensive I’ve bought for pinhooking.

“Like all the others he will travel to the farm so I need to tell my staff we have a very valuable foal arriving! We treat everything the same at home so he will be raised like all the others and then we’ll make a decision where he goes next year.”

Asked if he felt the strength of this year’s yearling market could continue into next year, he said: “Who was confident this year? And then we were all blown away by how the yearling sales went. This is another thing with a horse like him; whether you are a high-end owner or somebody looking for a stallion prospect, there will always be a value for a horse like him.”

The €2,000 mare whose foals have fetched €1.268 million stars at Goffs

Another gem from Roundhill’s famous family

The purchase of Princess Serena for $150,000 at Keeneland in November 2003 continues to have profound consequences for the Donworth family of Roundhill Stud, and the latest case in point arrived on Wednesday when the Kingman colt out of the mare’s daughter Princess De Lune went the way of Juddmonte Farms at €530,000.

Not only is Princess De Lune one of nine winners out of Princess Serena, the daughter of Shamardal is a sister to three black type performers, namely dual Australian Group 2 scorer Puissance De Lune, Middleton Fillies' Stakes victress Queen Power and the Listed-placed Majesty.

Other siblings include her three-parts brother Zabeel Prince, winner of the Prix d'Ispahan, and Serena's Storm, who is better known as the dam of two-time Group 1 scorer Rizeena and the Group 2 Balanchine-winning Summer Romance, who is closely related to Wednesday’s six-figure colt as a daughter of Kingman.

The Kingman colt out of Princess De LuneCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

Princess De Lune has got her own breeding career off to a bright start as her first foal is Listed Rosemary Stakes winner Zanbaq, who topped the 2020 Goffs Orby Sale when sold to Shadwell for £450,000.

“We’ve been trying to buy into this family for a long time,” said Juddmonte racing manager Barry Mahon. “We know the sister [Zanbaq] well because she beat us in a stakes race at Newmarket when we ran a filly that we like a lot called Whitebeam. She chinned us on the line.

“The Abdullah family were keen to support Kingman and with a pedigree like this he’s a nice addition to the farm. Hopefully he’ll work out well. The Donworths are very good breeders, they’ve bred a lot of good horses so it’s a pleasure to be able to buy one from them.”

Breeder Honora Donworth said: “I’m so pleased he’s going to Juddmonte. For me, that was everything. Everything. He’s going where he should be going. We wanted to give [Princess De Lune] every shot in the world and she’s been bred to Frankel so fingers crossed. There has been a good horse [in the family] every year and it goes back to his grandmother who we bought in America. It’s the most wonderful family.”

Kingman filly heading to Japan

A stellar afternoon for Juddmonte’s Kingman continued when Northern Farm representative Shingo Hashimoto went to €460,000 for the filly out of Assurance offered by The Castlebridge Consignment.

The late January foal is the first produce of the winning daughter of Teofilo, whose four siblings include her Group 1-winning brother Gear Up. The Jim Bolger-bred dam was a €160,000 purchase by Clifton Farm at the 2020 November Sale but was then retained by her vendor at 320,000gns when offered by Castlebridge at last year’s Tattersalls December Mares Sale.

“She’s been bought to race in Japan,” said Hashimoto. “She will most likely head there straight away but we haven’t decided yet. Kingman has done well in Japan, he has a runner there this Sunday and the horse, Schnell Meister, has already won a Grade 1. This filly looked very good and the pedigree is very strong, she’s lovely. She’s been bought for Katsumi Yoshida.”

Kingman had three lots sell at Goffs on Wednesday and the trio averaged €513,333. The son of Invincible Spirit will stand the 2023 season at Banstead Manor Stud at a fee of £125,000.

No Nay Never colt surpasses expectations

Michael O'Flynn's Rockfield Farm was among the vendors to enjoy a big result when the No Nay Never colt out of Piece Of Paradise was knocked down to Rockbank Bloodstock at €330,000. The Rockfield-bred Piece Of Paradise won twice during her racing days, including the Listed Harry Rosebery Stakes, and her first foal has plainly inherited his share of that class.

“It’s great and we’ve always liked the colt, he’s been a cracker from day one,” said farm manager Mitch Barry. “When we came up here everything just clicked with him and he came out of his box every day and did everything perfectly. We couldn’t be happier. He’s been busy but I was humming and hawing whether he’d get to €300,000 so I’m delighted he surpassed that.”

Piece Of Paradise is out of Double Fantasy, a dual winner in Germany whose other successful offspring is the Listed scorer Magical Dreamer.

“We’re big fans of No Nay Never, he’s had a phenomenal season, and the mare is in foal to St Mark's Basilica," Barry continued. "She’s a beautiful mare and we also have the mother at home too. It’s been a great family for Michael and all the O’Flynns, and this is a great day for the farm.”

Rockfield offered two other lots on the day, a €220,000 Wootton Bassett colt knocked down to Valentine Bloodstock and the Mastercraftsman brother to Coltrane who brought €65,000 from Jeremy Brummitt.

End of an era

Among the other eye-catching transactions was Trinity Bloodstock’s €310,000 acquisition of the Lope De Vega colt out of Tifosa offered by Ballylinch Stud. Bred in partnership by Ballylinch Stud and Ecurie Des Charmes, the colt is the second foal out of the daughter of Kodiac, whose racing career was headlined by success in the Listed Prix la Camargo.

Later in the session the final filly foal by the late, great Galileo to be offered at public auction took to the stage. Offered by The Castlebridge Consignment, the filly is a half-sister to the Listed-placed Gold Filigree and brought the hammer down at €290,000 to an online bid from BBA Ireland.

The final filly foal to be offered by the late Galileo took to the Goffs stageCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

Buyers looking to secure a member or Galileo’s final 12-strong crop will have one last opportunity at the Tattersalls December Sale when The Castlebridge Consignment offers the colt out of the Listed-placed Bahamian Bounty mare Bounce.

The headline session of the four-day sale generated turnover of €15,242,500, which is a year on year increase of 27 per cent. The average was up by 22 per cent at €88,619 and the median rose by 16 points to €58,000. The clearance rate was 85 per cent as 172 foals found a buyer.

The November Foal Sale concludes on Thursday with the final session starting at 10am.

More sales news:

The €2,000 mare whose foals have fetched €1.268 million stars at Goffs

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

Aga Khan's Carini tops trade at €600,000 as Australian and Irish bidders duel