'He's a grand horse': Malone pays €125,000 to secure Godolphin runner Paso Doble

The useful Dawn Approach colt Paso Doble was at the centre of a protracted bidding duel at the online Goffs Autumn Horses in Training Sale on Thursday, with Tom Malone seeing off the opposition to sign for the first six-figure lot of the sale at €125,000.

Given the world continues to deal with the economic turmoil caused by the coronavirus, business continued at an encouraging rate at the online auction.

Of 86 lots offered (104 last year), 62 sold for a clearance rate of 72 per cent which matched 2019, for a total of €1,019,800 (€991,400), an average of €16,448 (€13,219) and a median of €7,000 (€9,000).

A dual winner for Jim Bolger and Godolphin, Paso Doble - out of Preis von Europa victress Baila Me - has been in consistent form this term and will shortly be heading to Paul Nicholls for a National Hunt career.

Malone said of the imposing three-year-old: "He's going jumping and will go to Paul Nicholls. He's a grand horse - about 16.3hh - and I liked his profile.

"I liked what connections have done with him. He stepped up to a mile and six furlongs, has won on soft, and also returned to a mile and a half."

Aga Khan consignment hits the mark

The Aga Khan's draft is usually a popular source of talent and, having consigned last year's top lot in Listed Tetrarch Stakes winner Shelir, the Dansili colt Taramansour become the second six-figure lot when selling to Billy Jackson Stops and Matt Cumani for €105,000.

Taramansour: the son of Dansili topped the Aga Khan draft when selling to Billy Jackson Stops and Matt Cumani for €105,000Credit: Goffs

The three-year-old got off the mark when landing a Cork maiden in July, having placed behind several smart Ballydoyle inmates previously. The half-brother to Prix du Pin winner Taniyar and Silver Flash Stakes scorer Tanaza heads to Australia.

Ruler Of The World gelding Alatar was another runner in the green and red silks who attracted plenty of interest when realising €64,000 to trainer John McConnell

Alatar, who shed his maiden tag on his penultimate start at Roscommon, hails from a stamina-packed family, being out of Aliyfa, a Listed winner on heavy ground over a mile and a half, and a half-brother to another Listed scorer in Alveena, also third in the Curragh Cup over a mile and six furlongs.

Goffs 'very pleased' with outcome

Goffs group chief executive Henry Beeby said: "Today’s Goffs HIT Sale has been a positive as it has the distinction of being the first live auction conducted purely online in the UK or Ireland.

"While we're not pretending this was by design as we were forced to react to the current restrictions in Ireland, we've been very pleased with the reaction from both vendors and purchasers, with plenty of spirited online bidding as well as several telephone bids leading to a very acceptable trade for the catalogue on offer headed by a very respectable six-figure top price that comfortably surpassed last year’s, and a rise in the average price."

Henry Beeby on the Goffs rostrumCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

He added: "Indeed, today’s experience has been encouraging enough for us to decide that our Autumn Yearling Sale will also be run as a live online auction in a couple of weeks’ time.

"We would like to thank those vendors that stood their ground and gave us the chance to prove the worth of our online platform as it was truly a leap of faith for every one of them.

"We are also very grateful to the large number of purchasers who interacted with us remotely and wish them the very best of luck with their purchases, all of which were offered with veterinary certificates, online films and as much information as we could provide."

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