'It was kind of nerve-racking!' - Kodiac colt brings €575,000 at Goffs

A bid of €575,000 proved the peak of another solid session of the Goffs Orby Sale, which concluded on Wednesday with turnover in excess of €50 million.

Live bidders were stationed all over the packed auditorium when Alice Fitzgerald’s Kodiac colt out of Fikrah came under the hammer, but it was Ross Doyle, standing on the top tier, who had the final say at €575,000.

There was a sense of deja vu about Doyle’s purchase as it was roughly 12 months ago that the agent gave €340,000 for this colt’s full-sister, Magical Sunset, who went on to beat Mill Reef winner Sakheer on debut and was last seen finishing fourth in the Goffs Million in the colours of Amo Racing. While this colt will head to the same trainer as Magical Sunset, namely Richard Hannon, Doyle explained he will be racing for different connections.

“We thought he was an absolute standout among the horses here over the two days,” said Doyle. “The full-sister is obviously talented, we bought her here last year, and he comes from a wonderful home. We went to see him two or three times and he didn’t turn a hair. Every time we went down there there was a queue to see him and he did the exact same thing each time.

“He’s a very natural horse and he’s by a sire we’ve been lucky with. He’s been bought for Magne and Bente Jordanger of Stall Perlen, who’ve been very good long term clients. He’ll go to Richard Hannon and hopefully he’ll be a good horse.”

Fitzgerald has bred four winners from the 17-year-old Fikrah, with Magical Sunset joined by useful types Hell Bent and Loaded as well as Wokingham Stakes scorer Hey Jonesy.

“It’s brilliant, we’re over the moon and couldn’t be happier,” said a beaming Fitzgerald. “Goffs has always been a very lucky place for us, which is why we brought him here, and Kodiac has been a lucky stallion too and he works very well with this mare.

“We loved this colt so we were excited about bringing him here. He was going down well right from the start and never put a foot wrong, which makes our life easy. We thought we were in a pretty good spot but it was still kind of nerve wracking!”

The top lot in the ring, where he was hammered down for €575,000Credit: Sarah Farnsworth/Goffs

Earlier in the session Doyle went to €300,000 for the Prince Of Lir half-brother to Oscula who was offered by Kilpatrick Farm after being pinhooked by Robson Aguiar for €60,000.

The buyer said: “He was bought for Amo Racing. He’s a smashing, big, strong horse and is obviously a half-brother to a tough-as-nails filly. He’ll go back to Robson’s and Kia [Joorabchian, owner of Amo Racing] will make his mind up about a trainer later in the year.”

Peter and Ross Doyle signed for 14 yearlings for an outlay of €2,365,000 across the two sessions, and Ross gave his view on the Orby market by saying: “It’s been very strong trade. There’s some lovely horses and Goffs have done a wonderful job again. It’s been consistent at all the sales around the world up to now, there’s a huge appetite for horses, which is brilliant to see.”

Demand was sustained from the start of day one to the close of selling on Wednesday and that was reflected across the key market indices, which all showed significant year-on-year gains, as well as a final tally of 188 six-figure lots.

Turnover across the two days rose by 24 per cent to €50,374,500, while the average was up by 11 per cent at €121,384.

The median was also up by 16 per cent to a record €87,000, which is particularly commendable result considering the offering of 468 lots was a 14 per cent increase compared to 2021. The clearance rate stood at 89 per cent as 415 of those yearlings found a buyer.

Ten Sovereigns colt goes West

The second top lot came late in the session when Jacob West outbid MV Magnier at €500,000 to secure the Ten Sovereigns colt out of Indigo Butterfly. The colt, whose dam is a Le Havre half-sister to Flying Childers winner Sand Vixen, who in turn bred Group 1 Jebel Hatta hero Dream Castle, was making his second appearance at public auction having been pinhooked by Pier House Stud for €130,000 last November.

“He’ll come back to America and go to Todd Pletcher and was purchased for Robert and Lawana Low,” said West. “Ten Sovereigns was an incredibly fast horse and he’s a son of No Nay Never, who’s a son of Scat Daddy. Todd trained Scat Daddy so he’s got a relationship with that sireline and he had a lot of appreciation for No Nay Never when he was racing in America and Ten Sovereigns has just carried that on.

The Ten Sovereigns colt signed up for €500,000 on WednesdayCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

“This horse was incredibly good looking. Mr and Mrs Low took a big swing at the full-sister to Blackbeard [sold for €2.6 million on day one]. Unfortunately we didn’t get her but I told them this colt was selling late in the day. I said he was probably going to be expensive but thankfully we were able to get him.”

Coolmore’s Ten Sovereigns, whose debut yearlings were bred at a fee of €25,000, wasn’t the only first-crop sire to enjoy a big result as Magnier was responsible for the bid of €420,000 that secured the Blue Point filly out of Badr Al Badoor from Rory Mahon’s Mountain View Stud.

The dam, an Acclamation half-sister to Profitable, has bred three winners from as many runners, including the Listed-winning Archer’s Dream.

That filly was one of five six-figure lots by Blue Point and was joined a short while later by Kilminfoyle House Stud’s daughter of Cosmic Love who drew a bid of €300,000 from Cathy Grassick of Brian Grassick Bloodstock and Ronan Fitzpatrick.

The first foal of the Listed-placed dam, whose further family features dual 1,000 Guineas heroine Virginia Waters, was bought on behalf of owner Mark Dobbin. Kildangan Stud’s Blue Point, whose debut crop was bred at a fee of €45,000, ended the Orby with an average of €156,000 for ten sold.

Merry seeing stars

For much of the session the market was led by Loughtown Stud’s Sea The Stars filly out of Zvarkhova who fetched €460,000 from Hugo Merry after a six-figure clash with Suzanne Roberts.

The youngster is the third foal out of the Listed-placed daughter of Makfi, and received an eye-catching pedigree update when La Parisienne, who is out of Zvarkhova’s half-sister Skysweeper, was third in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille on her latest outing. Further updates could be in the offing too as La Parisienne is set to contest the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on Sunday.

“She’s for a partnership with my good old client Andrew Rosen, Gainesway and LNJ Foxwoods,” said Merry. “Andrew had Pink Sands with Gainesway and she was sold for a lot of money [sold to Masahiro Miki for $2.3m] last year so we’ve been very lucky with them and they’re great friends so they’ve decided to partner up to make the dollar stretch a bit further!

The Sea The Stars filly out of Zvarkhova takes her turn in the Kildare Paddocks ringCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

“She’s a lovely filly and there’s a nice update in the pedigree too. She’s very athletic and doesn’t look like she’ll be slow in coming forward. I’m not sure what the training plans are at the moment.”

Loughtown Stud bought Zvarkhova for 125,000gns through Emerald Bloodstock at Tattersalls in 2018.

Skiffington secures Saffron Beach sibling

Jane Chapple-Hyam has enjoyed some big days with her stable star Saffron Beach, most notably her wins in the Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes and the Prix Rothschild, and the Newmarket-based handler can look forward to training the full-brother after Amanda Skiffington gave €450,000 for the Ballylinch Stud-consigned son of New Bay.

Bred by the China Horse Club, the colt is the fifth foal out of Falling Petals, a winning Raven’s Pass half-sister to Middle Park third Huntdown and Continua, dam of Cotai Glory.

“He’s very, very like Saffron Beach,” said Skiffington. “I see a lot of Jane Chapple-Hyam so I’ve seen a lot of her. This colt will go to Jane too for Fiona Carmichael and her partner. He’s a very athletic horse, he’s so like his sister, and he’s got the pedigree too so fingers crossed.”

Casse keeps it in the family

The progeny of Marlhill House Stud’s Belesta have proved popular at past editions of the Orby Sale, with the €1.6m Old Glory topping proceedings in 2017 and his Frankel full-brother bringing €900,000 from Kenny McPeek 12 months ago. American agent Justin Casse, who also signed for Old Glory, added a further €450,000 to the mare’s Goffs record when he secured her Galileo colt for an undisclosed client shortly before lunch.

Marlhill House purchased Belesta for 280,000gns in 2010 and she has now generated €3.21m in Goffs Orby receipts alone. The Galileo colt is a sibling to six winners and three black-type performers, with the Listed-placed Old Glory joined by the Group 2-winning Adjusted, who raced as Assign in Australia, and Giuseppe Piazzi, a son of Galileo who was crowned champion older horse in Scandinavia in 2017.

The Galileo colt out of Belesta who went to Justin Casse for €450,000Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

“I don’t know where the horse is going just yet,” said Casse. “I’m familiar with the family though as I bought the Frankel out of the mare five years ago for the Zayats. He was a talented individual and I think Kenny McPeek has the other Frankel who sold here last year. This colt ticks all the boxes.”

He added: “The sale seems very strong, the clearance rate is good and there’s money for horses at all levels.”

Manor House makes a mark

John and Jess Dance’s Manor House Farm operation has been busy restocking at sales across Europe this year and added 12 more youngsters to the string at the Orby for an investment of €1,995,000. The priciest of the dozen was secured late in Wednesday’s session when racing manager Maria Ryan went to €425,000 for the Sea The Stars half-brother to Grade 1 winner Blond Me.

“He’s been bought for John and Jess Dance and as far as I’m aware he’ll go into training with James Horton,” said Ryan after signing the ticket. “It’s very exciting and John’s actually just messaged me saying, ‘You’ve just successfully bid on the most expensive horse we’ve ever bought!’”

The Sea The Stars colt out of Holda was offered by Camas Park Stud after the colt was pinhooked from Wardstown Stud at a cost of €270,000.

Blue Devil back for more

The first major price of the session came when Dan Hayden, representing Blue Devil Racing, went to €300,000 for Rathbarry Stud’s Advertise filly out of Treeline. The March foal is the first produce of Treeline, who was bought through BBA Ireland for 105,000gns at Tattersalls in 2020 when the Advertise filly was in utero.

“She’ll go to Joseph O’Brien and was bought for Marc Holliday, the chairman of NYRA (New York Racing Association) and Blue Devil Racing,” said Hayden.

The Advertise filly out of Treeline who is bound for Joseph O'BrienCredit: Caroline Norris

“We’ve bought horses over here for the last few years and they all go to Joseph. This filly is a beautiful physical, she’s a big, strong, great-moving filly. She was a top physical of a filly and they cost money.”

The Blue Devil Racing silks have been carried in Ireland by the likes of Messidor, who won twice for O’Brien before she made the switch to Christophe Clement. Holliday has also enjoyed Grade 1 success with his homebred Come Dancing, winner of the Ballerina Stakes, and Hayden said the broodmare potential of the Advertise filly was another important part of her appeal.

“Marc Holliday loves breeding and he’s trying to build up a broodmare band,” he said. “He’s a pioneer of the real estate world in New York and he’s trying to do the same thing with breeding. He’s trying to buy top fillies, race them and then put them into the broodmare band. He’s been in the game for years but he’s trying to up the quality of his mares so we’ve bought some nice fillies over the last few years.”

The filly became the most expensive offspring of Advertise, who spent the first three years of his stallion career at the National Stud in Newmarket at a fee of £25,000. It was recently announced the son of Showcasing would continue his second career at Manton Park Stud close to the base from where he was trained by Martyn Meade to win the Phoenix Stakes, Commonwealth Cup and Prix Maurice de Gheest.

Beeby hails 'electric trade'

Commenting on the two-day sale, Goffs group chief executive Henry Beeby said: "The expectation coming into the Orby Sale was that we would enjoy a strong trade following good results elsewhere and so we were hopeful of some improved statistics. However, nothing could have prepared us for the strength of the market and the vibrancy of the sale, especially on day one, which saw the world’s highest-priced yearling so far this autumn at €2.6 million.

"The stunning sister to Blackbeard headed a truly electric trade that resulted from wonderful support from Irish breeders, who responded to our strong sale of recovery last year by significantly increasing their support, hence a catalogue that grew by 15 per cent. To return such improved numbers for average and median is particularly noteworthy given those increased numbers, as is a clearance rate of 89 per cent, which compares very favourably.

He added: "Orby 22 has proved, yet again, that it is the measure of any yearling sale anywhere when we have the support of Irish breeders and we send our sincere thanks to each vendor for entrusting us with so many of their world-class yearlings.

"We know we are nothing without the horses but the class of 22 allowed us to go all out to drive the biggest and most diverse group of buyers to Kildare for many a year and we are so pleased that there are so many success stories from the sale."

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