‘It’s been constant pressure for the last six months’ - up-and-coming consignors out to make dreams come true at the Doncaster Breeze-Up Sale

Although neither Gary de Souza nor his partner Sally Nagle were in Doncaster 12 months ago, the team behind Gary Bloodstock won’t be forgetting about last year’s renewal of the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale in a hurry. 

The operation enjoyed a dream consigning debut when their Sioux Nation filly, subsequently named Gunzburg, was sold to Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock and trainer Paddy Twomey for £160,000. And that wasn’t even the biggest result they enjoyed that week, as the reason Sally wasn’t in attendance was because she was in hospital giving birth to the couple’s first son, Jack.

Moreover, that six-figure trade wasn’t the last time Gunzburg provided her previous connections with a reason to celebrate, as she broke her maiden on her second outing and went on to run second to Matrika in the Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes. 

De Souza and Nagle are both in attendance for the latest edition of the Doncaster Breeze-Up Sale, which begins on Wednesday at 10am, and are hoping they can show last year wasn’t purely down to beginner's luck. 

“I didn’t believe Gary when he told me the filly sold so well,” Nagle said as she reflected on learning of last year’s result from her hospital bed. “After she sold so well we said we’d go back to the yearling sales and buy a few more. We have ten this year, we didn’t want to go crazy, but we rolled it back in.” 

Gunzburg (right): Goffs Breeze-Up Sale graduate and Airlie Stud Stakes secondCredit: Patrick McCann

Continuing the tale, De Souza said: “As soon as I brought the Sioux Nation filly home and started breaking her in, I knew she was very good. That’s where the dream started. After she sold last year I said I’d buy eight or ten yearlings, so I went to the sales and bought ten more.” 

Those ten include Gary Bloodstock’s three-strong Doncaster draft. They are represented by colts from the first crops of Sergei Prokofiev (65) and Without Parole (70) – the former has four winners on the board already – and a filly by Dandy Man (30) who put in a particularly eyecatching breeze during Tuesday morning’s pre-sale workouts. 

The filly may have cost only €10,000 from Book 2 of last year’s Goffs Orby Sale but her rapid performance on Town Moor suggests she has inherited plenty of her family’s talent. She is the first foal out of Sea Of Reality, a sister to the dam of top-class two-year-old Blackbeard. 

“I first saw this filly in Goffs and when I started to break her in, I told Sally, ‘We’ll have another success in Doncaster!’” said De Souza. “She’s a very fast filly and breezed very well, I think she’s another Group filly.” 

De Souza is evidently dedicated to his craft, as not only did he miss the sale of Gunzburg but he also missed the birth of his son as he was with horses en route to the Osarus Breeze-Up Sale.

The Goffs Doncaster breeze took place on TuesdayCredit: Goffs

Expanding on his route into the industry as well as the ethos he applies to preparing the horses in his care, De Souza said: “I’ve always loved the breeze-ups since I came over from Brazil. I’ve worked for Katie McGivern and John Cullinan, and saw that you need to work hard and be dedicated if you want your dreams to come true. 

“I work hard to make sure my horses have good minds and are professional, because that way the trainer can buy them from me and then run them in three or four weeks. They know their job, but all I’m thinking about is training them to run, rather than breezing two furlongs.”  

With so much time, effort and expense having gone into getting these juveniles to this stage, vendors could be forgiven for feeling the pressure as sales day looms. However, with the hard yards done, Nagle suggests the couple find that quite the opposite is the case. 

“It’s been constant pressure for most of the last six months, making sure the horses get to the sales, so this bit almost feels like a holiday!” she said.

Selling three lots won’t be the only thing the couple have to look forward to, as Wednesday marks their son’s first birthday. 

“Maybe he’ll come to the sales next year,” said Nagle. “Hopefully we’ll have some more to sell.” 

Donovan Bloodstock's Sioux Nation filly: "her full-sister [dual winner Dance Sioux] is quite a good filly in France"

Another up-and-coming consignor poised for a productive time in Doncaster is Danny O’Donovan, who trades under his Donovan Bloodstock banner. His two lots, fillies by Sioux Nation (119) and King Of Change (141), clocked the two fastest workouts on the times seen by the Racing Post. 

“Coming here I thought that they’d clock in the top 30 so I’m just relieved they’ve matched up to what I’ve seen at home,” said O’Donovan. “They both showed a great attitude and you couldn’t ask for much more.” 

He continued: “We were keen to buy something by Sioux Nation as he doesn’t have many two-year-olds to run for him this year. The stallion speaks for himself and this filly’s full-sister [dual winner Dance Sioux] is quite a good filly in France.” 

The consignor has already had one good touch on the back of his belief in King Of Change having sold a filly pinhooked for 8,000gns to Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah for 80,000gns during last week’s Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale. 

“We really liked King Of Change’s stock so we took a chance and bought three yearlings by him last year,” said O’Donovan. “In the last six or seven weeks I’ve been telling lads I know who own mares to send one to King Of Change. 

"He doesn’t have the numbers to be champion first-season sire but I’d say he’s going to come up with a good one. They’re hard-knocking, willing animals. The three I have are all different appearance-wise but they have good heads and want to do the job for you.”

Henry Beeby: "There’s a good international buying bench so everything is in place. Now all we can do is hope for the best"Credit: Sophie Webber Photography

Last year’s Doncaster Breeze-Up saw all manner of records broken, with new high marks set across the aggregate, average and median figures. There was also a record-breaking top lot, with trainer Michael O’Callaghan going to £500,000 for a son of Harry Angel from Tally-Ho Stud. There was a tragic postscript to that transaction, however, as the colt died before he could reach the racecourse. 

Those record results and an increased number of entries provided Goffs group chief executive Henry Beeby with optimism that last year’s levels can be maintained. 

“We’re very hopeful because, as a result of last year’s sale and the ongoing racetrack results, we were offered more horses for the sale and better horses quality wise,” said Beeby. 

“That’s why the catalogue has expanded [to 235 lots]. We didn’t set out to expand those numbers but we couldn’t turn away those extra lots when the consignors have been very supportive of us. The weather was slightly against us during the breeze, but I thought the ground was as good as it could be and Doncaster racecourse did a great job.” 

Virtually all the usual faces were among the crowd of potential purchasers working their way through the stable yard as Tuesday afternoon wore on. These included the Godolphin buying team, fresh from a 3,125,000gns spend on four lots at Tattersalls. There was also a strong international presence on the ground, something Beeby said had not come about purely by chance. 

“We’ve been out campaigning all over the place and had a proper trip to the Middle East, namely Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain," he said. "We’ve been to Scandinavia, France and Italy. There’s a good international buying bench so everything is in place. Now all we can do is hope for the best.” 

Selling begins on Wednesday at 10am. 

Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale factfile

Where Goffs UK sales complex, Doncaster

When Selling begins on Wednesday at 10am

Last year’s stats From 184 offered, 159 lots sold (86 per cent) for turnover of £10,011,500 (up 55 per cent year-on-year), an average of £62,965 (up 28 per cent) and a median of £40,000 (up 11 per cent) 

Notable graduates Beautiful Diamond (sold by Tradewinds Stud, bought by Blandford Bloodstock for £360,000); Bradsell (sold by Mark Grant Racing, bought by Blandford Bloodstock for £47,000); Carla's Way (sold by Grove Stud, bought by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for £350,000); Perfect Power (sold by Tally-Ho Stud, bought by Blandford Bloodstock for £110,000)

Goffs Doncaster Breeze-Up Sale

Goffs Doncaster Breeze-Up Sale catalogue

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