Hard-won success, stallion prospects and a sibling to Tiger Roll: six key storylines that will shape the Goffs Arkle Sale

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Heavyweights of the jumps world will descend on Goffs on Tuesday and Wednesday for part one of the Arkle Sale. Senior bloodstock writer James Thomas runs through the key storylines that will shape the coming two days of trade.

1. On a roll

If, as the old saying goes, success breeds success, then the 30th edition of the Arkle Sale can expect to welcome roaring trade following a boom period, both in the ring and on the track. 

The most recent jumps campaign saw the Arkle supply not one, not two but ten Grade 1-winning graduates. The headline winners include hugely exciting talents like Idaho Sun, King Rasko Grey, Le Frimeur and Old Park Star. 

Those top-level triumphs contributed to the Arkle claiming bragging rights at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, where the sale was responsible for six winners in total.

Old Park Star: Supreme Novices' Hurdle hero was one of six Arkle graduates to score at this year's Cheltenham FestivalCredit: Patrick McCann

With that calibre of talent on offer it is little wonder that leading buyers’ spending habits have seen the Arkle assume market-leading status. This has been the highest-grossing store sale each year since 2021, and if purchasers have been paying attention to the likes of King Rasko Grey and Old Park Star, the event holds every chance of retaining that title this year. 

The momentum was illustrated by last year’s sale registering an 18 per cent rise in turnover to €19,580,500; an 11 per cent increase in average price to €53,500; and an uptick in the median of seven per cent to €45,000. Twenty-nine lots sold for a six-figure sum, compared to 16 in 2024. 

Goffs group chief executive Henry Beeby remarked that these gains had been “hard-won” as he reflected on last year’s trade, saying: “The Arkle Sale makes the Goffs team especially proud as it is now the first choice for so many of the best three-year-olds offered each year which, in turn, drives all the leading buyers to the sale. That wasn’t always the case, so it makes the sale’s success all the sweeter as it has been hard-won.” 

2. Walk on

Walk In The Park is firmly established as the dominant force in the National Hunt stallion ranks. He has sired more than 100 black-type performers and 13 Grade 1 winners such as Douvan, Facile Vega, Inothewayurthinkin, Jonbon and No Drama This End. 

The depth of talent at his disposal has seen him crowned champion jumps sire of Britain and Ireland for each of the last three seasons. 

Those looking to jump on the bandwagon will be pleased to learn there are 34 lots by the Grange Stud grandee in this year’s catalogue. 

These include a half-brother to Listed scorer Highland Crystal out of a sibling to Envoi Allen (Lot 23, Loughanmore Farms); a half-sister to Grade 1 scorer Coney Island (138, Moanmore Stables); a half-brother to King George VI Chase hero Tornado Flyer (153, Ballincurrig House Stud); and the sister to the classy Oldschool Outlaw (156, Ardrums House Stud).

Walk In The Park: out to continue his domination of the jumps ranks

Last year’s Arkle saw 30 sons and daughters of Walk In The Park change hands for a combined €2,291,000, making him the sale’s highest-grossing sire. 

The stallion with the biggest average (for more than one sold) at last year’s sale was No Risk At All, whose 14 lots changed hands for an aggregate of €1.35 million and a punchy mean price of €96,430. 

He has 19 lots in this year’s sale, the first of which (2) has already been named Gstaad. Whoever purchases Evergreen Stud’s offering will be laughing if this three-year-old proves anything like as talented as his Classic-winning namesake. 

Tally-Ho Stud also bring a son of No Risk At All out of a sibling to Nietzsche Has (163); Ryninch Stables present a sister to the talented Good Risk At All (236); while Liss House bring a sister to the French Grade 1 scorer Geelong Sport (320). 

3. Stallion search

National Hunt sales have increasingly come to mirror their Flat counterparts in recent times, with buyers turning to the open market in search of potential stallion prospects. Although the vast majority of the 467-lot catalogue have been gelded, there are five colts set to come under the hammer. 

These include Evergreen Stud’s well-related son of No Risk At All (458). The two-year-old is out of Tante Sissi, who was not just a Listed winner herself over hurdles but is also a sibling to Champion Hurdle heroine Epatante. Evergreen Stud’s youngster is closely related to JP McManus's seven-time Grade 1 winner, as both are by Haras de Montaigu’s all-conquering sire.

Epatante: a close relation to the Champion Hurdle heroine is being offered by Evergreen StudCredit: Edward Whitaker

The juvenile offering also features well-bred colts such as Weir View Stud’s Santiago half-brother to Graded scorers Garde De Burge and Martator (460); Altenbach Bloodstock’s Orion De Thaix (461), a Nirvana Du Berlais half-brother to the Grade 2 winner Jeu De Thaix; while Clonmult Farm brings the Goliath Du Berlais half-brother to the Listed-winning Dixon Cove (466), who also finished second in the Finale Juvenile Hurdle. 

4. A giant sales ring presence  

Speaking of Goliath Du Berlais, no stallion ended the last jumps season with their stock in higher demand. Haras de la Tuilerie’s son of Saint Des Saints was responsible for the top lot at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale, with Gordon Elliott going to £530,000 for Cormac Doyle’s Lingstown winner Monster Truck. 

The same vendor also sold Palinca, another by the sire who won at the same track, to Coolmara Stables for £400,000 at the same sale. Remarkably the £400,000 mark was hit by another of Goliath Du Berlais’s offspring when Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins secured Pat Doyle’s runaway Borris House scorer Monzon Sport.

Goliath Du Berlais: a rising force at Haras de la TuilereCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

The Doyle family’s Monbeg Stables was the leading buyer at last year’s Arkle, with a mammoth 31 recruits secured for a spend of €1.343m. The 11 lots by Goliath Du Berlais seem likely to be high on their list this time around. Glenwood Stud’s youngster out of a half-sister to Grade 1-winning hurdlers Zaidpour and Zaynar (295) particularly catches the eye on pedigree. 

5. Punchy pinhooks

Last year’s Arkle Sale was topped by the two-year-old son of Walk In The Park out of Sparky May who fetched €230,000 from Coolmore’s Gerry Aherne. The Glenwood Stud-consigned colt rewarded a typically bold pinhook by Richard Frisby, who had invested €110,000 on the youngster at Goffs in December 2023. 

Frisby is back this year with another big pinhook in the shape of the Blue Bresil gelding out of Scorpio Queen (219). The well-bred youngster set a British National Hunt foal record when bringing £90,000 at Doncaster in November 2023. 

“I think he’s gorgeous, a lovely horse with a lovely pedigree,” Frisby said after signing the docket during the inaugural British National Hunt Breeders Showcase.

Richard Frisby (right) and son JJ (centre) will be hoping for more pinhooking success this weekCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

Not only is the mare a sibling to four black type performers as well as the dam of Samcro, her own record has improved since Doncaster as her first foal, Speculatrix, has won three more races, including a Listed novice chase. 

Other eye-catching pinhooks in the catalogue include the son of No Risk At All from the family of emerging sire Moises Has. He cost Peter and Ross Doyle €95,000 in December 2024, and is being reoffered through Rathmore Stud as Lot 448. 

Aherne might have topped last year’s sale when purchasing a son of Walk In The Park, but he turns vendor on this occasion when Glenvale Stud presents a youngster by the same sire as Lot 312. 

The €90,000 foal was signed for with Charles Shanahan and is out of Appy Days, a King’s Theatre sister to the Grade 1 performer Royal Alphabet. 

6. History up for grabs

Another pinhook sure to garner plenty of attention is Lot 249 from Carrolls Grove Bloodstock. The well-bred type was sourced by point-to-point maestro Rob James for €40,000 back in 2023. 

The youngster represents a little slice of racing and bloodstock history as he is the final foal bred by Jerry O’Brien from Swiss Roll, and is therefore a half-brother to none other than the brilliant Tiger Roll.

Tiger Roll: a half-brother to the dual Grand National winner will be offered as Lot 249Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

The two-time Grand National victor is, of course, by Derby winner Authorized, and his younger half-sibling is by another Epsom hero in Harzand. 

While Tiger Roll is undoubtedly the biggest name on the page he is not the only noteworthy talent Swiss Roll has produced. Her four successful offspring also include the Group 2-winning and Group 1-placed Ahzeemah and the Listed-placed Austrian School, who is now plying his trade at Clongiffen Stud. 

A sibling to Tiger Roll should make for an interesting National Hunt stallion prospect, although that avenue is no longer open to this particular youngster as he has already been gelded.

Goffs Arkle Sale factfile 

Where Goffs sales complex, Kildare

When Two-day part one begins on Tuesday at 10am; part two starts on Thursday at 10am

Last year’s stats From 438 offered, 366 lots sold (84 per cent) for turnover of €19,580,500 (up 18 per cent year-on-year), an average of €53,500 (up 11 per cent) and a median of €45,000 (up seven per cent)

Notable graduates Johnny's Jury (sold by Fiona Magee from Ballincurrig House Stud, bought by Paul Holden for €150,000); King Rasko Grey (sold by Treannahow Stables, bought by Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins for €250,000); Le Frimeur (sold by Rathturtin Stud, bought by Highflyer Bloodstock for €50,000); No Drama This End (sold by Ashwood Stud, bought by William Biddick for €26,000)

More National Hunt sale reads: 

‘You have to give it a go sometime’ - family responsible for discovering multiple Cheltenham winners ready for new era at Goffs 

‘It’s terrifying’ - Nicky Henderson opens up on sales ring pressure and the search for the next Constitution Hill 

‘We’ve bought with Martin Pipe’s record in mind’ - Dan Skelton chasing history with bold sales ring strategy