Shadwell-bred daughter of Dark Angel leads the way at €140,000

The vibrant trade that characterised the Orby Sale earlier this week spilled over into day one of the Goffs Sportsman's Sale on Thursday, when top billing went to a Dark Angel filly out of Ghazawaat in an omen of what may be to come at bloodstock sales around Europe in the coming months, as the youngster was bred by Shadwell Estate.

Sold by Lumville Farm, who has offered Shadwell’s Derrinstown horses in the past, the filly was purchased by Cathy Grassick at €140,000, and the agent was absolutely thrilled to have secured the first foal of the Listed-placed French-bred daughter of Siyouni.

View full Goffs Sportsman's Sale results and stats

"In terms of this sale she was a standout and we’re delighted to have got her," said Grassick. "Siyouni is only in the early stages of his career as a broodmare sire but this filly is bred on the same cross as Dr Zempf [Phoenix Stakes runner-up] and you’ve got lots of other top-class broodmare sires on the page, which you love to see when you are buying a filly.

"She’s been bought for Champion Thoroughbreds and it will be decided in due course where she will go."

The sale was the biggest single contributor to turnover for Thursday’s opening session of the Sportsman's leaping by an enormous 156 per cent on 2020 to €3,945,000.

The average of €21,210 was an increase of 43 per cent on last year, while the median of €16,000 was 45 per cent higher than on day one of last year’s auction, held in Doncaster.

It was perhaps more significant that the average and median bettered the 2019 sale, which was a one-day event. All this was fuelled by a clearance rate that once again hit 90 per cent.

The Dark Angel filly out of Ghazawaat from Lumville Farm fetches €140,000Credit: Peter Mooney

Sole Siyouni colt takes star turn

The Siyouni colt out of Miss Aiglonne, a Dawn Approach half-sister to Sea The Stars’ Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan-winning son Mekhtaal, who has his first yearlings this year, was the second lot to break into six-figure territory.

The colt was the only son of the sire of 2021’s star three-year-old colt St Mark’s Basilica in the Sportsman's catalogue and is the first foal of his dam.

He brought a winning bid of €105,000 from Tom Whitehead of Powerstown Stud, and helped continue a fine run of form for The Castlebridge Consignment, who was also the leading vendor over the two days of the Orby Sale.

The €105,000 Siyouni colt in the Goffs parade ringCredit: Peter Mooney

Whitehead revealed he already has a breeze-up sale in mind for the colt, saying: "Siyouni has been a lucky sire for me before, he's a really nice colt and at this stage I'm considering sending him to France for the [Arqana] breeze-up sale next May."

Amo Racing back in action

The Amo Racing team had been busy during the course of the Orby Sale and they sprang into action for a filly by Rathasker Stud’s Bungle Inthejungle on Thursday with a winning bid of €90,000.

The filly was consigned by the Burns’ family farm and Rodrigo Goncalves, who was representing Robson Aguiar, pointed to the success of the sire's best daughter Winter Power as a key factor in their decision.

“She has been bought in partnership with Robson for Amo Racing and she's a lovely filly," said Goncalves. "She looks a really sharp and early type and she's by the same sire as Winter Power, so hopefully she can progress like her. She looks like a filly with a real future."

While trainer Johnny Murtagh was at Bellewstown, where he supplied Frankie Dettori with a first winner at the unique Meath venue, Eddie Linehan was adding to the stable’s ammunition for next season, and maybe the Kodi Bear filly he purchased might even have the assistance of Dettori at some point in her racing career.

The youngster was consigned by Gourneen Stables and is the second foal of the winning Tagula mare Nuala Tagula, who Linehan remembered as a speedy sort from the breeze-ups.

Her daughter will not be breezing, instead she heads to the yard of Murtagh who trains Kodi Bear’s highest-rated daughter, this season’s Group 1 Commonwealth Cup third Measure Of Magic.

“She has a very fast page; her dam was a very fast filly who was breezed by a friend of mine, and myself and Johnny are big Kodi Bear fans, we've both had a couple of good ones," said Linehan. "We thought this filly was a very good mover who looks like a good sharp two-year-old and is hopefully one to kick on with next year."

Linehan and Murtagh bought four yearlings in total during the course of the Orby Sale, including the Kingman colt out of Finsceal Beo for €500,000 on Tuesday. He was one of a pair by Juddmonte’s sire who are bound for Murtagh’s Fox Covert Stables, along with the Holy Roman Emperor half-brother to Create Belief, who won the Group 3 Desmond Stakes for Murtagh.

They also bought a son of Profitable for €35,000 from Cloney Stud. The chestnut is a half-brother to Too Nice, who was second on debut this season to Murtagh’s subsequent Group 3 Gallinule Stakes and Royal Whip Stakes winner Earlswood.

Johnny Murtagh: having a good week on the track and in the sales ringCredit: Debbie Burt

“Johnny bought a couple and has got a few lovely horses to train as well, and I’ve bought a couple for myself,” Linehan added.

Doyle goes for Glory

Just three lots into the sale, last year’s top price had already been beaten. Cotai Glory’s Group 2 Prix Robert Papin winner Atomic Force is the cover star of this year’s catalogue, having sold for £22,000 from Railstown Stud to Stephen Hillen and Kevin Ryan, and his daughter offered by the Morrin brothers’ Pier House Stud and out of Ebony Street, a Street Cry daughter of Group 1 Oaks d’Italia winner Menhoubah, set Ross Doyle back €62,000.

He said: “I saw this filly in a field in Pier House a few months ago when she was out with homebreds and some pinhooks and she stood up well in a field of very strong horses, and she confirmed that impression when we saw her here. I’ve bought her for Richard [Hannon] for an existing client."

She was one of three Doyle purchases on the day, and they also included a filly by Bungle Inthejungle from a typically strong Germany family. Ladytown Stables’ daughter of the Listed-winning and Group 3-placed Lomitas mare brought €38,000.

The Goffs Sportsman's Sale continues on Friday with a session starting at 10am.

More Goffs news:

Brother of new Derby favourite Luxembourg makes a €1.2 million splash

Rapidly improving pedigree helps US Navy Flag filly fetch €290,000

Just like old times as €1.5 million Galileo filly leads the way at Goffs Orby

'We love Kodiac even more now!' - €340,000 filly gives Fitzgerald dream result

Al Shira'aa Farms snaps up siblings to Mother Earth and Poetic Flare