Sobering trade at the Silver Yearling Sale as Adaay colt emerges on top

After the highs of the two-day Premier Yearling Sale, trade proved altogether more sobering at the Goffs UK Silver Sale in Doncaster on Thursday, with a clearance rate of just 64 per cent and sizeable year-on-year decreases in all key market indices.

From 160 lots offered, 103 yearlings sold for turnover of £837,800, down 40 per cent on 2018's aggregate. The average price dropped by 20 per cent to £8,135, while the median was down by 33 per cent from £8,250 to £5,500.

The state of trade was rather summed up in the end-of-sale statement from Goffs UK's managing director Tony Williams, who alluded to the "buyer’s market" and noted that "yearlings that did not meet the selective nature of trade struggled".

View full Goffs UK Silver Yearling Sale results and stats

The session's top lot was initially knocked down to his vendor at £50,000, but a £45,000 private deal was struck outside of the ring that saw Gaelic Bloodstock purchase Oaks Farm Stables' Adaay colt.

The 24,000gns pinhook brought a punchy update to Doncaster as he is a half-brother to Streamline, who had not only won twice since the publication of the catalogue but also brought an additional piece of black type to the page having finished third to Alligator Alley in the Listed Julia Graves Roses Stakes at York on Saturday.

"We liked him, we thought he'd make fifty grand all day long, but we've sold him to a good friend of ours in Ger Lyons who was happy to have him," said Oaks Farm Stables' Mark Dwyer. "He's a very nice horse with a big update and I hope he's lucky for his new owners.

"When the Goffs UK inspectors came to see him he was on the small side, he's nearly a May foal, but since then he's done nothing but grow. They said the same about the brother, Streamline, he was small but has filled out now. If this colt is half as good as his half-brother he'll do everyone fine."

The session-topping Adaay colt in the Goffs UK ringCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

The colt is out of Ahwahnee, whose record stands at five winners from five runners following Streamline's success. The Compton Place mare is a sibling to some high-performing sprinters, namely Prix de l'Abbaye winner Gilt Edge Girl and Flying Childers Stakes scorer Godfrey Street.

Despite topping trade on Thursday, Dwyer offered a sombre assessment of his time at the Doncaster yearling sales, saying: "We've found it very tough across the whole week. We've sold most of what we brought but it wasn't simple. Maybe we didn't have the right types or maybe we were lacking a bit of quality as there was great trade for the right horses. It's a long season though."

Cox stays on

Streamline's trainer Clive Cox was among those who stayed on in Doncaster and his perseverance was rewarded when he secured the session's second-top lot, a £38,000 son of Due Diligence out of the Compton Place mare Harryana To offered by Whitsbury Manor Stud.

Cox has enjoyed some notable results with the progeny of Compton Place's broodmare daughters, having trained the likes of Heartache and Heartwarming.

Clive Cox (centre) chats to Whitsbury Manor Stud's Ed HarperCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

"I train Streamline who is bred on the same cross and I've had some great success training the progeny of Compton Place mares already, I'm very glad to have shared in the success of his broodmare sire career," said the trainer.

On the subject of his purchase he added: "Due Diligence is definitely going the right way too so this is a nice horse to look forward to. He looks a nice racy individual, exactly what I'm looking for at this time of year."

Whitsbury Manor Stud resident Due Diligence has made a promising start to his career, with his debut two-year-olds, who were conceived at a fee of just £6,500, including 14 winners, headed by Listed scorer Good Vibes.

Barberini back for more

Bloodstock agent Federico Barberini is a regular at this sale and made another new acquisition on Thursday when he landed the Garswood filly out of Dangerous Moonlite for £27,000. Barberini's name appeared alongside those of Karl Burke and the Ontoawinner syndicate on the docket.

"She was most definitely the pick of the sale for me," said Barberini. "She's a lovely filly and looked like a runner. She should be early and the dam was rated 96 and I like Garswood, I think he's an underrated sire."

Federico Barberini signs the docket for lot 577 at £27,000Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

Consigned by Trickledown Stud, the filly is bred to be precocious as she is out of Dangerous Moonlite, a daughter of Acclamation who won twice at two. Barberini will be hoping for more good fortune with his latest Silver Sale purchase, as he added he had good reason to be a fan of the auction.

"I've been lucky at this sale with stakes winners like Fashion Queen, it's a good sale where you can come and buy a horse for value," he said.

Close of trade

At the conclusion of selling, Goffs UK's managing director Tony Williams said: "The Silver Sale consistently produces stakes winners and 2019 has seen it celebrate black-type winners in four countries thus far.

"Those results attracted a good number of UK and Irish trainers and agents, as well as buyers from France, Italy, Poland and the Middle East. However, as we have witnessed with recent trends at this level, it was a buyer's market and yearlings that did not meet the selective nature of trade struggled.

"That being said, the more desired lots were the subject of strong demand and sold accordingly. We would like to thank everyone who has supported the sale and we now look forward to holding our inaugural Goffs UK Yorton Sale at Yorton Farm on September 12."

More Goffs UK news:

Premier Sale in pictures: faces in the crowd at Doncaster's flagship auction

Emotional result for Anna Sundstrom as Wootton Bassett colt stars at £280,000

Golden Horde's breeder living the dream as half-brother sells for £260,000