'Standout' Ten Sovereigns filly smashes 15-year record at Goffs Sportsman's Sale

Superlatives and praise are bandied around sales grounds like confetti at a wedding, with almost every big lot described as a standout or the best in the sale. Hyperbole is the language of marketing but in the case of Thursday's record-breaking Goffs Sportsman's sale-topping filly, the hype was justified.

The first-crop daughter of Coolmore's July Cup and Middle Park Stakes winner Ten Sovereigns smashed the record for the most expensive Sportsman's yearling ever when making €300,000 to David Ryan on behalf of Jaber Abdullah.

Her price tag eclipsed the previous record of €240,000, which had been set back in 2007, during the heyday of the Celtic Tiger in a very different prevailing economic climate.

The dark bay filly is a three-parts sister to Cadamosto, who was fourth in the Commonwealth Cup this season for Aidan O'Brien and second in the Listed Mahony Stakes at Saratoga in August on his first start for Joseph O'Brien.

Cadamosto is by Ten Sovereigns' sire No Nay Never, who is set to be crowned Europe's champion two-year-old sire at the end of the season.

The Abbeville Stud team with Eimear Mulhern on the far rightCredit: Peter Mooney

Coolmore made a concerted effort to land the filly, who is out of Saucy Spirit, a daughter of Invincible Spirit who won her only start at two for Hughie Morrison, but it was Ryan, the manager of Kilfrush Stud, who had the final say, bringing the hammer down at €300,000.

The filly's star quality was evident for all to see and Ryan was adamant in his assessment that his purchase represented value for money in the context of trade at the preceding Orby Sale.

"She speaks for herself, she was the standout yearling here today and she should have been in the Orby Sale," he said. "The way fillies were selling at Orby, she's probably value at that price.

The similarity with her brother, on looks and breeding, was another factor which emboldened Ryan in his pursuit of the record-breaker.

"Although she is by a first-season sire, the mare has already worked with No Nay Never so that isn't really an issue," he said. "She will go back to Kilfrush to be broken and then we will decide where she will go into training."

The sale-topper was consigned by Abbeville Stud, the farm owned by Goffs chairman Eimear Mulhern, who was overjoyed for the successful breeders Peter and Carol Henley and Eric McDonnell.

Mulhern said: "She is an absolutely beautiful filly, a real athlete and a pleasure to have anything to do with. She's a princess. I am delighted for Carol, Peter and Eric, who are long-standing clients and it is wonderful to see them achieve such success."

Saucy Spirit was bought as a three-year-old by Carol Henley for 22,000gns and is a half-sister to the Listed Ballymacoll Stud Stakes third Spicy Dal. The family is another that has brought honour and glory to the Moyglare Stud silks - third dam Dance Design, by Sadler's Wells, won the Irish Oaks, Tattersalls Gold Cup and Pretty Polly Stakes twice, and brought 2.5m guineas when sold as a four-year-old in 1997.

Her descendant has an interesting pedigree as two branches of the Storm Cat sireline feature prominently - sire Ten Sovereigns comes from the Scat Daddy line established by Storm Cat's Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Prix Morny, Middle Park and Phoenix Stakes-winning grandson Johannesburg, while Saucy Spirit is out of Salsa Steps, a daughter of Storm Cat's inimitable son Giant's Causeway.

American activity remains high

American buyers had been busy during the two days of action at the Goffs Orby Sale and those who remained at Kildare Paddocks for the Sportsman's Sale continued to make their presence felt.

Torie Gladwell of Top Line Sales doubled her Irish purchases with two €70,000 yearlings added on Thursday to the pair she had picked up earlier in the week.

Her first buy on Thursday morning was a colt from the first crop of Yeomanstown Stud's multiple Group-winning sprinter Invincible Army. Offered by Coulonces Sales, whose principal Anna Sundstrom had purchased him as a foal at Goffs last November for €27,000, he is out of Kafaala, an unraced Shamardal daughter of the Listed Cheshire Oaks winner Hammiya.

The Invincible Army colt out of Kafaala who went the way of Torie Gladwell for €70,000Credit: Goffs

Gladwell, signing this time under the Top Line Southern Comfort banner, was another buyer to be impressed by Ten Sovereigns' first yearlings. She purchased Castlehyde Stud's half-sister to Partenit, who was narrowly beaten into second in last year's Group 3 Prix Daphnis.

Her dam Pilageya has a perfect record with three winners from three runners and the New Approach mare is a close relation to the triple Listed winner Pouvoir Absolu, out of Pine Chip, a Nureyev full-sister to the Arc hero and champion three-year-old Peintre Celebre.

"I bought two in the Orby and two in this sale and they are to go back to America for the breeze-ups next spring," Gladwell explained.

"This is my first time at Goffs and I came here in search of the sportier, earlier types of horses. I think that the fillies in particular will do well in the US after their racing careers as their bloodlines will mix well with what we have in America, and this filly is from the Scat Daddy sireline."

Gladwell will be travelling home to Ocala at the weekend having come straight to Ireland from Keeneland. Her Florida base is about three hours' north of where Hurricane Ian made landfall but, apart from torrential rainfall, has escaped the worst effects of the storm.

Foley returns to the Loughtown well

Nothing escapes the notice of Ballyhane Stud's Joe Foley and the shrewd stallion master and brain behind many successful recent initiatives in Irish racing was the first name on the buyers' ledger at Goffs on Thursday, buying the first yearling into the ring at the 2022 Sportsman's Sale.

Living In The Past was purchased by Joe Foley from Paddy BurnsCredit: Grossick Racing

Offered by breeder Paddy Burns' Newlands House Stud, the colt is a full-brother to the Marnane family's Funny Money Honey, who was second in the Listed Prix la Fleche at Chantilly and third in the Listed Curragh Stakes on her first start for Jessica Harrington. She is declared to run in a five-furlong maiden at Dundalk on Friday.

Foley was returning to a familiar source of success when striking for the filly.

"I like the cross of Bungle Inthejungle and Dandy Man," Foley remarked. "I bought a Bungle Inthejungle filly from Paddy Burns at this sale in 2018 and she turned out to be Lowther winner Living In The Past. Karl Burke trained her and this colt will be going into training with him."

He will race in the blue and white checked silks of the Bronte Collection, for whom Maria Branwell won the Listed National Stakes and was third in the Queen Mary earlier this season. That first-crop daughter of James Garfield lines up in Redcar's Listed Two Year Old Trophy on Saturday.

Funny Money Honey is the first foal out of Jackie Sparrow, a Dandy Man half-sister to the Listed Gillies Stakes second Company Asset, and the family traces all the way back to that of Zafonic.

Easy-breezey for Mehmas colt

The breeze-up consignors were out in force at Kildare Paddocks, hunting for new stock for next season and Willie Browne bought a striking colt from the fourth crop of Tally-Ho Stud's leading young sire Mehmas at €67,000.

The Mehmas colt purchased by Willie Browne for €67,000Credit: Goffs

Offered by The Castlebridge Consignment, the bay with the white face and salt and pepper tail, was making his first appearance in the sales ring. He is a half-brother to a pair of winners out of Off Stage, a Danehill Dancer half-sister to the multiple Turkish Listed winner Invincible Son.

"He looks like there is a bit more Danehill Dancer in him than Mehmas," Browne commented. "He is a very nice colt by a really good sire and he looks like a horse who will be well able to gallop."

Statistics

The presence of international buyers and a record-breaking top lot pushed the opening-day figures to impressive gains. From 245 horses offered, 217 were sold, which equates to a clearance rate of 89 per cent.

That helped receipts nudge past six million to €6,094,500, which was an improvement of 54 per cent on 2021's first session. The average grew by 32 per cent to €28,085, while the median of €24,000 represented year-on-year growth of 50 per cent.

The 2022 Goffs Sportsman's Sale concludes on Friday, with the action getting under way at 9.30am.

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