Twilight Payment lights up Autumn Horses In Training Sale

Less than 36 hours after Cross Counter handed Godolphin a first Melbourne Cup success, another son of Teofilo who raced in the royal blue silks was making his mark on the other side of the world as Twilight Payment topped the Goffs Autumn Horses In Training Sale on Wednesday.

Offered by Jim Bolger's Glebe House Stables, the gelding went the way of agent company Kerr and Co for €200,000.

"I bought him on behalf of a syndicate based in Ireland," said Bert Kerr. "The horse is going to continue with Jim Bolger and he'll start his campaign in Ireland.

"He's got international appeal and he's the kind of horse that could race in a number of different countries. That's what appealed to those concerned, so he could well be competing internationally next year, potentially even in the southern hemisphere.

"We were watching out for him because he is as solid as a rock as an individual. Just a deep, sound horse and he's got placed form at the highest level to back him up as well as his stakes wins."

View sales results and buyers

Kerr was also involved in the purchase of Sound Check, another lightly raced five-year-old who competed in the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups in recent weeks.

Kerr and Co was founded in 1920 by Kerr's late uncle Bertie, a former full back for League of Ireland team Bohemians who also captained the Irish national football team.

Kerr snr bought Nasrullah and owned him for three weeks before selling him to the McGrath family, who stood him for a number of years in Ireland where he was champion sire, before his transfer to Claiborne Farm in the US where he left a lasting legacy.

Form

Bred and trained by Bolger, Twilight Payment finished a close third to Sword Fighter in the Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot on just his third start and was second to Order Of St George in the Group 3 Irish St Leger Trial at the Curragh.

Twilight Payment ended his three-year-old campaign by making his stakes breakthrough in the Listed Loughbrown Stakes at the Curragh over 2m, and posted a second Listed win in Her Majesty's Plate at Down Royal as a five-year-old in July.

Out of a half-sister to Ribblesdale Stakes scorer Banimpire, Twilight Payment has been an admirably consistent performer, regularly placing behind the likes of Flag Of Honour, Order Of St George and Torcedor.

The other six-figure lot on Wednesday was Raven's Pass filly Mazzuri, whose sire recorded his first top-flight winner when Royal Marine won the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.

The three-year-old went the way of Peter and Ross Doyle and trainer Amanda Perrett in a private sale for €120,000.

Figures

Despite seven fewer lots being sold compared to last year, all the key market metrics saw increases with the aggregate up by two per cent to €1,466,100, the average rising 11 per cent to €18,558 and the median jumping 50 per cent to €9,000.

Henry Beeby, Goffs group chief executive, said: "Today’s horses-in-training sale has demonstrated yet again that we can and consistently do deliver the best prices for the category.

"Indeed this is a sector of the market in which we think we have so much more to offer but lack the numbers to attract a bigger group of buyers.

"That said we have sold horses to the Gulf Region and across Europe today which will only serve to inspire us to redouble our efforts to grow the catalogue in 2019, following a sale that has returned growth in every statistic.

"For now we extend our thanks to each vendor and every purchaser, and wish them luck with their latest Goffs graduates."

More from Goffs:

Figures fall at Goffs Autumn Sale as supply and demand are 'out of kilter again'

Australia colt tops trying first session at Autumn Yearling Sale