'We all just looked at each other' - Arkle Sale has Hugh Bleahen in the mood for dancing

Hugh Bleahen was thrilled to discover one of his poster boys, Dancing City, on the cover of this year’s Goffs Arkle Sale catalogue as he returns to the major store auction next week with another strong draft from Clifton Farm.

If counted as a whole, including siblings Niall of Liss House and John of Lakefield Farm, the Bleahen brothers would be just about the most powerful consigning squad. Hugh Bleahen believes they have been behind five Grade 1 winners this year, with the same at Grade 2.

Dancing City, a son of Feel Like Dancing bred by the Moutel family, was found privately as a foal before being bought by Anna Calder of Leamore Horses for €28,000 in 2020.

He won a point-to-point at Borris House before a private transfer to Willie Mullins and the Donnelly family, for whom he was third in the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham before adding the second and third Grade 1 wins of his career at Aintree and Punchestown.

"The story behind this guy typifies a day in France," Bleahen explained in a video produced by Goffs.

"We might have been on the road, the three of us for the previous 12 hours and seen absolutely nothing and you’re kind of saying to yourself, 'What am I doing?

Dancing City: triple Grade 1 winner and Goffs graduate has danced every dance this termCredit: Michael Steele

"We arrived into Bordeaux with a good friend of ours Lune Vergette [Haras de Faydeau], we were staying with her that night.

"She had a couple of foals for us to see. It was late, half ten at night, she had a well-lit barn and we went and looked at them. This guy came out of a stable and we all just looked at each other."

The majority of the dozen youngsters in the Clifton Farm draft this time around are the result of such forays to France.

Bleahen gave particular mention to lot 367, a gelding by Jeu St Eloi from the family of Champion Chase winner Voy Por Ustedes, describing him as "a horse we think an awful lot of".

Lot 234, an Affinisea gelding bred by John and Caroline Bourke of Longrove Stud from their fine family of Western Ryder and Brewin’upastorm, received further praise, alongside a Harzand out of Juliespaddockwalk (255) whom the vendor believes is "just an exceptional moving horse".

Goffs London Sale

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