‘I don’t think we expected to get that much’ - Mehmas colt tops lively February Sale trade at €220,000

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There was a distinct sense of deja vu about the top lot on day one of the Goffs February Sale as Tally-Ho Stud went to €220,000 for a son of Mehmas. 

Twelve months ago the O’Callaghan family moved to secure a well-related Blue Point colt who topped the sale at €250,000. He was subsequently traded to Amo Racing for 575,000gns, and Tally-Ho will no doubt look to repeat the feat with their latest six-figure acquisition come the yearling sales later this year. 

“The horse is right, the price is wrong,” was Tony O’Callaghan’s succinct assessment of the transaction. “We had to have him. We liked the horse, he’s the full shilling. The trade is good for the good ones.”

Tony’s son, Roger, added: “He’s the best horse in the sale. Simple as.”

Tony O'Callaghan and Clare Manning after the sales-topping Mehmas colt changed handsCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

The colt was bred in partnership by Hanshen Tham’s Pattern Bloodstock and Carol and Peter Henley, and consigned by Clare Manning’s Boherguy Stud. Reacting to the session-topping transaction, Manning said: “That was unbelievable. He’s a very nice colt and has been going down very well for the past couple of days, but I don’t think we expected to get that much. There were plenty of lads there for him and they were very strong, but Tally-Ho were very keen to have him, clearly.

“I took him from the clients to prep him about a month ago and he’s improved massively; I think there’s more improvement in him too. The owners usually sell as yearlings but they decided to take a chance selling him in February. I thought it was a good sale and that he’d stand out, and then he’s shown all that improvement in the last month. Hopefully he’ll go on and improve even more for Tally-Ho.”

Lot 126: Boherguy Stud's Mehmas colt brings €220,000Credit: Sophie Webber Photography

The colt is the second foal out of Russian River, a daughter of Dandy Man who won a Dundalk maiden at two and gained valuable black type when runner-up in the Listed Polonia Stakes at three. She is a half-sister to the Group 3-winning Miss Marjurie, in turn the dam of Montrose Stakes scorer Smoken, while the page goes back to the prolific Elite Racing family of Soviet Song and her Group 1-winning descendants Marsha and Ribbons. 

This is not the first time this family has found favour in the Goffs ring, as this colt’s No Nay Never half-sister Never The Same sold to MV Magnier and Philip Antonacci at €330,000 during the 2024 edition of the Orby Sale. 

There should be more to come, too, as Manning added: “I foal all the mares for the owners so I actually foaled several of the mare’s progeny, including him. I’ll have the mare back in another few weeks as she’s in foal to Night Of Thunder.”

The Mehmas colt headed a market that showed significant year-on-year upticks across the range of indices. An increased weanling offering meant turnover was always liable to rise, but spending was up fully 199 per cent as €3,898,500 changed hands. 

The average price was up 75 per cent compared to the corresponding session 12 months ago at €24,215, while the median rose from €7,000 to €16,000, a gain of 129 per cent. The clearance rate was 67 per cent as 161 youngsters sold (up from 94) from an offering of 239 (142 in 2025).

Starman filly heads for Golden grass

The first lot to break into six-figure territory was the Starman filly from Ballybin Stud who brought €120,000 from Kevin Blake. 

“It’s very straightforward: she’s by one of the hottest sires in Europe and she’s just a standout individual,” said Blake. “Huge action, loads of quality, I knew her half-brother [Arcturus] quite well actually a couple of years ago so there was some familiarity, but it was her physical that really set her apart today.

“She was bought for a new client, she’s going to come home to me at Golden Farm and she’ll be reoffered at a later yearling sale. I’m not sure which one yet, that’s all for deciding, but we’ll get her home safe and get her on some Golden grass – if there’s any that’s not under water! It’s exciting.”

Kevin Blake fronts the media after spending €120,000 on the Starman fillyCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

The filly is a sibling to three winners across a diverse range of European racing jurisdictions, including the Czech Republic, France and Poland. Her half-brother Arcturus also won races at Listowel and Leopardstown during his time with Joseph O’Brien. There is a distinctly international theme running through the pedigree, as the dam, a French-bred daughter of Pivotal, is out of a half-sister to a black-type performer in Puerto Rico. 

The mare, Mawu, was purchased in 2017 at a cost of €16,000, and breeder Colm O’Brien explained the result was a triumph for perseverance. 

“We’re absolutely delighted,” he said. “This is definitely the top-priced foal that we’ve ever had here. We’re still sort of shellshocked, but over the moon. Everybody loved the filly here, she’s by far and away the nicest filly we’ve ever bred.

Connections of the Starman filly are all smiles after her €120,000 saleCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

“We were fairly hopeful we’d get a good price for her. She’s never been in her box; like all the good ones, she never turned a hair. The stars aligned for us with Starman doing so well.

“Peter Kelly from Ballybin Stud picked the mare out for us a good few years ago when she was in foal to Fast Company. Unfortunately she slipped that foal and then she’s had five fillies after it. For a small breeder, we were just hanging on with the fillies. But it just shows, if you hang in there and happen to pick the right ticket, Starman has really done it for us today.”

Yeomanstown snares ‘man amongst boys’

Last year’s sales-topping Blue Point colt was sold by Moyglare Stud Farm, and the operation enjoyed another big result on Wednesday when Yeomanstown Stud went to €100,000 for a son of Sioux Nation and Roses Blue. 

“He was a man amongst boys in the sale today,” said Yeomanstown’s David O’Callaghan. “A very good colt, a good sire and comes from a good outfit. We’ll bring him back for sale and see what happens; hopefully we’ll have made a good decision.” 

On the state of February Sale trade, he added: “Good horses are always hard to buy and today is no different. There seems to be a good spread of people here. I’d say vendors and the sales company are happy.”

David O'Callaghan: "Hopefully we’ll have made a good decision."Credit: Sophie Webber Photography

The other €100,000 lot was knocked down to agent Matt Coleman, who signed for Donnellys Well’s New Bay colt as Paris Bloodstock. 

“He was bought for an existing client of the company and will be reoffered at the yearling sales,” said the Stroud Coleman man. “He’s a great-looking horse, has great strength to him and is typical of his sire.” 

The youngster is out of the unraced Sommore, an Anjaal half-sister to Listed scorer Inverleigh who has bred the useful two-time five-furlong winner End Of Story.

Hogan backing Blackbeard

Pinhooker Fearghal Hogan pulled off one of the touches of 2025 when a St Mark’s Basilica colt picked up for €120,000 was traded to Amo Racing for a cool 800,000gns during Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. 

The Apollo Bloodstock man was back in action at the February Sale, where he gave €88,000 for a colt from the second crop of Coolmore’s Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes winner Blackbeard. The youngster was bred by Newstead Breeding, also the breeder of Blackbeard himself, and sold through The Castlebridge Consignment. 

“A lovely horse, I took a chance on the sire,” said Hogan. “I did the same thing and got lucky with St Mark's Basilica. I fancy Blackbeard to do well, and this was such a beautiful horse and a beautiful mover. He probably cost a lot of money, but he stood out in the sale he was in. He’ll be for resale.”

Fearghal Hogan: "I fancy Blackbeard to do well"Credit: Sophie Webber Photography

Blackbeard has around 115 juveniles to hit the track this year and has been installed as second favourite to be crowned champion first-season sire. His first yearlings realised up to 500,000gns and averaged £75,920. Hogan was among the buyers having gone to €68,000 for a colt at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale. 

“I bought a yearling by Blackbeard last year and he's with John Murphy in Cork,” he added. “He seems to be doing things very well. My experience with Blackbeard is good, and the breeze-up boys are saying the same. Hopefully it’ll work out.”

Hogan was back in business late in the piece when going to €95,000 for Altenbach Bloodstock’s Ace Impact filly. The youngster is out of German Listed winner Enjoy The Life, making her a sibling to Deutsches Derby runner-up Enjoy Vijay, Listed scorer Enjoy The Moon and the Listed-placed Enjoy The Dream, who also won a Grade 2 juvenile hurdle.

"I loved the idea of the Ace Impact filly and, to be honest, she was the one in the back of mind the past two days," said Hogan. "She’s a lovely big filly with a serious page and the sire was a world-class racehorse. She'll be offered for re-sale later in the year. Very happy with my shopping today."

A member of Paddington’s debut crop also climbed into the session’s top ten when knocked down to Glenvale Stud’s Ciaran ‘Flash’ Conroy at €80,000. The colt, who was bred by Chris Clinch and sold through Castlebridge, is out of Lady Clinch, a High Chaparral half-sister to three stakes performers, all by No Nay Never.

Ciaran 'Flash' Conroy signs for the €80,000 son of PaddingtonCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

“This is the first by the sire I’ve bought,” said Conroy. “Mind you, I was actively looking to buy one. The sire was a great racehorse and I liked him a lot. He’s a lovely individual and I look forward to bringing him back for resale. I like that he’s out of a High Chaparral mare too. Let’s just hope now that he’s lucky.”

The Goffs February Sale continues on Thursday, with day two featuring the sale of Quevega’s daughter Cameletta Vega and the inaugural February Point-to-Point Sale.

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