Stunning Fairyhouse winner Qualimita on way to Elliott after topping blockbuster Punchestown Sale at €500,000

Forget the excitement on the track, the Punchestown festival ignited on Thursday night when the winner's enclosure resembled a New Year's Eve fireworks display such were the pyrotechnics during the Goffs Sale, where records were obliterated and a new high price set.

The cascade of sales ground whispers on Wednesday and Thursday indicated that last year's records were in danger of being shattered, and two horses in particular were the subject of the most positive words. 

Four-year-old Muhtathir mare Qualimita made a stunning debut at Fairyhouse just six days prior to the sale, with her 30-length victory earning her a place in the sale and she was the ace in the pack for Colin Bowe, making a record-breaking €500,000 to Mags O'Toole as darkness fell over Punchestown.

Bidding opened at €200,000 and quickly settled into a high-stakes battle between Peter Molony, who purchased the sale's most celebrated graduate in Honeysuckle, and O'Toole, with the price soaring ever higher. 

Absolute Notions set the bar at €370,000 when selling to O'Toole on behalf of Robcour last year but, as that milestone was surpassed on Thursday night, bidding showed no signs of faltering and the price kept increasing, all the way to €500,000 and O'Toole's winning bid.

"I loved her," stated the successful agent at the conclusion of proceedings. "We loved her, we loved her video and she came highly recommended from Colin Bowe. I bought her for an established client and she is going into training with Gordon Elliott."

Mags O'Toole signed for Qualimita Credit: Goffs

The mare carried the colours of Walter Connors to victory at Fairyhouse and was bred in France by Charles Hubert de Chaudenay. Qualimita is the third foal out of her unraced dam Fliegend, who is a daughter of Mount Nelson, and the family is one of the most successful and recognisable active pedigrees on the Flat and over jumps.

Fliegend is a half-sister to Colonel Mustard, who was runner-up in the Scottish Champion Hurdle for Lorna Fowler on the same day as Qualimita made her debut. The Makfi gelding is scheduled to run in Friday's Grade 1 Punchestown Champion Hurdle.

They are out of Waldblume, a winning Halling half-sister to the Deutsches Derby winner and sire Waldpark and to the Falmouth Stakes second Waldmark, dam of the St Leger winner and increasingly successful sire Masked Marvel.

Waldmark's daughter by Monsun, the Group 3 Prix Penelope winner Waldlerche, is the dam of Ballylinch Stud's Arc and Prix Ganay hero Waldgeist, while her granddaughter Waldfest is the dam of Vauban, a triple Grade 1 winner last season in juvenile hurdles and who also contests Friday's hurdling highlight. 

Third dam Wurftaube counts the German St Leger and Gerling Preis among her career highlights.

Histrionic hits the heights

Five lots later it was the turn of Histrionic to set the ring alight and the son of Walk In The Park proved the speculation correct with his sale, which on any other night would have comfortably exceeded all previous records.

Bidding opened at €100,000 for Denis Murphy's bay, who had also just made his debut last Friday, in his case during Tralee's fixture. The margin of his victory in the four-year-old geldings' maiden was less jaw-dropping than Qualimita's but it was an impressive win all the same and the well-bred grandson of Flemensfirth will be moving into a box at Ditcheat as Tom Malone purchased him for €450,000 on behalf of Paul Nicholls.

Histrionic was bought by Tom Malone and Paul Nicholls for €450,000Credit: Goffs

"Paul saw him this morning and loved the horse, who is for an existing client," confirmed Malone. "It's a family he has had success with in the past and the horse came well-recommended by Denis Murphy."

Nicholls trained Hawkes Point, a Kayf Tara half-brother to Flemensbay, the winning dam of Histrionic, to win the Classic Chase and finish second in the Welsh Grand National. He also trained Alfie Sherrin, a full-brother to Hawkes Point, to win during the early part of his career. 

Tom Malone proved a determined bidder at PunchestownCredit: Goffs

Flemensbay is a full-sister to Kimberlite Candy, and he too was successful in Warwick's Classic Chase, in his case for Tom Lacey. Histrionic is the second foal out of Flemensbay, who also has a three-year-old full-brother to him and a two-year-old filly and yearling colt, both by Getaway.

Fireworks from the get-go

From the second bidding opened on the first lot into the ring, the feeling grew that it was going to be an extraordinary sale and that premonition was right on the money.

Dolcita had run in the Irish Grand National and the Saint Des Saints mare, a Listed winner over fences, finished less than four lengths behind her stablemate I Am Maximus in fourth in the Easter Monday highlight.

The Goffs Punchestown Sale produced the goods from the first lot in the ringCredit: Goffs

With a fine race record, replete with black type, allied to a strong pedigree, she was an excellent breeding and racing prospect and the eight-year-old will remain in training for the autumn but with new owners and from a new yard following her sale for €240,000 to Anne-Marie and Jamie Shepperd, who earlier in the month had told Racing Post Bloodstock about his newly created breeding operation.

She will join I Like To Move It, victorious in the Kingwell and Greatwood Hurdles this season, at Nigel Twiston-Davies's yard for an autumn campaign. 

Noted breeder Cyril Crowe was present to bid on behalf of the couple and he remarked: "She will be kept in training and then will be covered next spring. She has a really nice pedigree and is by a brilliant sire and broodmare sire in Saint Des Saints."

The dark bay mare is a half-sister to the Grade 2-placed Pindare and out of the Listed-placed hurdler Orcantara, who is a half-sister to the Listed winners Worldbest and Mood, and to Chinawood, the dam of Grade 1 Finale Juvenile Hurdle winner Porticello. 

Another of her half-sisters, Presidence, is the dam of Grade 2 winner and Grade 1-placed Invicter, and two more Listed winners in Hanawa and Presidente Line, while yet another, Shadline, foaled the Grade 3 winner The Reader and is the second dam of the Listed winner Vintage.

In total, 20 of the 22 horses to come under the hammer were sold, equating to a clearance rate of 91 per cent. That generated an astonishing turnover which came in at €3,940,000, a leap of 37 per cent on last year's figure.

The average jumped by 23 per cent to €197,000, while the median grew by 26 points to €170,000.

"Sensational," is how Henry Beeby summed up trade in his end-of-sale statement, and the Goffs group chief executive was thrilled with the evening's success.

"The original festival sale returned a trade that can be described only in the richest of superlatives, with huge increases in every statistic and a magnificent new record top price of €500,000," he said.

"As ever we are indebted to the vendors who put their trust in the Goffs service and sent such quality to the Punchestown Sale.  They are a mighty bunch as they truly put their money where their mouth is year after year, and it is fantastic to see results like these today."

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