Tangapour bound for the Middle East after €185,000 purchase as Aga Khan draft dominates Goffs leaderboard

It was once again the Aga Khan Studs draft which attracted the closest attention during Monday's Goffs Autumn Horses-In-Training Sale with the Group-placed Tangapour proving the standout at €185,000.

A draft of 15 of them, each immaculately turned out in distinctive green and red cloth, appeared in three segments during the session and dominated the leaderboard but it was the final member of the collection into the ring who made the biggest impression on bidders when knocked down to bloodstock agent Alessandro Marconi, signing as www.bloodstockracing.com.

The Wootton Bassett colt's official mark had surged right up to 107 when he produced the best effort of his career in the Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh, finishing two lengths second to his Aga Khan and now former Johnny Murtagh stablemate Zahrann.

Out of the dual Group 3 winner and Moyglare Stud Stakes fourth Tanaza, the three-year-old has the typical plethora of smart middle-distance relatives in his family.

Marconi said Tangapour would likely be aimed for the Dubai Racing Carnival for new connections and that he was pleased to have filled an order having missed out on a couple of other likely candidates at Tattersalls last week.

Alessandro Marconi signs for Tangapour at Goffs on MondayCredit: Goffs

"I've been lucky buying from the draft in the past," said the international agent, who was in the middle of a delayed and complicated journey having stopped off in Ireland before aiming to continue his business at Keeneland later in the week.

"I bought Erzindjan a few years ago, who has had a really good career and is still racing for TJ Kent in Newmarket. This horse is for new connections and they were keen on having the best horse in the sale.

"I'd like to thank Princess Zahra Aga Khan, who has presented her draft here and in Arqana and gives us some access to these bloodlines. On the back of Tattersalls the price seemed quite reasonable, he's out of a Dubawi mare and has been performing alright. He came highly recommended by Johnny Murtagh and hopefully he's going to adapt to quick ground."

Those horses that have failed to meet the exacting standards to remain in the Aga Khan system are coveted right around the racing world and those trained in Ireland are habitually offered at this event. Last year's €220,000 top lot Ridhaz, who was knocked down to Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland, is now in Saudi Arabia while Kadeen, head of affairs at €100,000 in 2023, was bought for a prospective jumping career by Gordon Elliott and Bective Stud.

Another member of the Aga Khan draft, Vidmiyr, was knocked down to Alan O'Keeffe for €48,000Credit: Goffs

Another Aga Khan three-year-old Wootton Bassett, Esherann, occupied top spot for mere minutes when claimed by Declan Carroll for a telephone bid of €95,000 through Goffs marketing director Joey Cullen. The colt had shown plenty of ability in five starts with Dermot Weld, winning twice and never finishing worse than fourth. His most recent outing had been a victory in a 1m handicap at the Curragh.

Reyenzi joining stablemate on Gulf trip

Reyenzi, another to have crept up to black type level in Murtagh's stable, made €70,000 to Blandford Bloodstock. Stuart Boman's purchase is also heading to the UAE and had caught the eye of the agent when losing the Group 3 Gallinule Stakes in the stewards room for causing interference.

"I thought he was a bit unlucky that day to be demoted, he then ran well at Ascot, couple of decent runs since and he seemed particularly good value on the market we've been facing the last little bit so really happy to buy him," Boman said.

"He's off to Dubai for the Carnival, for an existing client. His handicap mark is intact so hopefully he turns into a Group horse out there for them."

Rizal, meanwhile, is off to George Scott for €58,000 after he teamed up with Billy Jackson-Stops for the Lope De Vega gelding while Vidmiyr, secured for €48,000, looks every inch the kind of dual-purpose customer that Alan O'Keeffe and Jennie Candlish perennially do so well with.

A two-year-old son of Footstepsinthesand, he raced three times for Murtagh and came from off the pace over 7f at Dundalk last time for a fourth-placed finish which suggested he would be shining over middle-distances in time.

The colt is out of the unraced Vadaiyma, a half-sister to Group 2-winning middle-distance performer Vadamar and from the close family of the Eclipse and French Derby hero Vadeni.

Stephen Thorne is recruiting to build on what has already been a particularly confident start to his training career and he added the promising two-year-old Mahi Mahi to his squad for €42,000.

Stephen Thorne added the promising Mahi Mahi at GoffsCredit: Goffs

Having sent out his first winner less than a year ago, the former assistant to the likes of Mike de Kock, Ralph Beckett and Ado McGuinness has already been crowned Ireland's champion all-weather trainer. The bulk of the string run in the Shamrock Thoroughbreds syndicate which Thorne set up and Mahi Mahi was knocked down to that entity.

Mahi Mahi, consigned by Baroda Stud, was unraced when the catalogue was released but the Lope Y Fernandez colt, a £22,000 Doncaster recruit by Robson Aguiar, appeared only a few days ago for Adrian Murray when showing prominently and eventually finishing third in a 1m maiden at Dundalk.

Beeby urges Irish vendors

Total turnover of €1,335,000 was six per cent below last year's mark from a similar sized catalogue but other figures stacked up reasonably similarly with a solid clearance rate of 85 per cent just down from 87 per cent in 2024. The average of €16,899 was a dip of three per cent but the median was up 81 per cent from €6,000 to €10,000.

Goffs group chief executive Henry Beeby once again pleaded the case for this sale against the rival offering in Newmarket.

"Yet again, with the top five lots the Aga Khan Studs draft has graphically illustrated that the Goffs Autumn HIT Sale can and will return the highest prices for the category and I am not embarrassed to say that it frustrates us to see so many Irish horses travelling to England last week when we have such an international buying bench in Kildare Paddocks this week," he said.

Johnny Murtagh (right) was an interested onlooker during Monday's horses-in-training sessionCredit: Goffs

"As the only sale for the form horses in Ireland we prove our point year after year, with owners and trainers delighted with the outcome of their drafts, and my end of sale comments highlighting the same issue. The fact is it costs less in terms of travel, entry fee and commission to sell here so we will keep banging the drum and strive to persuade more Irish horses to enter and reap the dividend of the unique Goffs service.

"The international nature of the buyers’ profile and the opportunities they present is clearly demonstrated by a review of the results with horses heading to Italy, Germany, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Czech Republic, Mongolia, UAE, Qatar, Libya, Saudi Arabia and the UK. Those buyers flock to Goffs each year and ensure a lively atmosphere in the ring as they interact with us and compete with each other. We appreciate their business and wish them well with their Goffs horses in training."

Beeby concluded: "Today’s small catalogue has returned acceptable statistics with a strong clearance rate and a very pleasing leap in median price to underline the relative strength of the sale."

Next search for a star

Monday afternoon and evening was given over to the first session of the Autumn Yearling Sale and it was headed by a Sioux Nation filly out of an unraced sister to the top-class Gorella. She was offered by Galbertstown Stables and bought by Hamish Macauley and Rockview Farm for €48,000.

A son of champion first-season sire elect Starman out of Artistic Melody consigned by Baroda Stud took an early lead in proceedings when being snapped up by JGO Bloodstock for €45,000. Meanwhile, Bobby O'Ryan snapped up one of the key members of the Boherguy Stud draft in a €42,000 Dawn Approach half-brother to Jim Bolger's May Hill Stakes winner Turret Rocks.

The sale continues at 10am on Tuesday.

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