‘We try to buy very good ones whenever we get the chance’ - classy Allegorie De Vassy tops Goffs December National Hunt Sale at €150,000

High-class racemare Allegorie De Vassy proved the star attraction of this year’s Goffs December National Hunt Sale when topping the third and final session at €150,000. 

The eight-year-old carried the Ricci silks to victory in six black-type contests during her time with Willie Mullins, including the Grade 3 Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle. However, it was over the larger obstacles the daughter of No Risk At All really came into her own. 

She landed the Grade 2 Dawn Run Mares Novice Chase and added a second success at that level when striking in the EBF Mares Novice Chase at Thurles. She also finished runner-up at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival in the Liberthine Mares’ Chase won by Impervious. 

She was sold by Mullins’ Closutton Stables carrying to Jukebox Jury. She joins the boutique broodmare band being assembled by Justin and Jackie Owens of Mount Armstrong Stud in Kildare. 

“We have a relatively small number of National Hunt mares, but we try to buy very good ones whenever we get the chance,” said Justin Owens. “I think the market is very polarised, I think the sale today is evidence of that, but if you have a good mare, a good-looking foal with a nice page, you can make good money. She’s all of that. 

“She’s a top-class racemare, she’s good-looking, she’s lovely and correct, and carrying a good cover. Hopefully we’ll get a nice foal that can come back for next year’s sale. All things being well, she mightn’t look too expensive in 12 months’ time. We had two mares on our list. She was the second so we left the first one and focused on her. We more or less bought her at the value we’d put on her so we were happy with that.” 

Justin Owens signs for Allegorie De VassyCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

Although Allegorie De Vassy developed into a high-class National Hunt performer, she possesses a notably mixed pedigree. Her dam is a half-sister to six-time Group 1 heroine Laurens, whose headline victories include the Prix de Diane and the Sun Chariot Stakes. 

There was evidence of the Owens’ strategy at work earlier in the day when Mount Armstrong Kildare sold the session’s highest-priced foal. The Walk In The Park filly out of Scarlet And Dove fetched €105,000. 

“We sold the top-priced filly, and the second-highest-priced foal in the whole sale, and she’s out of a similar type of mare that we actually bought in Goffs,” continued Owens. “It’s been a good day’s work and we’ve had a decent year overall. I suppose you only see the good things in the sales ring. Lots of work goes in at home and lots of things go wrong as well, but we’re doing the best we can.” 

The operation mixes Flat and jumps breeding and recently sold three lots at the November Foal Sale for a combined €298,500. The draft was led by a Little Big Bear colt bought by Tally-Ho Stud for €155,000. 

The results from the Goffs December National Hunt Sale

 “We have around a dozen mares, mainly Flat, although we probably have better National Hunt stock at the moment,” said Owens. “We can’t afford to buy the really good-quality Flat mares unfortunately, but we’re trying to upgrade as we go. Having good stock, good mares, is the key, and you can’t do it all in one day so we’re trying to keep improving over the years.” 

Asked about a potential mating for Allegorie De Vassy, he said: “We’re essentially breeding to sell and it’s very obvious looking at the sales results here which stallions you need to go to if you want to get the good money for your foals. We’ll go with a good commercial option.” 

The three-day sale saw a significantly expanded offering, with 724 lots coming under the hammer compared to 672 in 2024. While that represents an increase of seven per cent, turnover leapt by 31 per cent to €9,871,000. That was not the only metric to improve, either. 

The average price went up by nine per cent to €18,695, the median rose by four per cent to €12,000, and the clearance rate went from 65 per cent 12 months ago to 73 per cent this time around as 528 lots found a buyer. 

Burton bags blue-blooded Walk In The Park

Richard Burton enjoyed plenty of success in the saddle, including winning the Kim Muir Chase at the Cheltenham Festival aboard Cloudy Lane and Juveigneur. 

The former British champion point-to-point rider has now turned his attention to breeding under the banner of Longner Bloodstock, which is based at his family’s Longner Estate in Shrewsbury. He can look forward to a particularly well-bred filly after he secured the aforementioned daughter of Walk In The Park at €105,000. 

The purchase was made in conjunction with Willie Bryan’s Worthen Hall outfit and Will Kinsey’s Peel Bloodstock. 

“We loved her and she’s got so many options,” said Burton. “We’ll get her back to Shropshire, where we’ve got a small syndicate together, and we’ll grow her on the farm at home and make a plan. We can keep her as a foundation mare or run her and see how she goes. It’s a lovely family.” 

Mount Armstrong Kildare's Walk In The Park filly out of Scarlet And Dove sells to Worthen Hall and Peel Bloodstock for €105,000Credit: Sophie Webber Photography

The filly is the second foal out of Scarlet And Dove, a dual Grade 2 scorer by Jeremy. Scarlet And Dove is not only a sister to the Grade 3 scorer Lets Go Champ but is closely related to the star-crossed Our Conor, who was also by Jeremy and is a half-brother to her dam. 

“Willie Bryan is heavily involved in this filly, as is Adam Wadlow, so there’s a few of us working in partnership,” Burton continued. “I started buying a few broodmares around three years ago and we have a few lovely mares now but we’re trying to keep things tight as possible. We’re not going for quantity but want to get into some really nice families. 

“Hopefully we’ll run her. That’ll be Plan A and we’ll see where we end up, but she’s got so many options because of her page. We’re fairly new but we have one or two youngsters that are getting going, including a Walk In The Park filly in France. Adam and Will and I all raced together as amateur jockeys and it’s nice to get back into the industry. We’re not trying to buy lots of foals, we’re trying to buy some really nice ones.” 

Scarlet And Dove was added to the Mount Armstrong broodmare band at a cost of €200,000 in December 2023. She was bought carrying to Crystal Ocean, and connections explained that filly had been retained. 

“Absolutely thrilled with that,” said Jackie Owens. “It seems like a great house that she’s going to – lovely guys. We’re delighted. We’ve kept the first Crystal Ocean filly, we’ll hold on to her. We probably would’ve liked to hold on to both of them, but we have to pay for Christmas too! The dam is back in foal to Walk In The Park.” 

Meon Valley go again with Deuce

Another of the catalogue’s standout offerings was Deuce Again, dam of Champion Hurdle heroine Golden Ace. The 14-year-old daughter of Dubawi, who was presented by Stephen Kemble Bloodstock carrying a full-sibling to Golden Ace, was retained by Meon Valley Stud when the bidding reached €100,000. 

“We’re keeping her as we weren’t prepared to let her go for less than €100,000,” said Meon Valley’s Helena Ellingsen. “She’s going to stay in Ireland, foal down here and then be covered, and we might well sell the progeny here too. 

“We’d like to think we might be able to sell the foal for more than the price today, or nearly as much, at least. She’s carrying a full-sibling to Golden Ace by Golden Horn so we're hoping that we might have another champion out of her. Because Golden Ace has done so well over hurdles we’ll probably carry on in that vein, and use a stallion who’ll appeal to the National Hunt market.” 

She added: “It’s a one-off, and we're only doing it because Golden Ace has gone down that route and done so well, so it seems like a good idea to try to replicate the same sort of mating that produced her. We're not diversifying!” 

Big money brace for Authorized

Capital Stud resident Authorized was responsible for two €90,000 foals, led by the colt out of To Much Fun from Ballyreddin. The youngster was knocked down to Charles Shanahan, who signed Ian Ferguson’s name alongside his own. 

The colt is a sibling to four winners, including black-type runners Leave Of Absence and Magie Du Ma. The page goes back to a US champion in Zenyatta. 

“For us, he was the star of the day from the moment we saw him,” said Shanahan, son of Coolmore supremo Paul Shanahan. “He’s been bought for an end user, myself and Ian Ferguson bought him together, similar to what we did at Fairyhouse. 

“He’ll go down the racing route. He’s out of a very good mare and Authorized can get you anything from a Grand National winner to a Derby winner. We’ve many different options and we’re just delighted we got him.” 

Shanahan added: “We’ve been busy this week. It’s been a great sale and trade has been really strong. Goffs have done a great job, as always, and there’s been some great foals here. We managed to pick up a couple, and Gerry in Coolmore got plenty of those good Walk In The Parks, so it’s been a great week.” 

Charles Shanahan signs for Ballyreddin's Authorized coltCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

Just five lots later Sabrina Harty went to €90,000 for the Authorized colt out of Cathal Ennis’s Triptoflem. The dam is a Flemensfirth half-sister to Grand National hero Minella Times. 

“He's just a smashing model, one of the nicest foals we’ve seen in the last two sales,” said Harty. “He’s got great bone and scope and class about him. My client will bring him back here to sell as a three-year-old. 

“We haven't had anything by the sire before, they’re hard to get your hands on. He’s a great sire, and hopefully this fellow will do the job in time. He comes from a good home and they’ve produced him beautifully, and that will stand to him in the future too.” 

The colt was consigned through Ballincurrig House Stud, who led the vendors’ charts with 28 sold lots generating receipts worth €722,500. 

Ballincurrig House Stud's Authorized colt out of Triptoflem makes €90,000 to Sabrina HartyCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

“He's a gorgeous foal,” said Ennis. “He’s got a lot of filling out to do and when he does, I think he’s going to be the most beautiful three-year-old. 

“He’s out of a mare that I bred at home, a half-sister to Minella Times. She was born late and she’s a big, big mare, but I wouldn’t swap her for the world. I put her in foal at three. I was going to lease her to go to Willie Mullins but after Minella Times won the Grand National I thought I’d kick on.

“She’s thrown two gorgeous Walk In The Park fillies. I didn’t push this fella in the prep. The boys at Ballincurrig have done a great job with him here. I didn’t want to push him and I know that when he fills into his frame, he’s going to be something special. If I’ve bred a real top three-mile chaser in the last couple of years, I honestly think this is the horse. I really do. 

“I'm thrilled with the price. Hopefully he's lucky now for Sabrina Harty. She thought he was the most beautiful horse. James Doyle and Capital Stud were underbidders and they're very supportive of me. They loved the horse too and they had a good go at him. I'm very appreciative of that.”

Beeby hails rise to market-leading status

In his end-of-sale address, Goffs group chief executive Henry Beeby said: “Steady growth and improvement. That is the story of the Goffs December National Hunt Sale over the last 15 years. In that time, we’ve seen the sale grow from a one-day, 250 lot near afterthought, with a turnover of just over half a million, to the clear first choice for National Hunt breeders that now accounts for the majority share of the National Hunt foals and the best National Hunt mares sold each year. 

“That evolution is the result of a lot of hard work by the Goffs team and the trust and support of increasing numbers of major breeders who have pivoted towards Goffs December with more quality and greater numbers. Indeed, in a year when several commentators have expressed concern around the foal crop, this catalogue grew in contrast to others in the same category, so underlining the belief that sellers have in the Goffs service. Happily, that belief has been vindicated time after time over the three days.

“When catalogues grow there is always a worry that the clearance rate will drop. Not so this week when that statistic has improved in each of the three sessions. Whilst there is always room for improvement and the market can be tough in places, this is another positive to take away from the week, as is the growth in the number of lots that passed the €25,000, €50,000 and €75,000 marks, with the last of those milestones leaping from five to 19, a number that dwarfs any other sale in the category. The average and median prices made yet more progress, and the top was as vibrant as ever with four six-figure foals versus one last year and the top priced National Hunt mares of the year once again.

Henry Beeby: 'In a time of uncertainty, both globally and in the bloodstock world, it is heartening and encouraging to have finished the year on such a positive note'Credit: Sophie Webber Photography

“Statistics only tell part of the story though and it is the endless favourable feedback from both sellers and buyers that is so heartening to us. As was the case at our recent superb November Sale, the vibe in the sales ring and throughout Kildare Paddocks has been electric from start to finish and not even yesterday’s Storm Bram could derail the vibrant trade or dampen spirits. 

“As ever, we recognise we are nothing without the horses provided by our vendors along with the goodwill of both buyers and sellers, and we value every lot and each bid. The top lots always grab the headlines but each transaction under the Goffs gavel is cherished as we strive to deliver for those who choose Goffs in a very competitive marketplace.

“In a time of uncertainty, both globally and in the bloodstock world, it is heartening and encouraging to have finished the year on such a positive note, and we count the days before renewing business in 2026. National Hunt has never been stronger at Goffs, and we are just incredibly proud of its evolution to become the market leader in the sector, so we can’t wait to get on the road for our market-leading Arkle Sale.

“For now, we extend our thanks and appreciation to everyone who has visited our sales this year. Nothing is taken for granted and we look forward to the next visit.” 

Read more from Goffs:

‘They have a bit of class, and that comes from Montjeu’ - Walk In The Park mania continues as relation to Denman snapped up at €120,000  

‘I thought he was a bit special’ - Princess Zoe’s close relation fetches €100,000 at Goffs December Sale 

‘Everything’s on the table’ - Coolmore add well-bred Walk In The Park to the portfolio at €100,000