After four years of rebranding as the Million Sale linked to its
€3.2 million
sales races run on Sunday, the Orby is back Tuesday against the backdrop of a new
financial realism across the globe. Also gone is the Sportsman’s Sale, which
previously served as a finale to the trading this week as Goffs return to
basics.
“From
listening and reacting to feedback from our clients, Goffs made a decision
earlier this year to focus solely on the horse in order to produce catalogs of
consistent high quality across all our sales,” Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby
said. The theme of quality over quantity
has been central to our selection process and we have succeeded in cataloging a
fantastic and diverse selection of yearlings that no serious buyer can afford to
miss. The quality is definitely there on paper, and buyers will be happy to find
that the physical specimens more than match up.”
Surprisingly for a sale of its standing, it has been the bargain buys at the
bottom end of the scale which have dominated the headlines in recent months. The
Kevin Prendergast-trained Vincent O’Brien National S. (Ire-G1) winner Kingsfort (War
Chant) and Moyglare Stud S. (Ire-G1) heroine Termagant (Powerscourt [GB]) were
purchased for just €36,000 and
€34,000, respectively, at the now-defunct
Sportsman’s. Fleeting Spirit (Ire) (Invincible Spirit), this year’s G1
July Cup (Eng-G1) scorer, cost just €35,000 while the defending Poule d’Essai des
Pouliches (Fr-G1) title holder Elusive Wave (Elusive Quality) was a
€20,000 snip at
the Sportsman’s. Sunday’s Goffs Million Sprint and Mile winners Lucky General
(Hawk Wing) and Shakespearean (Shamardal) cost just
€50,000 and
€80,000, respectively.
That is not to say that the in-demand yearlings fail to
provide dividends, as the €330,000 purchase Cape Blanco (Galileo
[Ire])
proved when emulating past costly Million graduate New Approach in winning the Tyros S.
(Ire-G3) and Futurity S. (Ire-G2) this year. Part of the
high-profile honor roll are Scorpion (Ire), Grandera, Bachelor Duke, Septimus, Red
Rocks (Ire) (Galileo [Ire]), Halfway to Heaven (Ire), Jim Bolger’s duo Lush
Lashes (Galileo [Ire]) and Alexander Goldrun — just two of the Coolcullen trainer’s flag-flyers who emanated from
this source — and the local legend Vinnie Roe.
More than any other sale, this has come to represent the showcase for the
country’s leading sire Galileo (Ire) and he was responsible for the topper on
two of the three days last year. Coolmore’s supremo has a clutch of bluebloods
on display again this time headed by arguably the auction’s best-bred youngster
in Moyglare Stud’s Hip No. 353, a March-foaled three-parts brother to multiple Group
1 winner and sire Refuse to Bend (Ire) and the Melbourne Cup
(Aus-G1) hero Media Puzzle (Theatrical [Ire]). Another hot prospect is Manister
House Stud’s Hip 335, his daughter of the Grade 1 scorer Luas Line (Ire) (Danehill)
who is bred on the same lines as his former champion Teofilo.
Henry Beeby is one of the most optimistic in the business and he believes that
this year’s renewal can win through despite the difficult times.
“Winners are the focus of buyers and Goffs has been turning out
some serious winners of late — just look at the past 15 months when Goffs
graduates won 24 Group 1 races worldwide,” Beeby said. “Goffs yearlings meanwhile have won
over 90 juvenile races this season to date — more than any other European
yearling sale, which is a very significant statistic when you consider we sell
less yearlings than some of our competitors. Among those have been several group
winners resulting in favorable quotes for next year’s English (Eng-G1) and Irish
Guineas (Ire-G1). We are convinced that the yearlings selected for the Orby Sale can also
win at the highest level.
“In terms of buyer incentives, it is very encouraging
to see so many vendors sign up to the Racing Post Yearling Bonus Scheme, a
wonderful example of the bloodstock industry working together through
challenging times. Goffs graduates won more Breeze-Up Bonuses than any other
sales company and we are confident that our yearling buyers will be major
beneficiaries of this excellent incentive. The Goffs Millions races were an
unprecedented success, however they were very much of their time and it’s widely
acknowledged that such races have a limited shelf life.
“The Yearling Bonus Scheme will see a far broader range of buyers rewarded
and Goffs are delighted to have been involved and to have supported the concept
from its infancy. We are extremely optimistic for this catalog and are confident that buyers will be
impressed with the real value and real quality on offer.”
Full catalog and updates can be found at goffs.com.