Goffs stages its flagship Orby Sale over the next three days, hot on the
heels of the success of last year’s €125,000-graduate
Lightening Pearl (Marju) in Saturday’s Cheveley Park S. (Eng-G1) at Newmarket.
Over the past 12 months, the likes of Cape Blanco (Ire) (Galileo [Ire]) and
Dancing Rain (Danehill Dancer) have further advertized an auction which has long
enjoyed the limelight in the major European yearling calendar. Dancing Rain, who
followed her Epsom Oaks (Eng-G1) victory with more classic glory in the Preis
der Diana (Ger-G1), has a full-brother for sale from the draft of Camas Park
Stud. Hip No. 251 is seriously hot property, as his three-parts sister Sumora
(Danehill) is also the dam of this year’s two-year-old filly sensation Maybe
(Galileo [Ire]).
Dancing Rain is the latest classic/Group 1 winner to add to an Orby honor
roll that features Bethrah, Alexander Goldrun, Bachelor Duke, Elusive Wave,
Fleeting Spirit (Ire), Grandera, Halfway to Heaven, Lush Lashes, New Approach,
Red Rocks (Ire), Septimus (Ire), Scorpion (Ire) and Vinnie Roe.
Alongside the usual heavyweight sires are the first-crop names Big Brown,
Duke of Marmalade (Ire), Henrythenavigator, the aforementioned New Approach and
Raven’s Pass. There are three additions to the sale and they include Hip 136,
Tinnakill House’s Dalakhani half-sister to the 2009 Prix Marcel Boussac (Fr-G1)
runner-up On Verra (Smart Strike) and Mount Coote Stud’s Hip 297, an Oasis Dream
(GB) filly who is a close relation to the 2004 Irish Oaks (Ire-G1) third
Hazarista (Barathea [Ire]).
“Irish vendors have given us a very strong catalogue, with some close
relatives of some of the best horses in training this year,” Marketing Director
Joey Cullen said. “We’ve got a great team and we’ve worked very hard this year
in putting together a catalogue of exceptional horses. There is a varied
stallion profile and we have the only two Tapits for sale in Europe this year
alongside the Galileos, the Danehill Dancers and Oasis Dreams. We are offering
the creme de la creme of the yearlings in Europe this year, so we’d be very
hopeful that the sale will hold up strong.”
“It is my firm belief that this year’s offering is the best for quite some
time, both in terms of pedigree and individual,” Goffs Chief Executive Henry
Beeby commented. “On paper, our yearlings are by the most diverse sire profile
with all the big names well represented, whilst the dam lines are packed full of
classic winners and Group 1 siblings. The focus of Goffs’ yearling inspection
team has been very much on the horse and on providing buyers with a catalogue of
good-looking, well-conformed youngsters. This is the foundation of any
successful horse sale and the evidence would suggest that the formula is
working, as Goffs has sold a classic winner in each of the last eight seasons
with 10 individual Classics falling to Goffs graduates in just the last four
years.”
Selling gets underway Tuesday morning and full catalogue and updates are
available at www.goffs.com.