Goffs Orby Sale Gets Off to Sobering Start

Plenty will have been left wondering if they were witnessing the new normal at Doncaster Sept. 30 as the relocated Goffs Orby Sale got off to a sobering start compared to the giddy highs seen in recent years.

It almost goes without saying that a great deal has changed, within the racing and breeding world and far beyond, since Day 1 of last year's Orby Sale, when 11 lots fetched €400,000 or more and three yearlings broke into seven-figure territory at Kildare Paddocks. Just two lots occupied the same price bracket Wednesday. 

Tellingly, all but two of the buyers who signed for those headline lots last year were absent in South Yorkshire, with names such as Godolphin, Shadwell, and Westerberg missing from the list of purchasers.

Year-on-year comparisons are not straightforward given fluctuations in currency, and given the sale is only at the halfway point, the trends in evidence Wednesday remain subject to change.

But the bare facts show that turnover reached £11,504,000 (US$14,788,842), having been €23,059,500 ($25,133,204) at the corresponding session in 2019 (a drop of close to 45%). The average was £69,720 ($89,629), compared to €123,315 ($134,402) last year (down 38%), and the median was £50,000 ($64,277), against €75,000 ($81,745) 12 months ago (down 27%).

However, a clearance rate of 81%, with 165 of 203 offered yearlings changing hands, suggests vendors were prepared to meet the demands of the current market.

Last year's Orby Sale was topped by the Galileo filly out of Green Room who went the way of Coolmore's M.V. Magnier at €3 million ($3,279,929). This time around, the mare's Sea The Stars filly had been widely expected to prove the star attraction.

However, it could perhaps be read as reflective of vendors' wider fortunes that the half sibling (Lot 176) to Forever Together, Together Forever, and Lord Shanakill  was bought back by her breeders, Vimal and Gillian Khosla, at £775,000 ($996,293).

Despite failing to sell, Gillian Khosla was looking to the future with the well-related youngster. She said: "We'll keep her and will be sending her to Jessie Harrington. We think the filly is wonderful, we like her very much, and it's such a great family. There are lots of her siblings who are with brilliant owners and breeders, so the family is only going to progress even further.

"It's nice to keep a part of the family who's by a brilliant stallion. Hopefully we'll have a lot of fun on the track, and when she retires from racing, she'll be a great broodmare prospect. I'm looking forward to many years with her."

She added of the filly's dam: "Green Room has been wonderful to us. She's barren at the moment, but she'll be visiting a stallion early in the season next year. We're still thinking about which one at the moment."

Stateside Spirit

The session's highest price came early on when Ben McElroy went to £420,000 ($539,927) for the 10th lot into the ring, the Invincible Spirit colt (Lot 12) out of Aimhirgin Lass offered by the Irish National Stud.

McElroy revealed he had been acting on behalf of Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables, with the colt now set to follow in the footsteps of Campanelle, whom the agent purchased for the same connections last year before the daughter of Kodiac plundered the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) and the Darley Prix Morny (G1).

"He's been bought for the same connections as Campanelle," said McElroy. "He'll go back to Ian Brennan at Stonestreet's training facility in Florida and then head to Wesley Ward in the spring. Hopefully he'll be a Royal Ascot horse, too. He's a very athletic colt, a great mover, just a really nice horse. He's going to stand up well when he gets in amongst the American horses."

The colt was bred by the Irish National Stud from Aimhirgin Lass, a Pivotal sibling to group 3-winning Yellow Rosebud and listed scorer Seeharn. McElroy added that Wednesday was not the first time he had crossed paths with this family.

He said: "I know the family well as I was actually the underbidder on Yellow Rosebud as a yearling at Goffs years ago, and Seeharn was a very talented filly when she was with Kevin Prendergast. I remember seeing this horse's brother last year, too."

McElroy also said of his transatlantic talent search: "The first year we came over here, we bought a filly called Windracer, who actually beat Love in a maiden, and then that carried on into last year when we bought Campanelle. This colt is the same type physically—he's got that wow factor. I was hoping he'd cost less, but it is what it is."

The result was a big one for the Irish National Stud, who not only bred the colt but bred and raced Aimhirgin Lass, who carried the colors of the Irish president to two successes.

"He's always been a lovely colt, right from the moment he was born," said a delighted Cathal Beale, the chief executive of the Irish National Stud. "It's very exciting for the stud as he's a real Irish National homebred. Aimhirgin Lass has another lovely colt by Invincible Spirit on the ground and is back in foal to Phoenix of Spain, as is her dam, Nebraas."

Jack Naylor Sibling in Demand

Turning pinhooking profit was not entirely straightforward given the prevailing market conditions, but a hefty touch was landed when the Dark Angel half sister to Jack Naylor (Lot 153), a €260,000 ($288,037) foal purchase by BBA Ireland, was knocked down for £400,000 ($514,216).

Goffs' marketing director, Joey Cullen, taking instructions on the phone in the bidders' area, clashed with Michael Donohoe until a final £5,000 raise saw the former party strike the decisive blow. Cullen explained he had been acting on behalf of CBR Bloodstock, who have not yet decided on a trainer but plan to race the filly in Britain or Ireland.

The March foal is out of the listed-winning Nashwan mare Fashionable, whose five winners are headed by Jack Naylor, who landed a brace of group 3s during her time in training with Jessica Harrington.

"Joey had asked me for some information on the filly a while ago," said David Cox, whose Baroda Stud consigned the filly. "She's brought a good price, so we're happy. We've had her at home this year and she's a lovely filly. I hope she's lucky for her new owners."

McStay Shows Stamina

The session's third-top lot came late in the day when Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock saw off Jake Warren and Michael Donohoe with a bid of £350,000 ($449,939) for the Invincible Spirit colt out of Kate The Great (Lot 221) offered by Airlie Stud.

The colt was listed as a sibling to two group winners in the catalog, namely John Guest Bengough Stakes (G3) scorer Eastern Impact and Alywow Stakes victress Miss Katie Mae, while another sibling, Summerghand, had enhanced the page further by adding a group 3 placing since the entries were published.

"He's a beautiful horse, and the mare has produced three stakes horses," said McStay. "Invincible Spirit needs no introduction. He's a wonderful sire and a stallion I have a huge fondness for.

"He looks like a fast horse, and Anthony Rogers just said to me he felt he was one of the best horses they've ever bred—that's high praise coming from such a fantastic farm. He's been bought for an old family friend who's an existing client. A trainer will be decided on at a later date. I'm delighted to get him."

Mehmas Marches On

The blistering start to the stallion career of Tally-Ho Stud's Mehmas has been one of the season's key themes, with the son of Acclamation having sired the likes of Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes (G1) hero Supremacy, Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack (G2) victor Minzaal, and the listed winners Acklam Express and Method among his 33 successful sons and daughters.

Agent Hugo Merry jumped on the Mehmas bandwagon Wednesday when going to £330,000 ($424,228) for a well-related filly (Lot 51) offered by The Castlebridge Consignment.

The March-born foal was bred by HRI chairman Nicky Hartery from the Street Sense  mare Big Boned, the dam of group 3-winning K Club and listed-placed Back To Brussels.

"She's a bit of an obvious pick given her pedigree and being by a hugely successful first-season sire," said Merry. "She'll be a breeding prospect in the long term, but the client should have a lot of fun racing her as she looks a very fast filly. She's been bought for a new client of mine, and no trainer has been picked yet."

On the start to Mehmas's stud career, Merry added: "I missed a few of the Mehmases that I liked last year as I thought some were a bit small, but he's not over big himself and his runners are winning all over the place at the moment.

"Whether they make 3-year-olds we'll have to see, but he's off to a hell of a start, so we have to get on board. We've always been a fan of Dark Angel, and Mehmas is another by Acclamation and out of a Machiavellian mare."

Juddmonte in Action

Although the likes of Godolphin and Shadwell were absent from the purchasers' sheet, and Coolmore's M.V. Magnier signed for just the one lot, another superpower made their presence felt as Juddmonte Farms made a rare public purchase when going to £280,000 ($359,951) for the Kingman filly out of Knocknagree (Lot 228) offered by Croom House Stud.

The well-bred filly's page is replete with black type, not least as her dam is a winning Galileo half sibling to the likes of Zoffany, Rostropovich, and Wilshire Boulevard.

"She's a beautiful filly, a very easy mover with height and scope," said Juddmonte's stud director, Simon Mockridge. "Kingman has had a fantastic year and she comes from a great Croom House family.

"As you can see from the pedigree, they've always been great supporters of our stallions, with Zoffany being by Dansili and Rostropovich being by Frankel. It's a family we love, and what more could you want than a Kingman out of a Galileo mare? She's faultless."

The Goffs Orby Sale concludes Thursday with a session starting at 10 a.m. local time.