Good Start to Goffs as Invincible Power Tops First Day

Goffs kicked off their 2022 sales calendar with a robust day of trading which saw demand for young stock, both for the flat and national hunt, drive a buoyant marketplace.

All About Sunday Racing is making their first foray into ownership in Britain with the sale-topping Invincible Power (Lot 27B). The 4-year-old Great Pretender gelding will resume his racing career with Donald McCain, following Darren McGrath's €150,000 (US$171,516) purchase of the French-bred who was third over hurdles on his debut at Nantes in October for Pierre-Jean Fertillet.

McGrath, who believes Invincible Power could lead to an expansion of their operation across the Irish Sea, said: "He's the first horse of ours to go to Donald McCain; we were over there last week and it's a super set-up. He's a wonderful trainer and I think we've found the right horse. He's a lovely mover and I think he'll end up looking cheap.

"I think he could be the first of many horses we send to Donald over the coming years. We have built up a nice relationship with him and it's something we'll be looking to do."

Invincible Power is the first foal out of the Network mare Coronet and was bred by Pascal Noue. Coronet's dam Saoma was successful on the flat in France at 3 and is a Laveron half sister to the dam of Punchestown grade 1 novice hurdle winner Cilaos Emery from the family of So Young and Urano, who were both, like Cilaos Emery, trained by Willie Mullins for Luke McMahon.

The success of French-breds at last weekend's Dublin Racing Festival, where the likes of Chacun Pour Soi, Blue Lord, Galopin des Champs, and Vauban  won grade 1 contests, reinforced just why owners and agents are keen to get their hands on young French horses.

McGrath added: "We really liked his temperament; he's the type of horse that carries himself well and when we went to see him nothing was bothering him. We looked at him yesterday and again this morning, and he just seemed to be a very relaxed horse. 

"He has size and scope and his form in France is good, everyone is chasing horses with French form. We think he'll do really well over the next few seasons, without a doubt."

Shadwell Pedigrees Prove Popular 

The ongoing reduction of Shadwell stock continues to be a massive draw for buyers and it was no different at Goffs on Tuesday, with three of the seven most expensive horses sold by Derrinstown Stud.

All three were 2-year-olds and Clare Manning of Boherguy Stud struck for a beautifully bred son (Lot 99) of her grandfather Jim Bolger's European champion 2-year-old Teofilo  at €135,000 ($154,364). 

He is out of Fleeting Smile, who won twice at 2 for the Hannon team and the late Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum. Fleeting Smile is a Distorted Humor  half sister to Indyan Giving, the unraced dam of Game Winner  , the U.S. champion 2-year-old colt of 2018, and the Churchill Downs Stakes Presented by Ford (G1) winner Flagstaff . The second dam is Fleet Indian , a dual grade 1 winner who was champion older female in the U.S. in 2006.

Manning's Boherguy Stud turned consignor for one of the highlights of the weanling session, a Dark Angel  colt (Lot 186) out of the group 3-placed Pleasemetoo , a Vale of York  half sister to the group 3 winner Siyoushake , who was also placed in the Darley Prix Jean Romanet (G1) and Prix Rothschild (G1), and to group 3 winner Skyward . Second dam Shakeyourbody is a winning Giant's Causeway sister to Suburban Handicap (G1) winner Frost Giant .

The colt was purchased by Peter and Ross Doyle on behalf of the increasingly active Najd Stud for €82,000 ($93,762).

Teofilo supplied the most expensive filly (Lot 52) of the session, a daughter of the group 3-placed Reyaadah , who was purchased by Patrick Prendergast for €80,000 ($91,475). Reyaadah has already produced the Pontefract Castle Stakes third Tamreer  to New Approach  and, like this filly, Tamreer is inbred to the great Allegretta.

The successful bidder said: "I bought her for a client who is looking for something to race with broodmare potential and this filly fitted the bill. We think she could be very smart. She'll be trained by Kevin Prendergast."

Waldgeist Remains All the Rage 

The first foals of Ballylinch Stud's Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) hero Waldgeist  made quite the impression in sales rings before Christmas and that positive start was sustained here, with the only two foals in the session by the son of Galileo selling well.

Both were consigned by Ballylinch Stud, which is establishing itself as arguably the most significant independent stallion farm in Europe, with a roster of exciting young stallions looking destined for the top.

First of their Waldgeist yearlings through the ring was a half brother to Brown Sugar  and Burnt Sugar , who won successive renewals of the Sirenia Stakes (G3) for the Hannon team. 

Their dam Lady Livius was fourth in the listed Kilvington Fillies' Stakes and is a half sister to the granddams of two classy juveniles from 2021—Oscula , who won the Prix Six Perfections Sky Sports Racing (G3), and Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef (G2) winner Wings of War . The late April foal (Lot 122) was bought by Baroda Stud for €50,000 ($57,172).

The second of the duo ended the day as the most expensive yearling sold during the first session, when making €85,000 ($97,192) to Ronald Raucsher, who revealed the colt (Lot 160) will be returning to the land of his ancestors.

"This horse is very nice, not exactly a pinhooker's foal, but he's for an end-user in Germany so is going back to his homeland," he said. 

"He has a very good demeanor and a very good step to him, which I liked a lot. He has a nice frame and is an excellent advertisement for the sire, and well-presented by Ballylinch, needless to say. The page is strong so basically he had it all and I hope he's going to be lucky."

That page is one of Ballylinch's most prolific sources of black-type success. The colt is a half brother to the group 3-placed filly Moteo  out of Modeeroch, a triple listed winner by Mozart. She is a three-parts sister to the Betfair Cheveley Park (G1) and Peugeot Lowther Stakes (G2)-placed Danaskaya, who is the dam of group 1 winner and sire Belardo  and the Scandinavian group 3 winner Berling .

McConnell Hoists the Flag 

With the flat season looming ever closer, and anticipation growing about this year's crop of first-season sires, plenty of trainers were at Goffs to stock up on 2-year-olds.

John McConnell was one of them and he landed on a colt from the first crop of European champion 2-year-old and champion 3-year-old sprinter U S Navy Flag .

Offered as part of a dispersal of the late Garrett Freyne's stock, the colt (Lot 83) is the second foal out of Boca Raton, a winner at 3 in France and an Approve  half sister to the Darley Irish Oaks (G1) third Lady's Secret.

McConnell said: "He's for a new client, Jimmy Fyffe, and I thought he was an impressive physical specimen. The sire has every chance of making it and this colt was well-liked where he came from. He's taken a bit of time to come to hand but I think he's one to look forward to." 

The first session of the 2022 Goffs February Sale closed with an aggregate of €2,124,700 ($2,429,470) from 105 sold, which represented a clearance rate of 65%. The average was €20,235 ($23,137) and the median €10,000 ($11,434). There was not an equivalent sale in 2021 due to the pandemic, while previous iterations were two-day affairs.

The second of three sessions starts at 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday.