Dozen Horses Change Hands at Goffs London Sale

Topped by the sale of German group 2-placed Lockheed, Goffs reported a dozen horses sold for gross receipts of £4,525,000 (US$5,776,980) at its fourth London Sale held June 19 at The Orangery, Kensington Palace.

The sale-topper, a 3-year-old son of Exceed and Excel, was purchased for £900,000 (US$1,150,020) by Australian agent Chris McAnulty on behalf of Hong Kong-based owner Henry Cheng Kar Shun. The colt sold by the China Horse Club had been in training with William Haggas and finished second in the Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen Two Thousand Guineas (G2).

McNulty said Lockheed will be gelded and will remain in the United Kingdom several months before being sent to trainer John Size in Hong Kong and raced by the new owner, who was making his first purchase at a European sale.

The average for the sale was £377,083 (US$481,414), with a median of £340,000 (US$434,071).

"We're delighted with the fourth renewal of the London sale," said Goffs CEO Henry Beeby. "We welcomed a huge international audience once again to the Orangery at Kensington Palace, which got Royal Ascot week kicked off in some style. Spirited bidding saw the key statistics advance with average rising by 26% to over £375,000, and the median was up almost 80% to £340,000. These figures speak for themselves and demonstrate the enormous hunger for the quality and class that is offered at the sale."

Leicester City Football Club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was leading buyer with six horses bought for £2,050,000 (US$2,617,190), with five of those purchases entered in the Royal Ascot meet that began June 20.

Top purchase by Srivaddhanaprabha, represented in London by SackvilleDonald's Alistair Donald, was listed winner Straight Right, who brought £450,000 (US$574,506) and is scheduled to run in the group 1 Commonwealth Cup June 23 for trainer Christophe Ferland.

"He has been looking to expand his interest in racing for a while and was keen to have greater presence at the Royal meeting," Donald said.

Head of the King Power Group, which operates duty free shops, Srivaddhanaprabha's horses run in the name of Abudiencia Co Ltd, and include the Andrew Balding-trained Beat The Bank, who is scheduled to run in the June 21 Jersey Stakes (G3)at Ascot.

Srivaddhanaprabha's other purchases scheduled to run at Ascot this week are listed Sandringham Handicap prospect Tisbutadream (£400,000; $510,672) from David Elsworth's stable; Twin Star (£260,000; $331,937), the Sheila Lavery-trained gelding who runs in Thursday's listed King George V Handicap; Jessica Harrington's Albany Stakes (G3) hopeful Whitefountainfairy (£300,000; $383,004); and the Michael O'Callaghan-trained listed Queen's Vase (G2) contender Night Of Glory (£340,000; $434,071).