Solid Trade as ‘Jungle’ Colt Tops Sportsman’s

[Wandering Eyes]

KILL, Ireland–After two days of frenetic trade at the Orby Sale, activity was expected to drop a notch as the Sportsman’s Sale commenced on Thursday morning. However, the sale positively burst into life when the first yearling into the ring, lot 419, was knocked down to Church Farm for €90,000. The son of Bungle Inthejungle (GB) was offered by Rathasker Stud and his half-brother Aloysius Lilius (Ire) (Gregorian {Ire}) had broken his maiden since the catalogue went to print. Roger Marley of Church Farm is a major player in the breeze up sector and that is the route this colt will take.

“He was the stand out colt for us today and he will be back somewhere for the breeze ups next year,” Marley said. “The stallion has had a great year and the half-brother is a decent horse so we were keen to get him.”

After such a strong start it was always going to be tough to maintain that level of trade and indeed that opening price wasn’t matched or bettered throughout the day. At the close of business the figures were only slightly down on those from 2017 with the aggregate of €4,325,500 (down €500,000) gained from 228 of the 268 offered yearlings selling at a healthy clearance rate of 85%. Both the average of €18,971 (-9%) and median of €15,000 (-6%) came in a fraction below last year’s equivalents of €20,838 and €16,000 respectively.

In his closing statement Henry Beeby said, “After the historic events of the last two days, our Sportsman’s Sale was always going to struggle to compete for headlines. However, we have enjoyed a trade that, relatively speaking, has been solid if unspectacular. Given the backdrop leading into the week we have been satisfied with a day that has returned an acceptable clearance rate of 85% which clearly demonstrates a healthy interest from a large group of buyers from home and abroad. Indeed we have been delighted to welcome some significant buyers from across Europe and the Eastern Block following more hard work by the Goffs international network of agents alongside our friends at ITM. Equally gratifying has been the fresh faces from the UK training ranks that have flown in specifically for today. As ever we are supremely grateful for the support of our vendors and wish every buyer success on the racecourse.”

Bobby Keeps Busy

Bobby O’Ryan was one of the busiest buyers on the day making numerous purchases on behalf of various clients including a group of Polish owners and trainers encouraged to Goffs by its Central and Eastern European agent Kishore Mirpuri. Mirpuri accompanied 25 Polish horsemen to the sale and by early afternoon the group had already purchased 10 yearlings.

“We are hoping to get up to 22 in total,” he said. “Racing is going quite well in Poland at the moment so there is reasonable demand for horses. This sale offers plenty of the type that suits both our budget and our racing program.”

One of the Polish buyers in attendance was Mr. Janikowski, who used to train former Polish racing star Va Bank (Ire) (Archipenko) who landed his first stakes victory for current owners Team Valor when winning the G3 Preis der Deutschen at Hoppegarten earlier this week. Bobby O’Ryan’s most expensive purchase of the day was lot 446, a son of Zebedee (GB) offered by Eddie O’Leary’s Lynn Lodge Stud. The colt was bred by O’Leary’s brother Michael’s Gigginstown House Stud and O’Ryan was pushed to €50,000 to secure the half-brother to two winners who will join trainer Keith Dalgleish. The same agent/trainer combination struck again shortly after for another Westmeath reared yearling when purchasing lot 451 from Tally-Ho Stud for €30,000.

O’Ryan’s son Aidan wasn’t going to let his father hog all the limelight and he stepped up to buy lot 528, a filly by Acclamation (GB) from Glacken View Stud for €60,000. The filly is out of a winning half-sister to GI Beverly D S. winner Watsdachances (Ire) (Diamond Green {Fr}) who has bred two winners from two runners.

Cox’s Cunning Pays Off

Baroda & Colbinstown had a rewarding couple of days at the Orby and the consignors kept up the good work on Thursday when selling a homebred, lot 473 for €59,000 to Fozzy Stack. The filly, by Starspangledbanner (Aus), is the first produce of the unraced Showcasing (GB) mare Show Me Off (GB) who is a half-sister to the multiple stakes winner Lovelace (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}). The mare was purchased by the Davids, Cox and Myerscough at Tattersalls December Sale just under two years ago for 38,000gns in slightly unusual circumstances.

Recalling the event Cox explained, “We were stabled near the ring in Tattersalls and when the mare came up I could hear the auctioneer announcing that the mare was in fact carrying to Starspangledbanner despite it being listed in the catalogue that she was not in foal. So I hurried into the ring to try and buy her. Luke Barry also heard the announcement and he ended up as under bidder. It worked out well and it’s great the filly has gone to a good trainer in Fozzy Stack.”

Kevin and Anna Ross in conjunction with Jason Maguire have been busy this sales season stockpiling future talent for Paul and Clare Rooney and their investments were headed by a son of Society Rock (Ire) offered by Tally-Ho Stud as lot 487. Ross was pushed to €70,000 to acquire the March-born colt out of Something Magic (GB) (Proud Citizen), who was a 25,000gns purchase by Tally-Ho three years ago.

Just two lots earlier Ross had signed for lot 485, a son of Champs Elysees (GB) offered by Goffs Chairman Eimear Mulhern’s Abbevillle Stud.

Having successfully bid €55,000 for the colt Kevin Ross said, “He’s for the Rooneys, he’s a lovely horse with lots of presence. We bought a good horse by the sire last year called Getchagetchagetcha (GB), he is rated 102 and the dam of this colt has bred a winner from one runner so we were keen to add him to the team.”

Ross and his wife later snapped up a Dandy Man (Ire) filly (lot 554) from Lynn Lodge Stud for €50,000.

BBA Ireland Out In Force

The BBA Ireland team have been major contributors to trade in Goffs all week and that theme continued when Eamonn Reilly bid €50,000 for lot 504. The Dandy Man (Ire) colt was offered by The Castlebridge Consignment, having been bought by Bobby O’Ryan for €30,000 as a foal in the same ring last November.

Reilly’s colleague Patrick Cooper also struck when buying lot 536, a filly by Poet’s Voice (GB) from Mick and Ciara Carty’s Kilmoney Cottage Stud. The €55,000 purchase is a half-sister to Cross My Mind (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), a winner twice since the catalogue went to print for Ralph Beckett. Cooper made some very shrewd purchases at Goffs last year including the stakes performers Chicas Amigas (Ire) (Dragon Pulse {Ire}) and Sparkle’n’Joy (Ire) (Sepoy {Aus}) and it would be no surprise to see this filly carry the same colours next season.

The BBA’s Richard Fitzsimons was another to make his presence felt and he went to €50,000 to acquire lot 612, a grey filly by Dark Angel (Ire). Bred by the Grassicks of Newtown Stud the filly is now destined for France.

Fitzsimons explained, “I bought her for a Spanish owner called Javier Maldonado and she is going to France to be trained by Mauricio Delcher. I thought she was the best filly here today.”

Joe Foley has been active as vendor and purchaser over the three days and he acquired a speedily bred daughter of Bungle Inthejungle (GB) from Newlands House Stud for €65,000. Lot 557 will carry the ubiquitous Clipper Logistics silks next season.

“She is a lovely filly and out of a Cadeaux Genereux (GB) mare which I like,” said Foley. “The sire has had a great year and there was a lot to like about her. She will come back to Ballyhane to be broken and pre-trained and we’ll see how she is in the New Year before deciding on a trainer.”

Foley had earlier bought a Kodiac (GB) filly (lot 469) for €40,000 from Liam McAteer’s Woodtown House Stud and he was quick to acknowledge the strength of trade this week.

“Goffs have done a great job getting buyers here from all over the world,” he said. “The real top horses have stood out and have commanded a premium. The Orby was a very strong sale and that strength has carried through to today.”

Towards the end of the session Michael Fitzpatrick of JC Bloodstock outbid Andy Oliver to get lot 667 for €60,000. The filly, from Lumville Farm, was one of two in the sale by New Approach (Ire) and is from the family of Son Of Rest (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) who recently dead-heated in the valuable Ayr Gold Cup.

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