State Of Rest Filly Flies High On Day One Of The Orby Book 2 Sale At Goffs

[Wandering Eyes]

KILDARE, IRELAND – Bloodstock agents Richard Ryan and Federico Barberini provided the entertainment at Goffs on Wednesday when going hammer and tongs on a State Of Rest filly consigned by Castlebridge, who went the way of the latter for €150,000.

Ryan opened the bidding at €50,000 on the State Of Rest filly and, despite making one last lunge at auctioneer Andrew Nolan before the hammer fell, his instruction on the phone came too late and he was forced to fill the runner-up spot on the most expensive lot sold on day one of the Book 2 session of the Orby. 

The State Of Rest filly was bred by Horse Racing Ireland chairman and Caherass Stud owner Nicky Hartery and is understood to be heading to England, where she will be trained on behalf of owner Mrs Alanood Althani, who has a number of horses with Andrew Balding. 

Barberini said, “State Of Rest was a very good racehorse and I have been impressed by the yearlings I have seen by him. This was a particularly nice filly and she has been bought by Mrs Alanood Althani, who has a number of horses in training in Britain. I am not sure what the plans for this filly are at the moment but she is very nice and the client is very happy to have bought her.”

The State Of Rest filly is out of Sea The Stars mare Duchess Of Danzig, who carried Hartery's colours victory in France. She also placed in a Listed race over 1m2f. She led what was more bustling trade at Kildare Paddocks this week. 

Of the 219 horses that were offered, 185 were sold at a clearance rate of 84% – which was up by 10% on last year. The €4,853,500 turnover was also up by a massive 27% on last year's figures. Meanwhile, there were further rises to the median, which at €20,000 was up 33% while the €26,236 average climbed 24%.

In-Form Farrell Goes To 120k To Secure Too Darn Hot Colt

Breeze-up handler Cormac Farrell has enjoyed a banner year with Arqana graduate Distant Storm (Night Of Thunder), who is no bigger than 3-1 for the Dewhurst and is high up on the ante-post betting for next year's 2,000 Guineas, flying the flag in a big way.

Farrell was active during the Book 1 session, spending a combined sum of €200,000 on a Mehmas colt and a filly by New Bay. Signing alongside American agent Deuce Greathouse, Farrell added a Too Darn Hot colt to his team for 2026 for €120,000,

He said, “Saw him a couple of times, he vetted very well. He has a nice pedigree, he's out of a daughter of a multiple Group 1 winner and very good horse in Taghrooda. I liked his pedigree and I liked the horse. When we get to Newmarket a horse with that profile will be making that in sterling all day long.”

Farrell added, “He'll go breezing, I don't know where. Kind of assuming Arqana but we'll figure that out as the season goes on and see what he tells us he wants to do.

“The price was probably a little bit stronger than I wanted it to be but that's been the nature of the year. I'm envisaging things will go up another level when we get to Newmarket next week, so I was keen to spend euros. We'll see.”

The Derrinstown Stud draft was well-received with four horses selling for €270,000. 

The stud's Stephen Collins said, “Thrilled with the price. He was a lovely horse, a lovely active individual; a horse who has improved throughout the year. Too Darn Hot has done particularly well, but he was a horse that everyone seemed to like and made most people's list. Yeah, we are delighted with the price.”

He added, “We sell a few every year. We have tight budgets and so we have to keep our numbers fairly tight as well. This horse, we liked him, and in years gone by he probably would have been retained, but again, we have to try to make a profit every year and so we can't keep them all. I am sorry to see him go because he is a very nice horse. The trade has been great. When you look at the past few weeks, it is great to see so many foreign buyers coming in. There have been nice horses and today has held up very well.”

Twomey: 'There Were Some Lovely Horses Here – It Was A Fair Marketplace'

On the strength of My Corbett Court (Nando Parrado) winning and taking part in the Goffs Million, siblings Anna and Declan Corbett revisited the yearling market with Paddy Twomey, who went to €85,000 to secure a colt by first-season sire sensation Starman from Killulla Stud. 

The aim for the Starman colt is a simple one; get his connections, who own the Corbett Court restaurant in County Cork, to some of the big days next year. 

Twomey said, “I thought he was a good colt – an athletic two-year-old type. A big draw to shopping at this sale is the €50,000 bonus attached to winning your maiden and this horse could be strong enough to hopefully run in the Goffs Million next year. He has been bought on behalf of the owners [Anna and Declan Corbett] who had their first winner at Navan this year with My Corbett Court. They had a great day out when that horse ran at the Goffs Million and they asked me to buy them more of a two-year-old type. Hopefully we can get them to Ascot and then the Million – but hopefully he wins first and foremost.”

Twomey bought 11 yearlings between Book 1 and 2 at Goffs this week. He admitted to finding himself stretching beyond his comfort zone on a couple of yearlings so that they didn't escape his clutches, summarising the market to be in a very healthy position. 

He said, “We were lucky enough to be able to buy a number of horses in various different guises this week and I thought it was a fair marketplace. There were some lovely horses here and there was good trade – every time you put your hand up, you had to bid that extra bit to secure the horse. That's the sign of a healthy market. Not only were we lucky that a various number of owners backed us this week, but we also bought a number of horses on spec, which we always do. I think a lot of the owners are happy that, if you take a risk with your own money on a horse, you must have confidence in the horse. Some owners would be even happier to buy horses that way so we mix it up. We buy them to order for owners who might want particular things but, if I see a horse that I like for what I think is a fair price, I am happy to buy it and try to get it sold afterwards.”

Asked how he felt about being forced to stretch in what has been a booming marketplace in recent weeks, he added, “It's not comfortable. If you look at Fairyhouse last week, the average was up 49%, the median 59% and the clearance rate by 93%. That's unheard of. These rises have been going on for a couple of years now and it's great to see the horse business in such a healthy place – on the trading end of things at least. All we need now is the prize-money to catch up. Any horse I look at, I don't think about what they are worth. I bid on instinct and, when I think they are too expensive, I stop bidding. This is a horse I am hoping will be a good horse.”

Hassett A Big Fan Of Palace Pier

Johnny Hassett was another leading breeze-up-handler who got in on the action onWednesday. He went to €92,000 on Airlie Stud's Palace Pier colt and signed under Local Creator/Ramzi Alghul.

He commented, “Just loved him; love the sire – he is doing so well. His sister is in a Group 1 on Saturday [Consent in the Prix de Royallieu]. A Palace Pier that looks like that, what's not to like? He is going to breeze – the owners have bought three horses at the sale to breeze. He will come down to me. All the balls are up in the air.”

Hassett added, “It's great, he's bought, and it is brilliant to have a horse like him for less than €100,000. His type wasn't available like that for the last two days at that price and won't be in the next few weeks. It feels right now. When you get to the breeze-ups it's a meritocracy.”

Marnane Goes To 105k On “Absolute Superstar” Starman Colt

Like many buyers, Con Marnane admitted to being forced to stretch outside of his comfort zone after going to €105,000 to secure a Starman colt from Ballintry Stud. However, the Bansha Stables boss labelled the colt “an absolute superstar” and qualified the purchase by stating, “if you don't have the horses, you can't sell them at the breeze-ups.”

Asked what sale the Starman colt was likely to be aimed at, Marnane's daughter and key cog in the Bansha wheel, Amy, interjected, “Royal Ascot!”

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