Snowflakes Tops Goffs Breeding Stock Sale

[Wandering Eyes]

KILDARE, Ireland—Snowflakes (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), with a dappled grey coat resembling her name, led the way on the first day of the Goffs Breeding Stock Sale, selling to American interests through BBA Ireland for 525,000gns.

Ballylinch Stud’s John O’Connor made a pretty concerted attempt to secure the 4-year-old sister to multiple Group 1 winner Winter (Ire), but Eamon Reilly answered his every bid until the hammer came down on lot 997 in his client’s favour.

“She’s for an American breeder who keeps mares in Ireland so she will stay here,” said the agent.

Snowflakes, who was sold with a Feb. 28 cover to U S Navy Flag, could not live up to the dazzling racing career of her year-older sister, with a Cork maiden victory at three being her sole success from 10 starts for Aidan O’Brien. Her dam Laddies Poker Two (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) has been mated exclusively with Galileo since retiring to stud, and another sister Frosty (Ire) is also a winner, while the juvenile Lovelier (Ire) is in training and yet to race.

From last year’s slightly tamer opening session, trade perked up significantly despite a significant number of withdrawals. Turnover improved from 79% to 86%, with the 185 fillies and mares sold on the day brining an aggregate of €7,699,300, which was up by 30%. The average of €41,618 was up by 19% and the median increased by 28% to €23,000.

Princesses For Barronstown
Barronstown Stud’s purchase of Bridal Dance (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) at Goffs four years ago for €260,000 has brought yet another group winner for the Nagles via her son Royal Dornoch (Ire), a first-crop G2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge S. winner for Gleneagles (Ire) this season. So it was perhaps no surprise that Diane Nagle elected to buy Bridal Dance’s daughter Qatar Princess (Ire) (Marju {Ire}), particularly as she has made a flying start to her stud career with her first foal Flaming Princess (Ire) (Hot Streak {Ire}) winning a listed race this term as well as being placed in the G3 Prix d’Arenberg.

Bidding through Reiley McDonald, the breeder went to €330,000 for the 8-year-old mare (lot 873), offered in foal to Free Eagle (Ire) by Linacre House Stud. As well as Gleneagles, Qatar Princess is also a half-sister to the tough filly Hawksmoor (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), whose six victories include four group races.

Nagle’s purchases for the day also included Steel Princess (Ire) (Danehill), the 18-year-old dam of GI Pattison Canadian International winner Sarah Lynx (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) as well as G3 Betfair Classic Trial winner Sugar Boy (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) and recent Melbourne Cup starter, the listed winner Steel Prince (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}). Now in foal to No Nay Never, the group-winning mare was bought for €180,000.

McDonald has earlier signed for Height Of Elegance (Ire) (lot 861) at €210,000, the 7-year-old mare having been included in the partial dispersal of the stock of the late Peter Magnier.

“The plan is to bring some Galileo mares back to America,” said the agent. “I’ve been doing that in small doses over the last ten years and it seemed like a good opportunity to come to a sale like this to find some.”

The mare’s first foal, the 3-year-old Zofelle (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), won on debut at two for Hugo Palmer and was transferred to the states this year to join Brendan Walsh, for whom she won a Keeneland allowance race last month.

Collectors’ Items
A half-sister to champion filly Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) was the pick of a select draft from Kiltinan Castle Stud, sold on behalf of the Niarchos family for €300,000 to John McCormack for an undisclosed client.

The 3-year-old Etoile Filante (GB) (lot 950), by So You Think (NZ), did not make the racecourse and was covered this spring by her sibling’s sire Mastercraftsman. With Miesque as her third dam it’s a family full of black type, including another group-winning half-sister, Alpine Star (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), who landed the G2 Debutante S. on just her third start for Jessica Harrington, and half-brother Tenth Star (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), a listed winner and runner-up in the G2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge S.

Pivotal (GB) mares are rightly in demand and though Danseuse d’Etoile (Ire) (lot 972) was unraced, the fact that she’s a three-parts-sister to GI Natalma S. runner-up Walk In Marrakesh (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) from a family ripe with black-type winners, including this year’s dual Guineas heroine Hermosa (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), makes her an enticing prospect. Offered in foal to Fast Company (Ire) from Mount Coote Stud, the 4-year-old finally exited the ring after Laurent Benoit placed the winning bid of 230,000gns, and she will continue her career in France.

Diamond Collection
Imad Al Sagar of Blue Diamond Stud was active through the foal sale in support of his homebred stallion Decorated Knight (GB) and he has continued that support into the mares’ sale. The owner-breeder bought six mares for €645,000 on Thursday, including the well-bred Rivercat (GB) (lot 910), a daughter of Kitten’s Joy in foal to Raven’s Pass. At €200,000, the 4-year-old was the most expensive of the 22-strong Godolphin draft which added €1,038,000 to the day’s takings.

Al Sagar later signed for two daughters of Shamardal from the same consignment, bidding €90,000 for Penlight (Ire), an unraced half-sister to Dubai World Cup winner Monterosso (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) (lot 927).

He also went into partnership with the Irish National Stud to buy the G1 Prix de l’Abbaye winner Gilt Edge Girl (GB) (Monsieur Bond {Ire}) (lot 949) whose previous foray in the Goffs ring as part of the Paulyn Dispersal in 2013 saw her sold to the Niarchos family for €550,000. This time around the hammer came down at €200,000 for the 13-year-old whose sole scorer to date is the listed winner Time’s Arrow (Ire) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}). She has a yearling colt by Frankel (GB) to come, as well as a filly foal by Ulysses (Ire), and she was sold in foal to Saxon Warrior (Jpn). Her next mating will be with Decorated Knight.

Stellar Purchase
Copplestone (Ire) (lot 839) was the early leader as the breeding stock sale got underway on Thursday. The unraced 3-year-old daughter of Sea The Stars (Ire) was sold carrying her first foal by Camelot (GB), with Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland going to €150,000 on behalf of Kevin Blessing of Summerseat Stables.

“Kevin has six or seven mares and is looking to upgrade his stock,” Donohoe said. “She was very good physically and is a nice young mare from a good family with an attractive cover.”

Consigned by co-breeder Tinnakill House, Copplestone is a full-sister to G3 Ballyroan S. winner and Irish Derby-placed Stellar Mass (Ire). Their dam Juno Marlowe (Ire) (Danehill) was bought from Peter Harris’s Pendley Farm Dispersal for 31,000gns back in 2010 and is a sister to Leporello (Ire).

Yeguada Continues Spending Spree
There was a good turnout of visitors from France, Italy and Spain at Goffs this week and they included Leopoldo Fernández Pujals of Yeguada Centurion, who had been a major buyer during Keeneland’s November Sale, signing for 16 mares to the tune of $3.3 million.

The Spanish owner-breeder added another nine mares from Goffs to his burgeoning breeding operation, led by a Halling half-sister to dual Derby winner Harzand (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). The 11-year-old Haziyna (Ire) (lot 938) was sold from the Aga Khan Studs draft in foal to Juddmonte newcomer Expert Eye (GB).

Through Outsider Bloodstock, Fernandez Pujals was active at last year’s November Sale and bought the top-priced foal, a daughter of Kingman (GB) at €350,000, as well as a half-sister to another of the Aga Khan’s dual Derby winners, Sinndar (Ire), for €210,000 at the mares’ sale.

 

 

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