Ireland takes centre stage with Tattersalls Sapphire Sale [Nov 14], the first breeding stock auction of the European season, ahead of showpiece sale at Goffs with foal catalogue [Nov 18-21] before fillies and broodmares take over on Nov 22-23
A strong closing quarter to the yearling sale circuit came as something of a welcome surprise, and means the bloodstock industry heads into breeding stock season with a renewed sense of optimism.
But the level of investment witnessed at the flagship sales at Goffs and Tattersalls is far from the only source of hope. There are foal and mare catalogues of strength in depth for buyers to sift through. And, as ever, it all starts in Ireland.
The main event so far as Ireland is concerned is undoubtedly the Goffs November Sale, with the foal catalogue running over four days from Monday to Thursday [Nov 18-21] while fillies and broodmares take centre stage during the Friday and Saturday [Nov 22-23] that follow. Deep pedigrees and big sire power is evident throughout.
There are 1,378 foals, fillies and mares entered throughout the November Sale, but none catch the eye quite as much as Lot 1,184. Gouache is the dam of three winners, most notably this year’s King George hero Goliath.
The well-bred daughter of Shamardal, who is being offered by Millennium Stud, is making a fairly swift return to the sales ring having been purchased less than 12 months ago by a Rotterdam-based investor operating under the banner of Agrolexica International Trading BV.
Agent Ananias Antoniadis was responsible for unearthing Gouache, who is now worth many multiples of the €200,000 she cost at Arqana last December.
Explaining how he landed on Gouache, Antoniadis says: “When trying to buy broodmares I’m always looking for pedigrees with the potential to improve, and German pedigrees tend to improve with age, as do sons of Adlerflug.
“Therefore Gouache was very appealing on pedigree, particularly her covering with Blackbeard and that Goliath was in training with Monsieur [Francis-Henri] Graffard, who I’m a big fan of.
“Confirmation is also key, but finding a mare with class is something I always search for and Gouache has tons of class as an individual. It’s always a great sign when you know in a few steps after leaving the stable that you like the horse. Gouache is a very athletic mare, she has great size and scope – room to breed a good horse, and she has certainly done that!”
Gouache was bought in-foal to Blackbeard and duly delivered a filly on March 27 this year. She is being reoffered in-foal to former world #1 Baaeed, who won six G1s during his illutsrious career.
Antoniadis says that resale was not part of the initial plan when Gouache was purchased, rather that subsequent events had led the owners to this option.
“The plan with Gouache was to breed elite racehorses, this is always the aim,” he says. “It has been a combination of things that has made us consider selling her.
“The fact that Goliath has become such a champion is the main one, but also the fact that we have the Blackbeard filly foal at home means that even if we sell Gouache, we will continue to have a big part of the pedigree. She’s a very good-looking foal and is very exciting herself. Joe Rogers and Ballintry Stud, where she boards, do a great job.”
Expanding on what prompted the cover to Baaeed, Antoniadis adds: “I’m a big fan of Baaeed. He was the highest-rated horse in Europe in over a decade and Goliath is the highest-rated older horse in the world currently – we thought it was a perfect match. The resulting foal will have a lot to live up to!”
When Antoniadis signed for Gouache, Goliath was catalogued as a Listed-winning three-year-old. He has now won three more races, namely the G3 Prix d'Hedouville, the King George, in which he slammed subsequent Arc heroine Bluestocking, and the G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris.
Whoever buys Gouache could receive an almost immediate pedigree update too, as Goliath is set to contest in the Japan Cup on November 24, less than 48 hours after his dam is offered at Goffs.
“It has been unbelievable watching Goliath progress this season,” Antoniadis says. “When Goliath won the King George, I couldn’t talk for 15 minutes! I can get pretty emotional cheering him on. It’s such a privilege to be trusted to help source elite horses and King George day was a historic day for me.”
Antoniadis adds: “I can’t wait for the November Sales. I’ve been coming to the sale for decades but this year it will be different. Goffs have done a great job in selling high-profile mares before, such as last year's Niarchos draft.
“They excel at selling the best so we were delighted for them to sell the dam of the best horse in training. There’s a lot of pressure in consigning such a high-profile lot, but I have been in the business a long time and it’s going to be an interesting week.”
Of course, Gouache’s presence is not the only thing set to make this an interesting week. The calibre of broodmares on offer during the two days of the November Breeding Stock Sale is illustrated by progeny of previous graduates winning eight G1 races across seven different countries in 2024.
These include Prix Morny hero Whistlejacket, the second G1 winner out of Adventure Seeker after Phoenix Stakes scorer Little Big Bear, a €125,000 pick-up from the Wildenstein dispersal.
Donnacha O'Brien’s brilliant three-year-old filly Porta Fortuna landed this year’s Coronation, Falmouth and Matron Stakes, adding to her victories in last year’s Fillies’ Mile and Albany Stakes. Despite the scale of her talent, her dam Too Precious was picked up by the trainer’s sister Ana for just €11,500 at the 2019 November Sale.
Fidaaha also came from the value end of the market when signed for by Tally-Ho Stud at €15,000 in 2017, but that has not stopped her breeding the G2-winning Malavath, Horris Hill Stakes scorer Knight and this year’s National Stakes hero Scorthy Champ. Fidaaha was sold by Shadwell, as was Atab, a €35,000 signing by De Burgh Equine who bred Japanese G1 winner Lugal.
White Daffodil was another savvy buy as she cost Yeomanstown Stud €28,000 in 2010. She later bred back-to-back Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes scorer Khaadem.
There is an international element to this particular roll of honour, too. Folk Melody was picked out from the Godolphin draft by Blandford Bloodstock at a cost of €82,000 in 2016; her Hong Kong-based celebrity son Romantic Warrior won three more elite races this calendar year, taking his total to eight and prize-money earnings beyond the £15m mark.
David Redvers also dipped into the Godolphin draft that same year, and landed Potent Embrace with a bid of €150,000. The daughter of Street Cry is now remembered as the dam of New Century, who struck in the G1 Summer Stakes at Woodbine.
The mare also produced a full-brother to New Century in 2023, and he became the most expensive colt ever sold at Book 2 of Tattersalls’ October Yearling Sale when bought by Godolphin for 1,000,000gns.
Kaladena, dam of G1 Tancred Stakes winner Kalapour, was sold through the Aga Khan draft in 2022, where Kelly Equine signed the docket at €30,000.
Moreover, many of the breeders who sold these G1-winning mares are selling again at this year’s November Sale, with the Aga Khan Studs offering 22 lots, Godolphin presenting 27 and Shadwell’s Derrinstown operation represented by five.
Big pedigrees also abound in the November Foal Sale. These include the Sea The Stars brothers to Prix Vermeille winner Teona (566) and champion older mare Emily Upjohn (641); the Camelot half-brother to 1,000 Guineas winner Mother Earth (677); the Lope De Vega half-sister to Lowther Stakes scorer Living In The Past (574); the son of No Nay Never and Cheshire Oaks victress Thoughts Of June (535); the Wootton Bassett colt out of a half-sister to Broome (755); and the Kingman colt out of a G3-placed Galileo mare from the family of Kyprios (624), to name but a few.
The November Foal Sale will also provide the market with its first proper look at the progeny of some exciting first-crop sires, including the likes of Baaeed, Bayside Boy, Blackbeard, Minzaal, Naval Crown, Perfect Power, Persian Force, Space Traveller and State Of Rest.
The November Foal Sale has been the source of some sensational pinhooking triumphs, including several that played out at the recent edition of the Orby Sale. In 2023 Ronan Griffin Bloodstock invested €75,000 in the Blue Point filly out of Copplestone, and when the youngster returned to the Goffs ring 11 months later her value soared to €580,000 via a bid from Stroud Coleman Bloodstock.
Blue Point was also the sire of the filly out of Inspiriter who went from €56,000 foal to €300,000 yearling, with Grangemore Stud receiving the windfall from purchaser Rabbah Bloodstock. Meanwhile, Clifton Farm gave €50,000 for the Sea The Stars colt out of Shahah who resold to Federico Barberini at Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale for 510,000gns.
With 1,021 lots in this year’s November Foal Sale, more profitable pinhooks look guaranteed.
• Visit the Goffs website
Sapphire Sale raises the curtain
Before the action at Goffs begins, Tattersalls Ireland hosts the first breeding stock auction of the European season, the Sapphire Sale. The catalogue opens with 72 yearlings, which are eligible for the €250,000 Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales Stakes at the Irish Champions Festival in 2025.
These include the colt by promising first-season sire Sands Of Mali out of Listed winner Fields Of May (Lot 887); the Starman half-brother Breeders’ Cup winner Obviously (905); the Cotai Glory half-brother to Listed winner La Gommeuse and the G2-winning hurdler Wakool (930); and a half-sister to Listed scorer Atalis Bay by Wootton Bassett (942).
There are 47 foals entered, including a King Of Change filly out of the G3-winning Gothic Dance (958) and the progeny of proven G1 sires such as Awtaad, Bungle Inthejungle, Cotai Glory and Dandy Man, as well as first-crop names Persian Force and Space Traveller.
Pinhookers at last year’s Sapphire Sale have already received some tidy dividends, with Hegarty Bloodstock spending €20,000 on a Sioux Nation colt who realised 55,000gns from Alex Elliott at the Somerville Sale. GHS Bloodstock also gave €37,000 for the Cotai Glory half-brother to Champers Elysees, who was then signed for by Megan Nicholls at €62,000 the following September.
The Sapphire Sale catalogue concludes with eight mares, among which are the well-related Tiscommonknowledge (1,002), a full-sister to the Listed-winning hurdler Common Practice, and G3 Firth of Clyde Stakes winner Dark Reckoning (1,003), who is offered in- foal to Coulsty.
Whether you are searching for a budding blue hen, a pinhooking prospect or even a long-term racing project, the breeding stock sales at Goffs and Tattersalls Ireland look sure to have you covered.
• Visit the Tattersalls Ireland website and the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing website
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