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| Staff Writer |
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The Goffs Orby Sale Book 1 and 2 saw robust international demand, with buyers from the Middle East making significant acquisitions across both days of the prestigious yearling auction. The sale, known for producing top-class performers, lived up to its reputation with fierce competition for well-bred lots.
Opening day trade was brisk, with 80 yearlings commanding six-figure sums. Of the 246 lots offered, 210 found new homes, resulting in a healthy clearance rate of 85%. Over €25 million (US$27.6 million) changed hands, marking a 1% increase from the previous year. The average price rose 8% to €119,184 (US$131,656), while the median dipped slightly to €80,000 (US$88,376).
Church View Stables' Tom Whelan experienced a dream result when selling a Blue Point filly for €850,000 (US$939,005). The half-sister to Gr.2 Champagne Stakes winner Bay City Roller caught the eye of Ananias Antoniadis, who signed the ticket on behalf of Agrolexica International Trading.
"She's an outstanding filly with a beautiful pedigree that entitles her to be a high-class racemare and an excellent broodmare," said Antoniadis. "She's going into training with Joseph O'Brien for a central European owner."
Juddmonte flexed their financial muscle, securing two colts with stellar pedigrees for a combined €1.33 million (US$1.47 million). Their haul included a Lope De Vega half-brother to multiple Group One winner Saffron Beach for €750,000 (US$828,525) and a Kingman colt out of a Galileo half-sister to Group One-winning siblings Hermosa, Hydrangea and The United States for €580,000 (US$640,726).
Godolphin made their presence felt early, with Anthony Stroud going to €550,000 (US$607,585) for a Lope De Vega filly out of the Group Two-placed Makfi mare Bletchley. The filly's sire had boosted his profile further when Shadow Of Light claimed the Gr.1 Middle Park Stakes just days before the sale.
"The sire did us a good turn when Shadow Of Light won the Middle Park Stakes on Saturday, and she's a nice filly who moves well and comes from a good hotel. Everyone on the team liked her," Stroud reported.
Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa's Victorious Racing, who had privately purchased Bay City Roller after his winning debut, returned to the well that had served them so well. Trainer George Scott, acting alongside Billy Jackson-Stops, secured a Night Of Thunder colt for €500,000 (US$552,350).
Scott commented, "Night Of Thunder has done phenomenally well and he's a really strong, forward-going sort of horse, just the type we try to buy. Obviously we had a lot of luck at this sale last year so we were keen to come back and find the standout horse in this year's sale. We felt he was the one."
The second day of trading saw the temperature rise considerably when Denis Brosnan's Croom House Stud presented a highly-anticipated Frankel colt. As the bidding escalated, it became clear that the last two standing were the familiar rivals Coolmore and Godolphin.
After a tense battle that saw the price rocket past the seven-figure mark, it was Godolphin who emerged victorious, with Anthony Stroud signing the ticket at €2,000,000 (US$2,209,400).
"He's a lovely horse, a great first foal by Frankel," said Stroud. "He moved extremely well and we, all of us in our team, liked him a lot. He's from Croom House, who have bred a number of very good horses. We had to stretch a long way to get him but we're very pleased to have purchased him for Godolphin. This horse will go to Charlie Appleby and hopefully he'll go on."
The two-day Book 1 saw a total of 397 yearlings change hands from 466 offered, achieving a clearance rate of 85%. Aggregate sales reached €51,051,500 (US$56,396,592), down 5% from 2023, albeit with 36 fewer yearlings sold. The average price increased by 5% to €128,595 (US$142,059), while the median dropped 6% to €80,000 (US$88,376).
Goffs Chief Executive Henry Beeby expressed satisfaction with the results, stating, "'Bring us your best and we will deliver' is our cry and I think it's fair to say that we have proved that point yet again over the last two days. Orby Book 1 is a world-class sale with world-class yearlings and attracts a truly global buying bench that is the measure of any yearling sale anywhere."
The Goffs Orby Sale has a storied history of producing top-class performers. Recent graduates include Gr.1 Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Romanised, Gr.1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe victor Waldgeist, and multiple Group One-winning sprinter Battaash.
As the dust settles on another successful renewal, the focus now shifts to the development of these promising youngsters. With significant investment from Middle Eastern buyers, expectations are high for future stars to emerge from this year's catalogue.