Goffs Sale Kicks Off Champs Weekend

GOFFS SALE KICKS OFF CHAMPS WEEKEND 
By Kelsey Riley 
The much-anticipated inaugural Irish Champions Weekend–a festival of 16 races, including 10 Group 1s, worth more than €3 million at Leopardstown Racecourse and The Curragh–gets underway today at Leopardstown in Dublin. Today’s action is highlighted by the €1 million G1 Irish Champion S., which features dual Derby and G1 Juddmonte International hero Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and four other Group 1 winners, as well as the G1 Matron S. for fillies and mares. Both events are “Win and You’re In” contests for the Breeders’ Cup. 
The Leopardstown winner’s enclosure will come alive prior to racing, however, with the inaugural Goffs Champions Sale. This boutique sale will offer just 11 select lots, including G1 Irish Derby fourth Ponfeigh (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) (lot 10); 2-year-old listed winner Accepted (Ire) (Approve {Ire}) (lot 2); group-performing 2-year-old Itorio (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}) (lot 4) and a handful of smart staying prospects. For those looking for a very immediate return on investment, Italian stakes winner Maremmadiavola (Ire) (Kheleyf) (lot 9) will be offered just hours before she is declared to run in a handicap on the Leopardstown card. Horse Racing Ireland has facilitated a special arrangement to allow Maremmadiavola to run in her new owner’s silks in the 7:20 p.m. race. 
Already the sponsor of tomorrow’s G1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National S. at The Curragh, Goffs Chief Executive Henry Beeby noted that the auction house wanted to throw their full support behind the Champions Weekend concept, and that’s how the idea for the Champions Sale was born. 
“We’re very enthusiastic supporters of the concept of Irish Champions Weekend,” Beeby said. “We wanted to support the weekend as much as possible.” 
Beeby noted that the Champions Sale was modeled after the inaugural–and highly successful–edition of the Goffs London Sale in June. 
“The sale in London worked very well, so we decided we’d try to replicate it to an extent,” he explained. “It will be a small, short, sharp, and hopefully high-quality event.” 
Beeby noted that a maximum of 20 entries were permitted for the Champions Sale, and the Goffs team were very selective about the catalogue. 
“It’s just ensuring we start the sale in the right tone with quality horses,” he noted. “We have a horses-in- training sale at the end of October that has a good base to it, but this is about offering something that’s unique on that particular weekend, and bringing the bloodstock auction process to a slightly different audience as well. It becomes part of the entertainment of the weekend. People might come to the racing early and see a live auction. To the average racegoer, it will be something that’s a bit different. Hopefully people will like it.” 
The racing action for Irish Champions Weekend moves tomorrow to The Curragh in County Kildare, where the headline race is the G1 Irish St Leger, in addition to the G1 National S. and G1 Moyglare Stud S. for juveniles. Click here for a video preview of Irish Champions Weekend.