Stars Shines at Orby Finale
STARS SHINES AT ORBY FINALE
By Emma Berry
Yet another seven-figure yearling–a €1.1 million daughter of Sea The Stars (Ire)–graced the ring during the final session of the Goffs Orby Sale, which ended yesterday with an 11% gain in aggregate to €38,450,500, and a clearance rate of 87%. While the sale’s overall top price of €1.5 million didn’t come close to last year’s €2.85 million modern-day Irish record for subsequent Group 2 winner Ol’ Man River (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), repeated six-figure transactions across both days ensured a solid rise in both average and median of 8% and 23%, respectively, to €109,234 and €70,000.
Hailing the sale as “Ireland’s best”, Goffs’ Chief Executive Henry Beeby praised the support of domestic breeders in assisting the company to assemble a catalogue offering “450 of the best Irish yearlings on the market this year.”
He continued, “That view was vindicated by our buyers, who contrived to return a stunning trade over the two days that has allowed us to post a much- improved set of statistics which build on two very good years. The Orby represents all that is best about Irish bloodstock, and we are truly thankful to every vendor for their ongoing support, whether they were responsible for a large draft or a single yearling.”
Clearance rate and median for the second day matched the figure for the sale as a whole, while the average of €114,020 dropped slightly by 2% compared to the same session last year, in which Ol’ Man River was sold.
Stars Above All…
The second millionaire of Ireland’s major yearling auction was christened as lot 270, a Sea The Stars (Ire) half-sister to Group 1 winner and young stallion Lord Shanakill (Speightstown), became the subject of a duel between Amanda Skiffington and Alan Cooper, with the eventual hammer fall coming at €1.1 million.
Competition was fierce to secure the rights to the April-born filly bred by Vimal and Gillian Khosla from the unraced Theatrical mare Green Room, whose dam Chain Fern (Blushing Groom) is a sister to Al Bahathri. Matt Coleman opened the bidding and was challenged by Jehan Malherbe of Form Bloodstock until Skiffington joined the fray, and soon had only the Niarchos family’s racing manager to see off. With Cooper shaking his head as bidding reached €1.1 million, it was left to a tearful Skiffington to sign the ticket on behalf of Fiona Carmichael, who races dual Group 2-winning juvenile Ivawood (Ire) (Zebedee {Ire}) with Ian Jennings.
Discussing her purchase, Skiffington declared, “There wasn’t much not to like. Fiona Carmichael wanted to buy a filly to breed from as a long-term prospect, and we knew she wouldn’t make under €1 million–it was just a question of where the bidding stopped.”
Ballylinch Stud consigned the filly, whose dam is a permanent boarder at the Kilkenny farm and currently has a Dansili (GB) filly foal at foot.
“We knew she’d make a big price as she’s so nice and so well-bred, and so many of the big international buyers had inspected her and had her vetted,” said Ballylinch Manager John O’Connor, who confirmed that Green Room is now in foal to Galileo. “She’s a lovely filly to have bought as a broodmare prospect, as it’s such high-class family, which of course includes Al Bahathri.”
Teofilo Trading Well…
While Galileo’s half-brother Sea The Stars took top honors during the second day, Galileo’s son Teofilo (Ire) was also in the limelight when two of his well-credentialed daughters just failed to reach the million-euro mark. Jim Bolger’s Redmonstown Stud, responsible for Tuesday’s session-topping Galileo colt at €1.5 million, presented the full-sister to G1 Irish Derby winner Trading Leather (Ire) (lot 403), who played a significant part in a session ruled by a trio of smart fillies when selling for €950,000.
Bred by Jim Bolger, she is now the property of an unnamed client of John McCormack, but her racing career will be masterminded by the trainer who also honed the talents of her brother and her sire.
“She’s been bought for an existing client and will be trained by Jim Bolger–nobody knows the family better,” confirmed McCormack. “She’s an absolutely lovely filly by a proven sire out of a proven mare.”
Unraced herself, the filly’s dam Night Visit (GB) (Sinndar {Ire}) has produced three winners from her four runners to date, including another full-sibling to this filly, Wexford Town (Ire). The further family includes the outstanding Classic heroine Hatoof (Irish River) and her GI Breeders’ Cup Mile-winning brother Irish Prize. Night Visit was herself sold by Redmonstown for €975,000 at Goffs’ February mixed sale.
Shadwell Heads Buyers List…
The team from Shadwell meant business on the second day of Orby, with seven purchases to add to their sole yearling from the opening session. Spending a total of €3,405,000 to be leading buyer for the sale, Sheikh Hamdan’s selections included lot 268, a full-sister to Tarfasha (Ire) and another Teofilo yearling to reach €950,000.
Tarfasha, who was bought as a foal at Goffs from her breeder Rockfield Farm for €200,000, has been an important colorbearer during a terrific season on the track for Sheikh Hamdan. After winning the G3 Blue Wind S. in May she brought up a Shadwell quinella in the Oaks, chasing home Taghrooda (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), and she recently beat last year’s G1 Irish Oaks winner Chicquita (Fr) (Montjeu {Ire}) to win the G2 Blandford S. at the Curragh.
Stephen Collins, general manager of the operation’s Derrinstown Stud, said, “Tarfasha has been a wonderful filly for us this season and Sheikh Hamdam loved this filly. Fingers crossed for when she gets to the track and in the long term she’ll make a fantastic broodmare with the pedigree she has.”
While Tarfasha has stolen the limelight this season, her dam Grecian Bride (Ire) (Groom Dancer) has proved to be a thoroughly reliable source of decent stock, with her offspring including the dual Group 2-winning stayer Saddler’s Rock (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells); G1 Irish Derby runner-up Galileo Rock (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and three-time listed winner Allexina (GB) (Barathea {Ire}).
Earlier in the session, Collins had gone to €450,000 for lot 252, the sole yearling in the catalogue by Darley’s Australian shuttler Lonhro (Aus) out of the six-time winner Freefourracing (French Deputy), who was offered by Lady O’Reilly’s Hollyhill Stud. He said of the dark brown colt, “He’s by a very exciting sire who has his first Kentucky crop this year.
Lonhro was an outstanding champion in Australia and there’s no reason he can’t do here. This is a good strong colt from a mare who’s already had three black-type winners and was a Group 3 winner herself.”
Invincible Once More…
Another of the Shadwell purchases at the tail-end of the day’s trade was a head-turning daughter of Invincible Spirit (Ire) (lot 442), bred and consigned by the Irish National Stud. Her price escalated to €720,000 as Alan Cooper made an effort to outdo Sheikh Hamdan, who was bidding from the back wall. Cooper was again defeated as the full-sister to Al Shaqab Racing’s G2 May Hill S. placegetter Shagah (Ire) joined the Sheikh’s mighty Orby haul and capped a terrific sale for the Irish National Stud, which sold another Invincible Spirit filly for €520,000 on Tuesday.
“We’re lucky to have Invincible Spirit at the Irish National Stud and we’re lucky that he’s the second-best stallion in Europe,” said the stud’s Chief Executive John Osborne of the sire of Kingman (GB). “It’s lovely to be able to produce an animal that reflects the great breakthrough he’s made in the sales ring this year, and this filly was the perfect coming together of a hot sire and a black-type update.”
Osborne added: “When I was a private individual, my biggest success as a vendor was selling a Linamix filly to Sheikh Hamdan. She was later named Tahrir (Ire) and she has produced four black-type horses for Shadwell. I boldly predict that this filly will be a real embellishment to his broodmare ranks in the future.”
Being by a hugely sought-after sire and out of the winning mare Propaganda (Ire), whose parents are Sadler’s Wells and G1 Prix Vermeille winner Pearly Shells (GB) (Efisio {GB}), it’s hard to disagree with that assertion.
Well Qualified…
Aidan and Annemarie O’Brien’s breeding operation Whisperview Trading Ltd is responsible for recent G3 CL & MF Weld Park S. winner Qualify (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), and offered her yearling full-brother through The Castlebridge Consignment as lot 425. The colt out of the Group 2-placed Galileo mare Perihelion (Ire) and from the family of Coolmore’s G1 St Leger winner Brian Boru (GB) (Sadler’s Wells) and Juddmonte’s G1 Investec Derby and G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Workforce (GB) (King’s Best) was knocked down at €400,000 to Tom Goff of Blandford Bloodstock.
Tiz Bought…
Tiznow’s only yearling in the Orby catalogue proved to be popular, with Mark Player ending up as the successful bidder for the Tinnakill House-consigned colt (lot 387) at €380,000.
The Kentucky-bred will remain in Europe to race for a syndicate being formed by Player, who said, “He’s a beautiful colt. Tiznow is perhaps not as well recognized here as he is in other parts of the world, but this colt was typical of his sire in terms of size and scope. Fingers crossed he’ll prove to be an athlete, as he has quite a pedigree there if it all works out well on the track.”
The early February colt was purchased in utero when his dam Mousse Au Chocolat (Hennessy), a listed winner and Group 2 runner-up in France, passed through the ring at Keeneland in January 2013 and was bought by Dermot Cantillon for $325,000.
Denis Brosnan’s Croom House Stud enjoyed yet another good sale, selling six yearlings for a little over €1.2 million, including lot 267, a colt by Exceed And Excel (Aus) out of the Halling mare Great Hope (Ire), a half-brother to the listed-placed Reckoning (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and recent Saratoga maiden special weight winner Hope Cross (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}).
Purchased as a weanling at Arqana’s December Sale for €37,000, the colt’s value increased ten-fold to €375,000 after David Redvers signed for the relative of stallions Intense Focus and Soldier Of Fortune (Ire) on behalf of Qatar Racing.
He said: “We’ve done well with this sire in the past and this colt was my favorite physical of the sale. The trade has been strong and it’s been hard to buy.”
Also hitting the €375,000 mark was Clare Castle Farm’s Galileo filly out of German listed winner La Sylvia (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) (lot 310), who was bought by Takaya Shimakawa, president of Japan Health Summit Inc, with the assistance of Irish-based Japanese trainer Takashi Kodama.
The one-day Goffs Sportsman’s Sale starts today at 9:30 a.m. local time.