By Emma Berry
It's the sale that keeps on growing. No sooner was the ink dry on the printed catalogue than the most mouth-watering of supplementary entries was added to the list for Monday's Goffs London Sale in the form of G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Jet Setting (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}), who is set to sell late in the afternoon as lot 43. There could be no more appropriately named headline act for today's gathering of racing folk from all over the world.
Now in its third year, it's hard to know whether to call the event a bloodstock sale with drinks and canapes on the side, or a giant cocktail party with a few horses milling around in the background. The viewpoint of the attendees will depend very much on their level of involvement throughout the afternoon and early evening, and for many, the London Sale will mean serious business indeed.
This week, the racing world is very much en fete. Royal Ascot forms the centrepiece of Britain's summer racing calendar, and the locals are joined by professionals and aficionados from across the globe. What better timing then to hold a sale like no other among the splendour of Kensington Palace on the eve of such an occasion?
In just two years, the London Sale has become an occasion all of its own, but beyond high tea and the delicious rose provided by Chateau Leoube, one of the sale's official partners along with principal supporter QIPCO, the auction has continued to generate headlines for its eclectic offerings.
It was the first sale to include a Frankel (GB) foal back in 2014 and this year's catalogue is no less intriguing. It's almost certainly unprecedented for a racehorse to be offered for sale by public auction so soon after earning her Classic laurels, and Jet Setting, who is one of 18 horses set to go under the hammer with an entry for Royal Ascot, will be aiming to continue on her upward trajectory in Friday's G1 Coronation S.
“Jet Setting is the headline lot and we're thrilled to have her in the sale,” said Goffs Chief Executive Henry Beeby. “We've actually been speaking to her connections since before the Guineas and they've decided that this is the right time to sell her. She comes to the sale with impeccable credentials, not just as a racing prospect but as a future breeding prospect, and she's the only horse this year to have beaten Minding (Ire), who is arguably one of the best horses in training. It's no exaggeration to say we've had global interest in her.”
Jet Setting is joined in the catalogue by another late entry, Justice Frederick (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) (lot 48), who already has a footnote in the history books by becoming Joseph O'Brien's first winner as a licenced trainer at Gowran Park on June 6. He will be sold just three lots after fellow juvenile and recent Keeneland winner Big City Dreamin (Iqbaal) (lot 45), who will be bidding to give trainer Wesley Ward another taste of Royal Ascot success in Tuesday's Listed Windsor Castle S.
Aiming to follow the example of the exciting Time Test (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) by winning the G3 Tercentenary S. at the Royal meeting is Viren's Army (Twirling Candy), who has already given his owners in the Middleham Park Racing syndicate a memorable day out when winning the Listed Dee S. at Chester's May meeting. A yearling sale-topper at Tattersalls Ireland back in September 2014 when fetching €115,000, the Richard Hannon-trained colt is scheduled to feature as lot 38, shortly after French owner/trainer Matthieu Palussiere's G3 Prix Texanita winner Ross Castle (Ire) (Bushranger {Ire}) (lot 34).
At the inaugural London Sale, Crystal Gaze (Ire) (Rainbow Quest) broke new ground when sold in foal to Frankel with a colt at foot by the same stallion for £1.15 million. Today's sale is set to notch another notable bloodstock moment when the 5-year-old listed winner Lady Penko (Fr) (Archipenko) becomes the first mare to be offered in foal to last year's G1 Derby and G1 Arc hero Golden Horn (GB). Consigned through Castlebridge as lot 25, the treble winner is a daughter of Hespera (GB), a Danehill half-sister to last season's G1 Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris winner Erupt (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).
Beeby commented, “One of the things we didn't manage last year but really wanted for this year was to attract a mare or two in foal to really exciting stallions, and they don't come much more exciting than Golden Horn.” He added, “As was proven with the mare in foal to Frankel at the inaugural London Sale, the timing on the eve of Royal Ascot, the stunning venue and the fact that every major international bloodstock buyer is in London for racing makes this sale a wonderful platform to showcase breeding stock of this calibre.”
Lady Penko and the 28 horses in training will be preceded by 20 unraced breeze-up horses, which were put through their paces on Sunday on Kempton Park's Polytrack surface. These include a colt (lot 8) and a filly (lot 16) by one of this season's leading freshman sires, Helmet (Aus), while Church Farm Stables offers a son of the highly regarded Siyouni (lot 10) who is eligible for French premiums and is a half-brother to Italian listed winner Ottawa (Fr) (Celtic Swing {GB}).
“We have a good quality bunch of breezers to start–we've been quite selective. The only slightly worrying element is that it is forecast to be quite damp, which is a shame, but we have wet weather provisions,” said Beeby. “The interest in the sale has never been stronger and we've been blown away with the support from vendors even from early in the year. When you launch a sale like this you want it to be an aspirational sale and we're hitting that target. The continued support from QIPCO is very welcome, too.”
The Goffs London Sale gets underway at 5 p.m. BST.
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