Galileo Colt Tops Orby Day One
by Emma Berry
Last year his late stud-mate Montjeu (Ire) ruled the roost at Goffs, but Galileo was back in his rightful position at the head of proceedings on Tuesday when his son out of the high-achieving Danehill mare Scribonia (Ire) (lot 19) topped the first day of trade at €1.5 million.
The sole seven-figure transaction of the session, the colt helped turnover to shoot up to €18,983,000, an improvement of 22% on the equivalent day last year. A rock-solid clearance rate of 86% and sustained strong trade, particularly throughout the afternoon, saw the average settle at €106,050, also a gain of 22%, while the median price of €72,000 was an even bigger climber, by 38%. Double-figure rises in aggregate, average and turnover led Goffs’ chief executive Henry Beeby to describe the sale’s opening session as “cracking”.
He added: “Obviously the top lot was fantastic but the final Sea The Stars colt late in the day was also wonderful. We set out to get the China Horse Club here for the first time and it was great to see them here. He continued, “Coolmore, who bought the top lot, and Jim Bolger, who sold him, are both long-term supporters and we’re very grateful to them. Hopefully we can continue the momentum through the final session.”
The second and final day of the Orby Sale continues today at 10 a.m. and is followed tomorrow by the Sportsman’s Sale, which begins at 9:30 a.m. local time.
Bolger, Galileo a Magical Combo…
The Jim Bolger-bred Galileo colt had been widely predicted to produce an early show-stopping turn in the ring and thus it proved, as less than an hour into the sale, he breached the million-euro mark on his way to being knocked down to Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier, who saw off a determined attempt from under-bidder Mick Flanagan. The brother to four black-type horses, including the Group 3 winners Cuis Ghaire (Ire) and Scintillula (Ire), was offered by Bolger’s Redmonstown Stud, which has also been responsible for leading Galileo colts Teofilo (Ire) and Soldier of Fortune (Ire), both now at stud in Ireland and France, respectively.
“He’s a lovely horse and, of course, Jim Bolger is a very good breeder as well as a good trainer,” said Magnier after signing the docket. “In fairness to him he nearly invented Galileo–he made him what he is today.”
Late in the session, the second of Redmonstown’s three-strong draft, lot 189, an Acclamation (GB) colt out of Claiomh Solais (Ire), a sister to the day’s top lot, was knocked down to BBA Ireland for €300,000.
Bolger, who today sells a full-sister to his Irish Derby winner Trading Leather (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) through Redmonstown Stud as lot 403, later reinvested some of the proceeds from the colt’s sale when going to €105,000 for lot 124, Baroda & Colbinstown Studs’ Lope De Vega (Ire) colt out of a half-sister to champion race filly Harayir (Gulch).
Baroda and Colbinstown enjoyed another good result when selling the only yearling by Lope De Vega’s sire Shamardal in the catalogue (lot 82). The grandson of the Barnett family’s great mare Time Charter (GB) was bought by John Ferguson for €260,000.
Stars for China…
With darkness falling and the last handful of the day’s lots left to sell, lot 227 sent sales correspondents scurrying for their notebooks once more when China Horse Club representative Michael Wallace was pushed to €850,000 by Hugo Merry for the chestnut son of Sea The Stars (Ire).
Consigned and bred by Bobby and Honora Donworth’s Roundhill Stud, the March-born colt out of French listed winner Evensong (Ger) (Waky Nao {GB}) boasts black-type winners as his first four dams, who between them have produced a dynasty laced high-class gallopers, including G1 Singapore Airlines International Cup winner Epalo (Ger) (Lando {Ger}) and German champion 2-year-old Eagle Rise (Ire) (Danehill).
“I spoke to our chairman Mr. Teo [Ah Khing] and he rated this the best colt in the sale so we were really keen to have him,” Wallace commented. “He’s the first horse by Sea The Stars we’ve bought, but he’s been very exciting at stud and we’ve been following his progress.”
Of the colt who was his fourth purchase of the day, Wallace added: “He’ll be raced in Ireland. Mr Teo is part-owner of Australia (GB) with Coolmore, which has really sparked his enthusiasm for Irish racing.”
Nerses In Awe of ‘Law’…
Tony Nerses made headlines at the first European yearling sale of the season when opting for the Arqana August top lot, a Monsun (Ger) filly from the family of Sea The Moon (Ger), at €1.2 million. The spending spree, which was augmented by a number of pricey yearlings by freshman sires at the DBS Premier Sale, continued in Ireland with Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar’s buyer stretching to €520,000gns for a well-bred daughter of Lawman (Fr) (lot 10). The filly’s grandam Cherokee Rose (Ire) was a dual group 1-winning sprinter and is also the ancestress of this season’s G1 Eclipse S. winner Mukhadram (GB) (Shamardal), who retires to Shadwell’s Nunnery Stud in 2015, while her dam Rose De France (Ire) (Diktat {GB}) has already produced last season’s G1 Dewhurst S. runner-up Cable Bay (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).
Nerses, who outbid Shadwell’s Stephen Collins for the Irish National Stud-bred filly, was delighted with his purchase.
“What a filly!” he proclaimed. “She’s a real beauty, very solid and a great walker. We thought firstly that we would go to €300,000, but after discussing it we thought that wouldn’t buy her. I was hoping €500,000 would do it, but had to go that little bit extra.”
Stephen Collins did have his way later on in the session when parting with €400,000 for the well-credentialed lot 49 whose diminutive full-sister Margot Did (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) won the 2011 running of the G1 Nunthorpe S.
“He’s a very nice colt with a stallion’s pedigree, being a full-brother to a group 1 winner,” said Collins. “He looks a nice racy type and the team really liked him.”
Hay’s Day…
The highly-regarded Thawaany (Ire) (Tamayuz (GB) is entered for Saturday’s G1 Sun Chariot S. at Newmarket, but she is already a Group 3 winner for Freddy Head and Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, a factor which will have aided the €350,000 price tag of her full-sister (lot 184) during the first session at Goffs. Their dam Chelsea Rose (Ire) was no slouch either, winning the G1 Moyglare Stud S. and three listed contests, and she fetched €450,000 at Goffs in November 2012 when carrying the filly sold on Tuesday to Stephen Hillen on behalf of Jim and Fitri Hay.
“She’ll always have great residual value and hopefully her sister can win her group 1,” said Hillen of the Barronstown Stud-consigned filly. The agent also purchased a colt on the Hays’ behalf by Coolmore freshman Rip Van Winkle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) from the Camas Park Stud draft. Lot 59, who was secured for €280,000, is bred on the same cross as Rip Van Winkle’s G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner Dick Whittington (Ire), and is out of the Danehill mare Sumingasefa (GB).
Hillen was not the only agent in action for Dr. Hay as Hugo Merry signed the docket for lot 103, an Invincible Spirit (Ire) colt out of Waveband (GB), a listed-winning full-sister to crack sprinter and new Rathasker Stud signing Bungle Inthejungle (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), both of whom were bred by Chris Wright at Stratford Place Stud.
Zebedee Still on the Up…
Zebedee (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) was quick to bounce to the head of the European freshman sires’ list and still leads by number of individual winners, with his best juvenile being the unbeaten Ivawood (Ire). The dual Group 2 winner is trained by Richard Hannon, as was his sire, and the trainer will soon take possession of another colt by the Tally-Ho Stud resident after Peter and Ross Doyle went to €330,000 for lot 54, a half-brother to six winners consigned by Lynn Lodge Stud.
“Obviously we know Zebedee well and we knew him as a baby,” said Peter Doyle, who paid 70,000gns for him as a yearling at Tattersalls.
He added: “This is a good fast family. Richard [Hannon Sr.] trained [the dam’s listed-winning half-brother] Watching (GB) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) and the mare has already proved herself.”
Lot 47 was the sole representative of the American-based Kitten’s Joy (El Prado {Ire}) and though he was bought by an American he is likely to remain in Europe to be trained. Marc Keller is his new owner, having bid €300,000 for the brother to stakes-placed Sneaky Kitten through agent Fiona Shaw.
Keller said: “Obviously I’ve seen a lot by the sire at Keeneland and this was a really nice example of a Kitten’s Joy. He’s an extremely good individual. We have trainers here but I haven’t decided yet who will train him.”
Kodiac Colt Gets HKJC Vote…
The Hong Kong Jockey Club team was kept busy on Tuesday and purchased a trio of colts ultimately bound for Hong Kong and headed by a €325,000 son of Kodiac (Ire) (lot 169) from Monksland Stables.
“You don’t spend that sort of money on a Kodiac unless he’s a really good sort, and this one ticks all the boxes we need,” said Mark Richards of the half-brother to listed-placed juvenile Be Ready (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) after outbidding Darley’s John Ferguson.
“There aren’t many Kodiacs in Hong Kong, but he gets his winners and he’s a speed influence, which is what we’re looking for. He has all the attributes we need in Hong Kong.”
Four lots later Richards was back in the fray and successfully bid €180,000 for Lynn Lodge Stud’s full-brother to group 3 winner Arnold Lane (Ire) (lot 172) (Footstepsinthesand (GB}).
“I just thought he was a real athlete,” he added. “His brother’s a good horse so you know it’s a cross that works, and both colts are out of young mares.”
Can Lightning Strike Again for Parkin?…
Steve Parkin of Clipper Logistics has already successfully raced two talented daughters of Invincible Spirit (Ire)–G1 Cheveley Park S. winner Rosdhu Queen (Ire) and G3-winning sprinter Beyond Desire (Ire)–and he will be hoping that his luck with the Irish National Stud sire can hold following his purchase of lot 164 for €300,000.
The late April-foaled filly is out of the Dr Fong (GB) mare Bratislava (GB), who has already proved her worth at stud by producing the listed winner Katla (Ire) (Majestic Missile {Ire}) and was the only lot in the catalogue to be consigned by Milestream Stud.
Parkin said: “We loved her–I was advised by Joe Foley and he loved her. I didn’t think we’d have to pay quite that much for her but the stallion continues to do so well. She’ll be trained in England.”
In Praise of Pivotal…
Jehan Malherbe made it a sale to remember for first-time Orby consignor Grangemore Stud, which offered a Pivotal (GB) filly out of listed winner Triskel (GB) (Hawk Wing) as lot 84 and received €260,000 in return. The chestnut filly was bought as a foal at Tattersalls for 75,000gns.
“I’ve bought her for Mary Slack,” said Malherbe of the South African agency Form Bloodstock, who added that the Wilgerbosdrift Stud owner had enjoyed previous success with a daughter of Pivotal bought from the Orby Sale and later named Headstrong (Ire). The filly won 10 races, including G3 Poinsettia S. and was runner-up to Val De Ra (SAF) in the G1 South African Fillies Sprint.
“Mary also bought a mare in foal to Pivotal and the subsequent foal, Noordhoek Flyer (SAf) went on to win the South African Guineas, so she likes the sire,” he said.
Grangemore Stud, which is the new venture for Guy O’Callaghan, whose parents Gay and Annette own Yeomanstown Stud and brother Peter runs Kentucky’s Woods Edge Farm, offered just two yearlings at the Orby Sale and received six-figure returns for both after Gill Richardson paid €105,000 for lot 40, a homebred filly by Dark Angel out of the Desert Style (Ire) mare Sixfields Flyer (Ire).
Dream Continues…
Ballylinch Stud’s Dream Ahead has 17 first-crop yearlings catalogued for the Orby Sale and made an encouraging start during the opening session when his interestingly marked daughter out of Knocktoran Stud’s multiple stakes winner Zeiting (Ire) (Zieten) sold for €220,000 to Anthony Stroud. The China Horse Club also signed for a Dream Ahead yearling, a Kildaragh Stud-consigned colt out of 2-year-old winner Tiger Spice (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}) from a Whatton Manor Stud family which includes champion sprinter Overdose (GB).