London Calling For Sale Like No Other

By Emma Berry 
As opening acts go, hosting a lavish garden party in one of London's historic palaces with Johnny Murtagh riding high on Joey from War Horse, the first-ever Frankel foal to go under the hammer and a couple of stallions on show is always going to be a hard one to beat. 

Goffs' Chief Executive Henry Beeby is never short of enthusiasm or imagination, however, and he is confident that this year's London Sale, hosted in association with QIPCO on Monday, June 15, will be every bit as successful as last summer's debut. Leaving aside the fact that the event exists primarily to sell horses, the auction of 55 lots, including wild cards, is unlike any other bloodstock sale, not least in its positioning on the eve of Britain's most prestigious race meeting. 

“We unashamedly call it the unofficial curtain-raiser to Royal Ascot,” says Beeby. 

Once the cocktails and canapes had been consumed last June, two hours of hammer time saw almost £7 million traded at The Orangery in Kensington Palace, with 2-year-old Cappella Sansevero (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) setting the pace at £1.3 million. 

“Cappella Sansevero brought a huge price last year and then delivered by finishing second the next day in the [G2] Coventry S. This year we have 28 horses catalogued with Royal Ascot entries–we've had to turn horses away such has been the demand–and of course our aim is to have a Royal Ascot winner from the sale.” 

Another of the horses offered last year, the G1 French 2000 Guineas-placed Pornichet (Fr) (Vespone {Ire}), was not sold under the hammer on the night though a private sale was subsequently agreed. Now trained in Australia by Gai Waterhouse, who attended last year's sale, he won the G1 Doomben Cup May 9. 

“Gai will be back this year and she's bringing more people with her,” offered Beeby. “We're expecting plenty of guests from Australia, as well as America, the Middle East and Far East. It will be a truly global gathering.” 

The overseas visitors, as well as domestic buyers, will have the chance to get their hands on 12 juveniles bound for Royal Ascot in the following days, including Saturday's Listed Woodcote S. runner-up Nelspruit (Ire) (Makfi {GB}), a wildcard entry as lot 52, as well as Zebstar (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}) (lot 23), the winner of his only start in a Newmarket maiden during the Guineas meeting for trainer Gay Kelleway. The latter heads to the G2 Norfolk S., in which he could face fellow sales entrant French Encore (GB) (lot 35), another Showcasing colt who has won two of this three starts in France and England for owner-breeders Tom and Evelyn Yates and trainer Stan Moore. 

Among the fillies entered are G3 Albany S. entrant Pink Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) (lot 29), a first-up winner over six furlongs, while Giles Bravery's Leicester winner Cobana Sand (Ire) (Captain Rio {GB}) (lot 32) is being aimed at the G2 Queen Mary S. 

The horses with form in the book are preceded in the sale by 20 breeze-up offerings, who can be seen in action on the Polytrack at Kempton Park racecourse on the Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m. 

“We kept the breeze-up horses to 20 as we felt they needed to be really special to be selling at this time of the year,” explained Beeby. “Vendors have kept back some select horses to breeze on the Sunday. I think the sale has really caught people's imagination. We've listened to feedback from last year and this time around we're attempting to have the 20 breeze-up horses at Kensington Palace on the evening. They will be paraded in front of the terrace rather than being sold from Kempton.” 

Many familiar names appear on the list of consignors, such as Bansha House Stables, Mocklershill, Gaybrook Lodge Stud and Grove Stud. Given the popularity of American-sired horses at the recent round of European breeze-up auctions, it's interesting to note 2-year-olds by Speightstown, Giants Causeway, Haynesfield, Candy Ride (Arg) and Exchange Rate account for a quarter of the lots to be offered. 

Also appearing is a Lawman (Fr) half-brother to Group 3-placed Moheet (Ire) (High Chaparral (Ire), who brought 800,000gns when sold at Tattersalls' Craven Breeze-up Sale last year. Catalogued as lot 3 and offered by Malcolm Bastard, the bay colt was unsold at the December Yearling Sale at 24,000gns. This should be no deterrent, however, as he was offered at Tattersalls by his breeder Anthony Oppenheimer of Hascombe & Valiant Studs, who on Saturday won the G1 Epsom Derby with another unsold yearling, Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}).