Goffs Breeding Stock Sale

Those American prospectors sufficiently resourceful--in every sense of that word--to mine some genetic gold at the European breeding stock sales generally fall into two camps. For some, an expanding and ever more lucrative grass (and synthetic) schedule in North America will offset the commercial distrust of turf bloodlines in their homeland. But others may also recognize that Thoroughbreds are more versatile than we typically allow them to be, hoping to emulate the impact on dirt of bloodlines imported from Europe by outstanding breeders of the last century. Both agendas have...

One of the reasons that the Racing League has struggled to catch on is that the organisers have underestimated the attachment that regular racegoers and viewers have to certain sets of silks. We all have our favourites, often depending on when we were born and who the leading lights were at the time.  Some have now faded from everyday use, and for this fan the Ballymacoll Stud colours are much missed. Certain silks have such resonance that one almost doesn't need to have a race card handy to have an...

Over 40 lots from the Niarchos Draft headline the 541-strong Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale catalogue, which was released on Tuesday. Some of the stars of the two-day stand on Nov. 24-25 are Classic heroine and four-time Group 1 winner Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) (lot 1263) in foal to Sea The Stars (Ire); Group 1 winners Alpine Star (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) (lot 1240) in foal to Frankel (GB) and Albigna (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) (lot 1212) carrying to St Marks Basilica (Fr). All three mares are from the...