Goffs

Whether it was Roderic Kavanagh working his magic once again, Katie Walsh clearing seven figures on the only two horses she brought to Park Paddocks or Charlie Poste enjoying a dream debut at the first major breeze-up sale of the year, there were no shortage of feel-good stories to emerge from the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale.  However, agent Richard Brown, consignor Mark Grant and trainer Jamie Osborne agreed that, while the top end of the market was arguably stronger than ever, the middle market remained tricky at Tattersalls this week. ...

Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah's battle-hardened Haatem (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}--Hard Walnut {Ire}, by Cape Cross {Ire}) had twice chased home City Of Troy (Justify) in juvenile pattern races last term and, while tipping his hat to that old foe, threw down a Classic marker of his own with a hugely impressive 3 1/2-length triumph in Thursday's one-mile G3 bet365 Craven S. at Newmarket. The Richard Hannon trainee broke on the front end and was restrained to accept a tow in an overall third before inching into second passing halfway....

The seventh edition of the Goffs Aintree Sale was topped by Monksgrange debut point-to-point winner He Can't Dance (Ire) (Jukebox Jury {Ire}) (lot 17) who caught the eye of Gordon Elliott for £300,000 on Thursday. Consigned by Rob James Racing, the striking grey counts Fairy Tale (Fr) (Spanish Moon) as his dam, herself a half-sister to three black-type winners over jumps including the eight-time Grade 1 winner Master Minded (Fr) (Nikos {GB}). JP McGrath Bloodstock signed for lot 23, Holloway Queen (Ire), also by Jukebox Jury (Ire). The £180,000 4-year-old...

Goffs have teamed up with Naas Racecourse and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing (ITM) to introduce a new two-year-old breeze-up sale in Ireland for 2025. The breeze will take place at Naas on Tuesday, June 3, with the sale being staged at Goffs on Wednesday, June 4. A practice breeze will also be held on the Bank Holiday Monday, June 2. Announcing the new breeze-up sale, Goffs chief executive Henry Beeby, said, "We are thrilled that Naas Racecourse has agreed to host the trackwork to enable this exciting new breeze-up sale in...

Godolphin's Romantic Style (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) made her seasonal return a successful one and downed 'TDN Rising Star' Ramatuelle (Justify) to become her connections' first winner, in a thrilling renewal, of Deauville's G3 Prix Imprudence. The 37-10 third favourite, who shed maiden status at Great Yarmouth in September before winning the Listed Bosra Sham S., was positioned second in the far-side group and raced in an overall fifth through halfway in this seven-furlong distaffers' Guineas trial. Looming large out wide with 300 metres remaining, she quickened to the...

Humility goes by the household name of humble and you will be hard pressed to find a more humble couple than Donna Cowens and Nicky Souza de Oliveira of DNA Equine. The pair burst onto the scene at the Goffs Breeze-Up Sale at Doncaster last year when selling Mantra (Ire) to Jake Warren on behalf of Highclere for a life-changing £160,000. The Tamayuz (Ire) filly had been bought for a song the previous winter. Identified by Cowens as a potentially nice type to go breezing and get the DNA consignment...

Racing Together, the industry's community engagement partnership, will host the 2024 community day on Wednesday, May 8 to coincide with the Boodles May Festival at Chester Racecourse, the organisation announced on Monday via press release. British horseracing's national day of employee volunteering, the effort is supported by various charity and commercial partners with a focus on horseracing and bloodstock groups to give back as a team to their communities. Activities range from staff volunteering at local care homes to renovating stables, and picking up litter or collecting for local food...

Peter Molony, racing manager to Kenny Alexander, says he cannot split the powerful owner's Jade De Grugy (Fr), Kargese (Fr) and previous Cheltenham Festival scorer Telmesomethinggirl (Ire) when it comes to picking the operation's best chance of a winner at Prestbury Park next week.  The Rathmore Stud boss also provided a passionate riposte to some of the criticism being levelled at the mares' races at the Cheltenham Festival by stating that their horse of a lifetime Honeysuckle (GB) may never have seen a racetrack had it not been for the...

Respected point-to-point handler and ex-jumps jockey Charlie Poste says that he is "absolutely loving" his first endeavours into the breeze-up business and looks forward to consigning his first draft at the upcoming Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up and Goffs UK Doncaster Breeze-Up sales.  Poste trained over 100 winners between the flags in Britain, including talented chaser Third Time Lucki, but explained how the broad international market for breeze-up horses compared to the parochial feel to the point-to-point game made it a no-brainer to try his hand at the former.  The early indications...

What do Bradsell (GB), Perfect Power (Ire), Ardad (Ire) and Prince Of Lir (Ire) have in common? Not only did they all taste success at Royal Ascot but they were also sold at the Goffs Doncaster Breeze-Up Sale, one of the go-to sources of top-notch talent. The first glimpse of the potential star graduates of the future were made available on Tuesday with the publication of the eagerly-anticipated 2024 edition of the sale catalogue. Doncaster has proven to be a tried and trusted source of talent with Carla's Way (Ire)...

The Goffs Yorton Sale will not take place in 2024, and will instead return on Sept. 4, 2025, Goffs and Yorton's David Futter confirmed on Wednesday. The decision was made by Futter, who felt that although the quality of horses at Yorton was up to its usual high standard, the quantity did not justify the sale taking place this year. Yorton's aim is to assemble roughly 50 quality lots in time for the 2025 edition. Futter said, "It has not been an easy decision to suspend the sale for 2024...

Princess Vega (Ire) (Beat Hollow {GB}), a winning daughter of six-time Cheltenham festival scorer Quevega (Fr) (Robin Des Champs {Fr}), proved to be worth the wait at the Goffs February Sale when selling as one of the last lots through the ring [431G] on Thursday evening for €150,000 to agent Gerry Hogan on behalf of Swanbridge Bloodstock .  It was Liz Lucas's Swanbridge Bloodstock who signed for the Order Of St George (Ire) filly out of Princess Vega at the November National Hunt Sale at Goffs for €48,000 last year....