Goffs

Helped in no small part by the success of Victoria Road (Ire) at the Breeders' Cup and Auguste Rodin's (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) emergence as a leading Classic contender from the same sire line, the progeny of Saxon Warrior (Jpn) played a starring role on day one of the November Foal Sale at Goffs. Not only did Saxon Warrior top the session when Ballyhimikin Stud signed for a colt [lot 231] drafted by Kildallan Farm for €88,000, but he was also responsible for three of the top four foals on...

Dark Angel (Ire) and Invincible Army (Ire) may not be the only exciting stallions at Yeomanstown Stud with David O'Callaghan outlining his hopes that Shaman (Ire) can lay down a marker at Goffs this week when some of the Group 2-winning son of Shamardal's first foals go through the ring. A colt foal by Shaman fetched €22,000 at the inaugural Tattersalls Ireland Sapphire Sale on Saturday and O'Callaghan thinks the best is yet to come from a sire who is due to have 22 foals go through the ring over...

It was at the November Foal Sale at Goffs in 2015 when Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) shot the lights out at €1.1 million and the wheel will turn full circle this week with the Kildangan Stud-based sire represented by 14 foals in what promises to be another high-class edition.  The sale takes place from Monday, November 14 at 10am to Thursday, November 17 and will be immediately followed by the two-day November Breeding Stock Sale.  It was at that sale when Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) was sold for €6.6 million...

The two-day Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale concluded on Thursday with a filly by Sioux Nation heading the final session at €72,000. Consigned by Noel O'Callaghan's Mountarmstrong Stud, lot 663 is a granddaughter of the G3 Prix du Bois winner Ela Merici (Fr)  (Beaudelaire {Fr}) and was bought by the father-and-son team of Con and Neil Sands of Bronson Racing. The filly will be trained by Joseph O'Brien, who currently trains Bronson Racing's 92-rated winning juvenile Goa Gajah (Bay A Bali {Brz}). A Mehmas (Ire) colt (lot 481) and a filly...

Clare Manning's Boherguy Stud supplied the Day 1 session-topper of the Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale on Wednesday in the shape of a Dawn Approach (Ire) colt who was knocked down to Alex Elliott for €80,000. Lot 458 is a brother to the Group 3-placed Strapped (Ire) and was not the only big result Manning enjoyed on the day. Another son of the 2000 Guineas winner, lot 441, made €50,000 to BBA Ireland while Boherguy Stud would have collected a clean sweep had the Castlebridge Consignment not sold its Sea The...

The Aga Khan draft, always incredibly popular at the Goffs Autumn Horses In Training Sale, may have been down on numbers but captured the imagination once again with the 77-rated Karakoul (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) (lot 97) selling to Mohamed H K Al Attiyah for €72,000. That made Karakoul, trained by Johnny Murtagh, the joint top lot of the sale, as fellow maiden Midnight Toker (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) (lot 137) was sold to Marco Bozzi to continue his career in Italy. Midnight Toker carried Peter Brant's double green silks to...

One of the main attractions of the Goffs Autumn Horses In Training Sale on Tuesday is Gustavus Weston (Ire) (Equiano {Fr}), the four-time winner whose career highlight came when he landed the G2 Greenlands S. at the Curragh last year.  On that occasion, Joe Murphy's charge was chased home by Make A Challenge (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), a 10-time winner for Denis Hogan, who is also in the sale.  Hogan said of his eight-strong draft, "We've a nice draft of horses going to Goffs. We'll be sorry to see some...

Goffs' Tommy Hayes was among recipients at the Irish Thoroughbred Industry Employee Award at Tuesday's ceremony held at the Keadeen Hotel in Newbridge, Co Kildare and sponsored by Godolphin. Hayes joined Goffs in 1984, overseeing the facilities, stables, grounds and auditorium. "All of us at Goffs are so proud of our wonderful colleague Tommy Hayes and are thrilled that his hard work and dedication has been recognised by the industry in this way," said Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby. "This award is richly deserved as Tommy is the epitome...

Ahmad Al Shaikh's Dubai Mile (Ire) (Roaring Lion--Beach Bunny {Ire}, by High Chaparral {Ire}) backed up victories at Windsor and Kempton in August with a half-length second in last month's G2 Royal Lodge S. at Newmarket and stepped forward to register a determined success in Saturday's G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, becoming the first Group 1 winner from the lone crop of his sire (by Kitten's Joy). The 49-10 chance was swiftly into stride and led through the early fractions of this 10-furlong test. Headed on the turn for home, he...

Twenty-seven supplements have been added to the Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale on Nov. 2 and 3, the sales company announced on Thursday. The yearling portion of the sale will take place the day after the Goffs Autumn HIT Sale which is Tuesday, Nov. 1. Catalogued as lots 744-771, the supplementary lots feature a Mastercraftsman (Ire) half-sister to stakes winner Danehill Destiny (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) (lot 760); an Acclamation (GB) colt from the family of Group 1 winner Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) (lot 761); and a Churchill (Ire) half-sister to...

The catalogue for the Goffs November Foal Sale, featuring several half- and full-siblings to Group 1 winners, is now online. Slated for Nov. 14-17, the 1,034 foals will go through the ring at Kildare Paddocks beginning at 10 a.m. each day. Among the highlights is Airlie Stud's Kingman (GB) half-brother (lot 727) to G1 Moyglare Stud S. heroine Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy); a filly by Teofilo (Ire) who is a half-sister to four-time Group 1 winner Dawn Approach (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) (lot 768) from Boherguy Stud; Clonlisk Stud-consigned Churchill...

News that Johnny Hassett was diagnosed with cancer last year was met with widespread support and generosity in the bloodstock and racing world and now the man behind The Bloodstock Connection and more recently the Get In The Game Syndicate is hell-bent on giving back to those who supported him when he needed it most. So, how is he going to do it? By doing what he does best; sourcing good horses. This season, every yearling that Hassett sources for next year's breeze-ups will be offered up for sale in...