€1.2m Camelot Colt Tops Goffs Orby Yearling Sale Day 2

Lot 366 is a full brother to Luxembourg who, as his sibling was being shown to potential purchasers at Kildare Paddocks last Saturday, advertised the potential that could be within their grasp with an easy gallop to victory in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes just a few miles down the road at the Curragh for Aidan O’Brien, Westerberg and Coolmore.
 
Bred by Ben and Lucy Sangster and offered through The Castlebridge Consignment he is now a full-brother to the colt who many see as a potential Derby hero next season.
 
“It looks like Luxembourg could be something out of the ordinary, I was speaking to Seamus Heffernan and he said he couldn’t believe how good he was last weekend. Camelot is having a good year again, this colt is a very nice horse and let’s hope he is a good one,” said the successful purchaser, who paid tribute to the colts’ breeders and acknowledged the long and storied history between their families.

Full Circle…
 
A story that began at Goffs 14 years ago with the first foray of John Hayes into the world of Thoroughbred breeding and racing came full circle on Wednesday when Hayes sold a Frankel daughter of that 2007 November Foal Sale purchase for €650,000.
 
The Tipperary civil and structural engineer, who has a ten acre stud farm in the county town, bought an Indian Ridge filly foal, who he would come to name Sophie Germain, for €25,000 and bred and raced the Group 2 winner Creggs Pipes and the Listed-placed Silver Spear from her. On Wednesday he offered, through Pa Doyle’s Galbertstown Stud, both the Frankel half-sister to that pair and a Sea The Stars filly who is the second foal out of Creggs Pipes.
 
A delighted Hayes and his wife Una were quick to praise Pa Doyle and his team at Galbertstown Stables for the beautiful way they had turned out the fillies and pointed to the work of Luke Coen in attracting the fillies to Goffs Orby.

“The main reason I brought her here is because Luke Coen, who is young and just starting out, asked me to. He is a nephew of Andy Slattery who trained Creggs Pipes and Silver Spear and a brother of Ben Coen, who rode his first Classic winner for Johnny Murtagh earlier this month.”
 
Hayes’ bloodstock interests are quite the family affair with Sophie Germain the matriarch.
 
“I have Sophie and three of her daughters at home; Creggs Pipes, Silver Spear and In My Business and I have just weaned Sophie’s filly foal by Invincible Spirit”.
 
Kieran Lalor representing Al Shira’aa Farms bought Lot 254, the Frankel filly while the Sea The Stars filly (Lot 418) made €180,000 to Sunderland Holdings. 

Frankel Fever…
 
Three yearlings by Frankel, who is now the sire of 19 individual Group 1 winners, were offered at this year’s Goffs Orby Sale and they sold for an average of €550,000.
 
The most expensive was Lot 377, Marlhill House Stud’s full brother to Stakes performer Old Glory who made €1.6m in this ring four years ago. They are out of Belesta, a Xaar half-sister to Group 3 winner In Clover, who is the dam of Group 1 winners Call The Wind (by Frankel), With You and We Are and the Listed winners Dream Clover and Incahoots. Belesta is also a half-sister to the dam of Group 1 Hong Kong Vase winner Dominant. 

He was bought by trainer Kenny McPeek for €900,000 on behalf of a partnership he put together specifically to purchase this colt. They include Peter Callahan, owner of the McPeek trained Grade 1 Preakness Stakes winning filly Swiss Skydiver, and Fern Circle Stables who are partners in McPeek’s 2021 Grade 3 winner King Fury.
 
The opportunity to acquire outstanding offspring of stallions such as Frankel and Galileo that Goffs Orby presents to US buyers was one of the main draws for McPeek, who bought five yearlings over the two days.

“We don’t get that many opportunities for Frankels and Galileos  over in the US so if you can win a Graded Stakes or Group race with these well-related horses we all know where they end up and that residual value is there if they are that talented, and fingers crossed all goes right for them. These are the kind of horses you can play at an extremely high level and if he does that he is a stallion prospect,” McPeek remarked. 

American Dreams…
 
The lengthy list of US buyers grew ever longer on Wednesday afternoon as the likes of Ben McElroy, White Birch Farm, Jacob West, DJ Stable and Myracehorse who were involved in 2020 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, were amongst the American interests who spent in excess of €7m on the best Irish yearlings throughout the course of the two days.
 
Justin Casse was one of the first American agents to make the Goffs Orby Sale a regular port of call in his search for high-class European horses for his clients and although the nature of his purchasing has changed in the last few years, he expressed his pleasure in the large numbers of his compatriots in action over the two days.

“I don’t buy many horses to go back to America any more but I am glad to see the increased activity from American buyers here. I’ve been coming here for a few years now and I am happy to see that Turf racing has improved greatly in America, they have made a concentrated effort especially NYRA and Kentucky Downs to bring quality in and they are getting supported for the work that they are putting in.”
 
Casse was speaking after he bought Lot 364 the Churchill half-brother to this season’s Group 2 Debutante Stakes winner and Group 1 Moyglare Stakes runner-up Agartha from The Castlebridge Consignment. 

At the conclusion of the 2021 Orby Sale, Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby reflected on a vibrant two days at Kildare Paddocks:

"It’s good to be back. Very good indeed.
 
The Irish National Yearling Sale obviously belongs in Ireland at Kildare Paddocks and it is simply wonderful to have returned with a sale of such depth and consistency over the two days after last year’s hiatus. Indeed Orby has reclaimed its rightful place at the top table of yearling sales with seven figure top prices, a six figure average and a staggering 91% clearance rate that points to a vibrant two days of bidding for the superb catalogue that was assembled.

We are indebted to many people and several entities. Firstly our vendors who placed their trust in the Goffs service at a time when several factors may have worked against making that decision as memories of last year’s disappointment combined with Covid induced uncertainty in the summer made the choice of sale more complicated than ever. That so many took that leap of faith is very gratifying and we are just delighted that we have been able to repay their trust with a really good sale whilst laying such solid foundations for the future.

Our buyers have embraced the sale with enthusiasm and a hunger for quality. Many have been driven on by the lure of Europe’s richest two-year-old race, the Goffs Million next year and we can’t wait to see how the picture develops as next season progresses. Suffice to say that the concept has been a powerful tool in reinvigorating Orby and we will look to develop the model as the years progress with enhancements and additions for Orby 22 and beyond.

Orby has always been a magnet for global interest but we focused extra attention on USA and we salute our new US Agent, Jacob West who attracted unprecedented numbers from across the Atlantic. Happily they liked what they saw and really engaged with the promise of even more in future years as they were so enthused by the quality of the catalogue, the workability of the complex and the warm welcome and helpfulness of the Goffs Purchaser Attraction Team and our colleagues at Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, the latter of which have proved absolutely invaluable in making a trip to Ireland truly memorable for every visitor.
 
As we reflect on two good days our mantra of “we can’t do it without you” is as relevant as ever as the focus of Orby must always be the horse because all the spin in the world is worthless without a catalogue of quality. Our vendors backed us and we threw everything at it with new agents, the Million, a variety of incentives and more as we recognised this was going to be a pivotal year for the sale. That said there is still so much to do to make Orby the clear first choice for more of the best yearlings in Ireland and we will not rest in our endeavours as we strive to improve and evolve. However I would venture to suggest that Orby 21 has made the point once again that we will deliver when we have the horses; in fact, not just deliver but exceed expectations and Irish breeders need look no further for a global market for the best.
 
To our vendors, our purchasers, our advisors and our supporters – thanks a Million…"

Orby Sale Comparative Figures: