The inaugural Goffs London Sale in association with QIPCO was deemed an unqualified success last evening at The Orangery at Kensington Palace with intense international demand for the outstanding lots on offer.
Highlights of the eve of Royal Ascot sale were numerous, with trade topped by today’s Coventry Stakes contender Cappella Sansevero (Lot 49), trained by Ger Lyons, who will run in the colours of Qatar Racing having been purchased for the sale topping price of £1,300,000 by Sheikh Fahad Al Thani.
Goffs were the first auction house in the world to offer a foal by the great Frankel for auction, and the Tweenhills consigned Crystal Gaze (Lot 65), in foal to Frankel, with her colt foal by Frankel at foot were a star attraction at The Orangery and are now bound for Coolmore having been knocked down to MV Magnier at £1,150,000.
Over half the Lots in the sale went for £100,000 or more, with the Breeze Up section topped by the fast moving Distorted Humor filly (Lot 3) from Mocklershill who was purchased by Stephen Hillen for £600,000. A son of Giant’s Causeway from Ballintry Stud fell to Volga Star Racing for £400,000, while other Breeze Up highlights included Oaks Farm Stables City Zip colt (Lot 26) that was bought by David Redvers for £280,000, while Stephen Hillen went to £240,000 for Mocklershill’s son of Galileo out of Royal Ascot Queen Mary winner Elletelle. The colt is an own brother to Group winner Adelaide.
Cappella Sansevero topped the remarkable trade for Horses In Training that also saw Gai Waterhouse secure Café Society (Lot 47) for £330,000. The four year old was sold with an entry in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes and Wolferton Handicap. Bwana (Lot 46) from Patrick Prendergast is another with a Royal Ascot engagement today, in the Windsor Castle Stakes, and was bought by Mubarak Al Naemi, the new owner of Kilfrush Stud in Ireland, for £300,000. Narvick International accounted for the Group winner Caledonia Lady (Lot 48) at £300,000, and the Andrew Balding trained Signposted (Lot 41), entered in the King Edward VII Stakes, sold to John McCormack for £200,000.
Two other London Sale purchases due to line up alongside Cappella Sansevero in today’s Coventry Stakes are Noel Quinlan’s Prophesize (Lot 60) who was purchased by Asian Bloodstock Services for £180,000 as well as the Michael O’Callaghan trained Case Statement (Lot 63) who will race in the colours of new owner Shaeil Khalifa Alkuwari having been bought for £180,000.
Reflecting on the success of the London Sale, Goffs Chief Executive Henry Beeby said:
“Wow! When we set out to stage The Goffs London Sale in association with QIPCO we did not dare dream of the sort of results and level of interest that we enjoyed at The Orangery at Kensington Palace last night.
Our top price looks a real star as did the Frankel foal whilst it was a joy to welcome so many international bloodstock buyers to the sale and to start Royal Ascot week in such style.
There is no doubt in our minds that the Goffs London Sale on the eve of Royal Ascot will become a permanent date in the calendar and we look forward to building on last night’s spectacular first event.
We would like to thank all our vendors and purchasers for making the inaugural London Sale such a success, and we are particularly grateful to our London Sale title partner QIPCO.
On behalf of all the team at Goffs, we wish every purchaser the very best of luck, particularly at Royal Ascot over the next few days”.
Figures for Goffs London Sale:
53 Offered, 41 sold (77%)
Aggregate £7,915,000
Average £193,048
Median £120,000.