Goffs February Sale finished with a flourish as Red Azalea (Lot 482A - pictured) from Baroda Stud topped the two-day sale when selling to BBA Ireland for €340,000. A winning four-year-old Galileo filly, she is out of the Invincible Spirit mare Music Box who is herself a Group 3 and Listed winner. The same vendor and purchaser combination accounted for the next highest priced mare in the catalogue as Nomadland (Lot 468), a daughter of Frankel with a top class Japanese pedigree that includes the dam’s Group 1 winning own-brother Deep Brillante, sold for €110,000. Baroda Stud also offered the winning and Listed placed Romanosa (Lot 410) among their breeding stock draft and the Holy Roman Emperor mare from the family of Power made €75,000 when selling to Barry Lynch. Today’s weanling trade meanwhile was topped by Boherguy Stud whose Blue Point colt (Lot 256) from a long line of German Group race winners sold to LM Syndicate for €60,000. Boherguy also sold a well related Too Darn Hot filly (Lot 266) for €52,000 to Jill Lamb Bloodstock who later went to €56,000 for another quality filly in Church View Stables’ daughter of Dandy Man (Lot 328). View full results for the February Sale Reflecting on the first sale of 2023 at Kildare Paddocks, Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby said: “Goffs February fulfils an important function in the sales calendar as it provides another opportunity for foal (weanling) sellers and buyers. Sometimes the youngster needed more time and on other occasions they did not make our superb November or December Foal Sales for some reason or failed to hit the target on that visit to the ring. When November and December are strong it sometimes leads to a weaker February as orders might be filled and/or the better lots already sold. Whether or not that is the case this week is debatable but the common theme over the last two days has been a vibrant trade for those that held most appeal, especially to the pinhooking fraternity, but an altogether different story for those deemed not to be as commercial. Suggesting otherwise would be foolhardy as it is very much the case in the times in which we live. 2022 probably enjoyed a post pandemic bounce in terms of numbers with the expansion to three days for the first time since 2018 and so this year’s two-day affair was always going to show a reduced turnover. However, it is interesting to note that the median price remained the same as 2022 which demonstrates a consistency to the market for a sale in which the size of the entry is largely reactive to the autumn sales. Trade for the breeding stock session mirrored the weanlings with keen competition for some and less interest in others but we have been pleased to welcome another strong overseas contingent to Kildare Paddocks who are enticed year after year by the enduring quality of Irish bloodlines and the endeavours of ITM working alongside the Goffs Buyer Recruitment Team and our excellent international agents. The market leading status of Goffs February has been confirmed once again with the highest February prices for Flat weanling, NH weanling and breeding stock with the latter recording the fourth best price for this sale and the best since 2014. As ever, we extend our thanks to each vendor and all our purchasers for we are nothing without them”.
Comparative Figures WHOLE SALE
Offered
Sold
Turnover (€)
Average (€)
Median (€)
Top (€)
2022
490
352 (72%)
6,020,200
17,103
9,000
150,000
2023
424
273 (64%)
4,348,550 (-28%)
15,929 (-7%)
340,000
WEANLINGS
Median
270
199 (74%)
3,413,300
17,152
10,000
135,000
258
159 (62%)
2,585,850 (-24%)
16,263 (-5%)
115,000
Goffs February Sale is followed tomorrow, Friday 10 February, by a timed online sale of stallion breeding rights. The sale will be conducted on GoffsOnline.com and will be open for bidding from 11am to 1pm. Bidders must register in advance and can do so here. Breeding rights to four sires are catalogued as follows:
The sale will offer Agents Commission of 5% of the sale price of any lots successfully sold to the buying agent. View the catalogue on GoffsOnline.com.