The Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale had plenty of drama when the dam of Goliath, who runs in the Japan Cup on Sunday, was passed in at €5miliion, but there were other high profile sales including Fastnet Rock's Epsom Oaks winner Qualify.
Her Honour (Lot 1182), a placed daughter of Shamardal whose four runners include high-class sprinter Vadream and Listed-placed Midream and Mirage Hero, topped the opening day of Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale trade when bought by Alex Elliott for €725,000.
The 13-year-old mare, from the family of Group 1 stars Big Rock, Emily Upjohn and Harzand, was offered by Springfort Park Stud in foal to top sire Night Of Thunder and was purchased by Elliott privately after being led out of the ring unsold.
“We honoured our last bid in the ring,” said Elliott. “What a producer. She’s a Shamardal mare from a huge family and she’ll be bred to some big stallions now. I’d imagine we’ll send her to Frankel or Wootton Bassett. She’s been bought for an English breeder and she’s going to reside at Baroda Stud with David Cox.
“The McCutcheon brothers have kept a New Bay filly out of her, so they’ll still be cheering her on. She’s in foal to Night Of Thunder too, who’s going to stand for €150,000 next year. She’s a mare with a bit of age but she’s proven.”
Elliott was busy during the session, with his purchases also including M’Lady Nicole (Lot 1187), a Sea The Stars full-sister to Group 2 winner Knight To Behold also in foal to Night Of Thunder, for €320,000, and Ambiguous (Lot 1175), a Kheleyf half-sister to crack sprinters Alpha Delphini and Tangerine Trees who has produced Listed scorer Marine Wave and is in foal to Mehmas, for €230,000.
Elliott reported that M’Lady Nicole has also been bought for an English partnership, and will board at Baroda Stud.
He added: “She’s a lovely mare. Her first foal, a Lope De Vega yearling colt, has gone into training with William Haggas, and her second foal, a Night Of Thunder colt, sold to Sumbe for €340,000 this week.
“She’s carrying a full-sibling to the Night Of Thunder colt so at €320,000 I thought she was in the middle of the range of where we valued her. I’m pleased to get her as it’s hard to buy Night Of Thunder foals and yearlings, and you now have to go one step back and buy mares in foal to him. It’s a great endurance family going back too.”
Ambiguous has meanwhile been bought for Amo Racing, to support its growing roster of stallions.
“She’ll probably be one for Bucanero Fuerte next year,” said Elliott. “She’s a proven mare, in foal to a phenomenal stallion in Mehmas. She's a sister to two Group 1 winners, and she's bred a stakes winner. Kheleyf's a great broodmare sire too, so there wasn't a lot not to like. Amo will be pursuing mares to support its stallions but they’re all unproven at the moment so we’ve got to box clever. Ambiguous should give Bucanero Fuerte every chance.”
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Oaks heroine Qualify (Lot 1158) proved the highlight of the ever popular Godolphin draft at Goffs, selling to Ballylinch Stud for €650,000.
Ballylinch Stud manager John O’Connor reported that the 12-year-old daughter of Fastnet Rock, already the dam of Group 3 winner Swing Vote and in foal to champion sire-elect Dark Angel, would be covered by the operation’s brilliant stalwart sire Lope De Vega next year.
“These sorts of mares are scarce,” he said. “She’s already produced a good horse to Shamardal [sire of Lope De Vega], and we have horses from that sire-line that might well suit her. At the moment she’s most likely to go to Lope De Vega but I’m sure she’ll have future dalliances with other stallions of ours from the same line.
“Her two-year-old by Lope De Vega, Cualificar, is really promising. He ran really well to finish third in a maiden at Saint-Cloud a week or so ago, and he’s with the right man in Andre Fabre to progress.”
Reflecting on the 17-year-old Lope De Vega, whose long roll of honour as a sire includes Goffs graduates Antonia De Vega and Lucky Vega, he added: “He’s confirmed this year what everybody knows: that he’s one of the world’s top sires. Last time I looked he was the leading sire in the world by black-type horses, Group 1 winners and lots of other different categories. We’re going to continue to try to buy the best mares who are appropriate to go him.
“We’re going to start managing the numbers in his books from next year. He’s been plenty busy, so it’s time to start reducing his book in order to extend his career for as long as we can. He’s such a good horse we want to have him around for as long as possible.”
O’Connor was also on the hunt at Goffs for mares to send to this year’s Prix du Jockey Club hero Look De Vega, who is joining his sire Lope De Vega on the Ballylinch Stud roster next year. He dipped into the Godolphin draft to buy Pietrafiore (Lot 1141), a winning Dubawi full-sister to Dubai World Cup hero Monterosso who is in foal to Teofilo, for €170,000.
O’Connor said: “She’ll go to Look De Vega, that’s the plan at the moment anyway. We’re going to buy some nice mares to go to him. He’s going to get a lot of support from the syndicate that owns him.
“I liked her as a type, she’s a lovely mare, and she’s a full-sister to a Dubai World Cup winner. We also know her Camelot yearling filly has gone to Andre Fabre, so there might be some nice updates to come from that.
“She’s already bred a stakes winner in Blue Trail, and is back in foal to his sire Teofilo. I like mares who have already proven they can produce stakes winners. They’re the ones we want to go to our young sires.”
Ballylinch Stud's other purchases included Scarlett O'Hara (Lot 1203), a Group 3-placed daughter of Frankel from her vendor Kilcarn Stud's iconic family of Flame Of Tara, as a breeding prospect for €340,000.
