Cover image courtesy of Goffs Ireland

Courtesy of TDN Europe

At A Glance

>> Paso Doblae (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) tops Sale when bought by Tom Malone for €125,000 (AU$237,562) out of Godolphin’s draft.

>> Matt Cumani buys the Aga Khan-offered Taramansour (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) for €105,000 (AU$199,550).

>> Chris Waller secures Bashiyr (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), a 4-year-old gelding also from the Aga Khan draft for €50,000 (AU$95,025).

>> The clearance rate of 72 per cent for 62 sold matching last year’s figure and turnover, similarly, was up three per cent to €1,019,800 (AU$1,938,130) despite fewer offered and sold .

>> The average climbed 24 per cent to €16,448 (AU$31,260) and the median was down 22 per cent at €7000 (AU$13,300).

Vibrant trade

Goffs staged the first-ever bloodstock auction in England or Ireland conducted exclusively online on Thursday and the result was largely positive in the midst of the country’s second national lockdown.

With the Goffs team auctioning virtually in an empty ring at Kildare Paddocks, 86 horses in training were offered with Australian trainers Matt Cumani and Chris Waller featuring on the buyers’ sheet.

The clearance rate of 72 per cent for 62 sold matching last year’s figure and turnover, similarly, was up three per cent to €1,019,800 (AU$1,938,130) despite fewer offered and sold, and the average climbed 24 per cent to €16,448 (AU$31,260). The median was down 22 per cent at €7000 (AU$13,300).

The top price of €125,000 (AU$237,562) far exceeded last year’s €70,000 (AU$133,035) top lot, and taking the honours was Godolphin offering Paso Doble (Lot 553), who was bought by Tom Malone.

The 3-year-old Paso Doble was previously trained by Jim Bolger and has won twice and been third three times in five runs this year over extended trips.

The Aga Khan consignment was responsible for the next three highest-priced lots, headed by JS Bloodstock and Matt Cumani’s purchase Taramansour (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) (Lot 574). He was purchased for €105,000 (AU$199,550) .

The 3-year-old colt heads Down Under after having won in July for Dermot Weld. He was most recently ninth behind Paso Doble in a Fairyhouse H. on October 1.

Waller swoops

Cumani was not the only Australian trainer active in the online bidding; Chris Waller swooped for Bashiyr (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) (Lot 575), a 4-year-old gelding also from the Aga Khan draft, for €50,000 (AU$95,025).

“2020 is proving to be a year of firsts and the overwhelming majority are largely negative caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, today’s Goffs HIT Sale has been a positive as it has the distinction of being the first live auction conducted purely online in the UK or Ireland,” Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby said.

“Whilst we are not pretending this was by design as we were forced to react to the current restrictions in Ireland, we have been very pleased with the reaction from both vendors and purchasers with plenty of spirited online bidding as well as several telephone bids leading to a very acceptable trade.

“Indeed, today’s experience has been encouraging enough for us to decide that our Autumn Yearling Sale will also be run as a live online auction in a couple of weeks’ time.

“We would like to thank those vendors that stood their ground and gave us the chance to prove the worth of our online platform as it was truly a leap of faith for every one of them.

“We are also very grateful to the large number of purchasers who interacted with us remotely and wish them the very best of luck with their purchases, all of which were offered with veterinary certificates, online films and as much information as we could provide. Indeed, we were overwhelmed by the level of interest with 250 individual registrations to bid online which is quite something for an 86 lot sale.”