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Doyle’s part with £72,000 for yearling on final day of Goffs Sportsman’s Sale
A filly by former Darley shuttler Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) was the star attraction on the final day of Goffs Sportsman’s Sale on Friday after Peter and Ross Doyle outlaid £72,000 for the yearling.
Catalogued as Lot 730 and offered as part of the Castlebridge consignment, the filly is a daughter of the placed Manduro (Monsun) mare Muzhil.
Muzhil herself is a sister to Beautiful Romance (New Approach), who counts a victory in the 2016 Zipping Classic (Gr 2, 2400m) among his two Group 2 wins.
Further back this is also the family of Group 3 winner Beyond Desire (Invincible Spirit) - the dam of Listed winner Queen Of Desire (Dubawi).
Later on in the afternoon, Alex Elliot parted with £46,000 for filly by former reverse Coolmore shuttler Pride Of Dubai (Street Cry) - who was crowned Australia’s champion first season sire last season.
Catalogued as Lot 834 and consigned by Lodge Park Stud, the filly is out of stakes-placed Dansili (Danehill) mare The Shrew, who is herself a half-sister to Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed son of Exceed And Excel (Danehill) James Garfield.
Further back this is the same family as this season’s Hoppings Fillies' Stakes (Gr 3, 1m2f) winner Nkosikazi (Cape Cross) and Grade 1 winner Uni (More Than Ready).
It is no surprise to see the progeny of Pride Of Dubai prove popular in the sales ring considering the start he has made with his first European crop of runners, having sired eight winners headed by stakes winners Star Of Emaraaty and Fancy Man.
Another shuttler who has made a good start with his first crop in Europe is the Tally-Ho based sire Vadamos (Monsun) and he had a colt sell for £37,000 at Friday’s sale, after trainer Michael Dods went to that figure for the yearling.
Vadamos shuttles to Rich Hill Stud in New Zealand and will be represented by his first runners in the southern hemisphere this season, having sired ten first crop winners in Europe so far.
Catalogued as Lot 819 and offered by Tally-Ho, the yearling is out of three time-winning Dutch Art (Medicean) are Strike A Light, who has already produced a winner in Italy.
Further back this is the same family as dual-winning mare Doctor’s Glory (Elmaamul) - the dam of Group 3 scorers Cupid’s Glory (Pursuit Of Love) and Clinical (Motivator) and Listed-winning duo Perscription (Pivotal) and Courting (Pursuit Of Love) - who in turn produced Listed winner Fury (Invincible Spirit).
Commenting at the conclusion of the Sportsman’s Sale, Goffs group chief executive Henry Beeby said: “Moving the Sportsman’s Sale to our UK sales complex was not a straightforward decision but, on balance, was deemed the right one in the circumstances. Frankly all of us are in a quandary about what is the right thing to do at the moment especially as things can change from day to day.
“Indeed, it is worth bearing in mind that the British Prime Minister announced new restrictions to help in the fight against Covid-19 on Tuesday so we are constantly having to react and adapt at short notice. In that connection we are indebted to Doncaster Council with whom we have liaised closely in recent months as they have provided feedback and support as we have drawn up the detailed protocols required to conduct a sale in the current climate.
“We are also very thankful to our vendors who embraced the change of date and location with hardly a murmur and worked with us to stage a sale that has returned a trade of relative strength on both days. Indeed, those yearlings that appealed most drew the normal level of activity from a large group of buyers from the UK, Ireland and those European countries on the UK’s current green list.
“We also want to acknowledge our appreciation to all attendees over the last few days as we are very aware that the protocols in place, whilst very necessary, can be frustrating on occasions. However they have been embraced with a level of acceptance and good humour which is helpful as we strive to do the right thing when no one really knows what that entails!
“Of course the stats do not compare with previous renewals of the Sportsman’s Sale but the key point is liquidity and the ability to trade. In that connection the last two days have delivered although comparing with 12 months ago is made even harder by the fluctuation of sterling in the intervening period so we would suggest that the most revealing figure is the clearance rate.”
