Sheikh Hamdan Again Tops Goffs Orby Sale Session

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Sheikh Hamdan again led the way on the middle day of Goffs' Orby Million Sale in Co Kildare, Ireland, Tuesday when paying 1.8 million euros for a U.S.-bred son of Kingmambo consigned via Ciaran Conroy's Co Tipperary-based Glenvale Stud.

The colt, signed for by Derrinstown Stud manager Stephen Collins, is the first foal out of the Sadler's Wells mare Karsavina, who was trained by Aidan O'Brien to finish third in the 2001 Irish Oaks. John Magnier was the underbidder.

Although not a sale record, the 1.8 million euro price tag is the highest paid for a yearling at Goffs since a Danehill colt brought Ir£2.1 million in 2001.

Demi O'Byrne, acting for Coolmore, paid 420,000 euros for a Danehill Dancer colt from Barronstown Stud while Georges Rimaud, on behalf of the Aga Khan, went to 400,000 euros for a Sadler's Wells colt who is a half-brother to four winners including group III scorer Lunasalt.

Sheikh Mohammed's Darley team was also busy with a list of purchases that included an Irish National Stud home-bred Indian Ridge colt out of Kyka, a daughter of E.P. Taylor Stakes, French, and Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine L'Attrayante. Darley paid 360,000 euros for the yearling.

Tom Taaffe, best known in jumping circles as the trainer of this year's Cheltenham Gold Cup steeplechase winner Kicking King, collected a well- connected filly early into the sale when paying 325,000 euros for a Danehill Dancer half-sister to the dam of Keeneland Turf Mile and French 2,000 Guineas winner Landseer (Fr-I). The filly was consigned by Paul Shanahan's Ashtown House Stud.

The statistics for the second day of the Orby Sale, Europe's first premier yearling sale of the year, saw 204 catalogued, with 188 offered, 19 not sold, 169 sold for an average of 105,444 euros, a median of 70,000 euros, and an aggregrate 17,820,000.

This was even better than the first day when the average was 97,205 euros as against an average of 65,082 euros in 2004.

So far the spat between the Maktoum family and Coolmore, where supposedly they are not bidding for the progeny of each other's stallions, has boosted the market rather than the opposite as predicted by many observers.

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