London-based agent Charlie Gordon-Watson enjoyed a busy final day of the Goffs Million yearling sale in Ireland Oct. 3, spending 600,000 euros ($845,292) on an Indian Ridge half-brother to Goodwood Cup (gr. II) winner Allegretto.
The colt was bred by Kirsten Rausing and Airlie Stud, who consigned him. Gordon-Watson was acting for owner Saeed Suhail. The colt will go into training with Sir Michael Stoute in Britain.
At a sale dominated by Coolmore sires, Gordon-Watson also paid 550,000 euros ($775,035) for a Galileo colt who showed a useful pinhooking profit for the partnership of Paul Shanahan and Timmy Hyde. Hyde bought the colt for 255,000 euros ($359,355) as a foal at Goffs and re-consigned from Shanahan’s Ashtown House Stud. He will remain in Ireland.
Hyde’s Camas Park Stud also sold a Montjeu half-brother to champion Intikhab for 450,000 euros ($634,207) to Demi O’Byrne, acting for the Coolmore partners.
The aggregate and average for the three-day finished down, with 53,851,000 euros ($75,888,695) spent, falling 9% from 59,158,000 euros ($ 83,372,158) in 2006. The average dropped 5% to 110,350 euros ($155,509). However, the median rose to 72,000 euros ($101,466) from 70,000 ($98,648).
Goffs chief executive Henry Beeby said afterward: "We are truly delighted with three days of exceptionally solid, level trade, topped of course by the highest priced yearling to sell in Europe for five years.
"There was a real buzz around the complex throughout the sale, with a broad base of new and existing buyers attending from over 15 countries, including Japan, Russia, USA, Hong Kong and South Africa. That is the real strength of Goffs. We are not reliant on just one or two groups of buyers, but we are growing the purchaser profile year on year.”
Beeby acknowledged there was "a slight drop in average (that) only amounts to a bid here or there.” He said that the 3% median growth “illustrates real strength across the board.”
He added: "Our sincere thanks go out to every vendor and all our purchasers who have bought in the knowledge that they, and only they, will be chasing the world’s richest sales race incentive – a whopping 5,200,000 euros. We are looking forward to the next two days of Goffs Sportsman’s Sale and are confident that we can maintain the momentum generated already this week."
The Sportman's Sale is Oct. 4-5.