IRISH EYES ARE SMILING
Sunday, October 4, 2009 at 10:54AM 
GOFFS ORBY SALE 2009
In the wake of the rather debilitating Keenland Sale (the biggest auction of racehorses in the world) which was off some 30% - 40%, the directors of Goffs in Ireland must’ve gone home satisfied at the outcome of their Orby sale. While vendors took something of a blow last year, there was consolation in the two day sale this year, in that the average of €72 000 was virtually spot on with last year’s average, suggesting this cycle may have bottomed out.
It is so that the Goffs sale was reduced to two days from three, which would’ve had a helpful impact on the average, but at the psychological level at least, breeders will go home knowing that they can at least plan for the future with some measure of certainty. The one thing for sure, is that come 2012, when they will be selling the results of this year’s work, there will be fewer foals to compete with.
The stand-out buyer at Goffs this year was Summerhill client, Dr. Jim Hay (an Englishman who plies his business between the UK and Dubai), and who looks to have a certain candidate in next month’s R1,5 million Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup in the form of Mahubo, a Group placed half-brother to our international traveller, Imbongi.
While Jim took the top priced filly in the sale, he also accounted for another lot in the top ten in the form of a colt from yet another Summerhill client, Dermot Cantillon, current Chairman of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, and long-time adviser to the Smurfitt family.
Yet another Summerhill supporter, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum, was more than active in the ring and showed his liking for the progeny of the Machiavellian stallion, Medicean, acquiring both that stallion’s top two in the sale.
“Click above to enlarge table…”
There are probably two viable explanations for the disparity in the American market and its European counterparts, bearing in mind that the Arqana (French) sale at Deauville a month and a half back, was encouragingly strong as well, and that is attributable to at least two factors. First, the American economy is probably in deeper trouble than the European, and especially the thoroughbred economy, where American consciences appear to have redirected their spend in the direction of philanthropic issues such as education. In addition, there seems to be a visible feeling among European buyers that the stallions standing in Europe at the moment represent a stronger contingent than those in the United States, and that therefore, European horses represent a better investment.
That’s an interesting theory, and if there’s any truth in it, it reminds us that in racing, nothing is permanent. It wasn’t long ago (thirty to forty years) that Americans were plundering the riches of the European bloodstock market, and the transatlantic trade in the best stallions in the world was one-way: westward.
The fact is, the spending power of people like the Maktoums and Coolmore, have turned the traffic, and they may even have gone beyond.
GOFFS ORBY YEARLING SALE TOP LOTS - DAY TWO
| Lot | Sex | Sire | Dam | Buyer | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 282 | C | Pivotal | In Anticipation | John Ferguson | €320,000 |
| 292 | F | Galileo * | Jewel In The Sand | BBA Ireland | €310,000 |
| 399 | F | Galileo * | Parvenue | Clive Gardiner | €280,000 |
| 418 | F | Good Reward | Princess Kris | John Ferguson | €220,000 |
| 280 | C | Oasis Dream * | Horatio | Badgers Bloodstock | €220,000 |
| 215 | F | Dalakhani | Dievotchkina | John Ferguson | €220,000 |
| 338 | C | Danehill Dancer | Luna Wells | Sylvain Vidal | €210,000 |
| 415 | F | Pivotal | Polish Descent | Citywest Inc Ltd | €210,000 |
*Galileo and Oasis Dream both have candidates in the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale
