By Kelsey Riley
Goffs UK wrapped up its two-day premier yearling sale in Doncaster on Wednesday. This is a sale that has very much gone from strength to strength in recent years, building on its reputation as a reliable source of precocious juveniles to a sale that produces Classic horses thanks to this year’s G1 Prix de Diane winner Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}).
The average, median and gross at the sale were all down marginally on last year, but the clearance rate was up a tick at a healthy 89% and a new top price of £380,000 was set by a first-crop son of Coolmore’s Guineas winner Gleneagles (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Goffs UK is managed by Australian ex-pat Tony Williams, who said he was pleased with the results.
“This sale has undergone six consecutive years of growth and to match last year’s record-breaking figures was always going to be tough,” Williams said. “However, we have achieved the second-highest figures in this sale’s history for which we are delighted and to finish with a clearance rate of 89% demonstrates the strength of the market here at Doncaster.”
“We have received overwhelming praise from our vendors and buyers alike on what has been a very strong sale and it will be interesting to reflect on the figures as the sale season continues. I would like to thank our vendors and buyers who came from around the world and wish them all the very best.”
Australasian-connected sires to feature at the sale included:
Exceed and Excel: sire of the highest-priced filly on day one (£200,000).
Woodside Park shuttler Cable Bay (Ire), who had a £150,000 colt and a £110,000 colt from his first crop.
Starspangledbanner: sire of a pair of colts to sell for £140,000 on day two.
Coolmore shuttler No Nay Never (USA), Europe’s leading first-season sire who had a filly sell for £120,000 and a colt sell for £105,000.
Darley shuttler Brazen Beau, who had first-crop yearlings sell for £100,000, £90,0000, £80,000, etc.
Swettenham Stud shuttler Toronado (Ire), who had a second-crop son sell for £85,000.
Cornerstone Stud shuttler Zebedee (GB) had a colt sell for £120,000.
