It's another Scandi drama at Goffs as leading owner nets top lot

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Here, he chats to Magne Jordanger, whose Stall Perlen bought and will race the top lot at Goffs Orby on Wednesday. Subscribers can get more great insight from Martin every Monday to Friday.

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If the identity of Peter and Ross Doyle’s clients who purchased the Kodiac colt that topped Wednesday’s second session of the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale at €575,000 came as a surprise, you clearly didn’t pay enough attention to Tuesday’s Good Morning Bloodstock email, in which I reported on the Scandinavian invasion of the Irish auction scene.

I didn’t write it because I was trying to convince the Racing Post that I need to go on a field trip to the racecourses and studs of Denmark, Sweden and Norway; the thought never entered my head. No, as this transaction proved again, there is real substance to the increased involvement of owners and breeders from the Nordic nations in Irish sales, and at Goffs in particular.

Norwegian-born entrepreneur Magne Jordanger, whose Stall Perlen will race the beautiful full-brother to Sakheer’s one-time conqueror and recent Goffs Million fourth Magical Sunset, are the biggest owners in Scandinavia and have enjoyed enormous success with purchases made by longtime friends Peter and Ross Doyle over the years.

The most famous horse to carry his and wife Bente’s colours was the remarkably prolific Appel Au Maitre, a son of Starborough bought by Peter Doyle for €155,000 at the Deauville yearling sales in 2005. Trained by regular accomplice Wido Neuroth, he finished fourth in Adlerflug’s German Derby and was later a dual Group 3 winner and multiple Group 1-placed in Germany. He also eventually mopped up every major middle-distance prize in Scandinavia.

Appel Au Maitre – bred by Haras de Montaigu out of their blue hen Rotina, who later became the granddam of Derby victor Wings Of Eagles – covers at Hjortebo Stud in Denmark and is the leading stallion in Scandinavia, where his progeny include Stall Perlen and Neuroth’s classy filly Appelina.

Among the exciting two-year-olds representing Stall Perlen at present are the Showcasing filly Amazing Show, a smart winner at Down Royal for Ger Lyons in July and not disgraced behind Tahiyra in the Moyglare Stud Stakes last time, and the Starspangledbanner filly Starlight Song, a winner at Ovrevoll in August for Neuroth. The pair were bought by the Doyles for €260,000 and €250,000 at last year's Orby Yearling Sale, showing the Jordangers aren’t afraid to dig deep to secure the best racing prospects.

Jordanger told me on Wednesday that his gleaming new Kodiac colt, bred and consigned by the eye-catchingly successful Alice Fitzgerald, would be trained by Richard Hannon. “Hopefully he’s a Royal Ascot prospect,” he added. “There were lots of people on him today, so we feel very lucky to get him.”

The Jordangers weren’t only in action as buyers on Wednesday. They also sold, through Kellsgrange Stud, a homebred Gleneagles colt out of their Swedish Listed-placed Pivotal mare Angel Love to Martyn Meade for €31,000, and a Night Of Thunder full-brother to Give Thanks Stakes winner Rumbles Of Thunder to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for €220,000.

The latter colt had been bought as a foal from Goffs for €150,000, and Jordanger said: “We hoped for a little more, but it was a good enough result and the pinhooking is just for fun, really.” Asked if he’ll be teaming up with the Doyles to find another foal to trade this winter, he replied with a glint in his eye: “Maybe . . . by happy coincidence I have a long business meeting in Dublin during the foal sale in November so I think Bente and I might just be tempted to drop in!”

The son of Kodiac out of Fikrah in the ring at the Orby on WednesdayCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

And this might not be the last we hear of Stall Perlen this week, as it holds a close association with a colt who is no forlorn hope in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Sunday.

Mendocino, who took the scalp of last year’s Arc hero Torquator Tasso when he won the Grosser Preis von Baden this month, is by Adlerflug out of Mill Marin, a Pivotal mare who won at Listed level in Sweden.

The Jordangers sold Mill Marin to Mendocino’s breeder Gestüt Brümmerhof for 52,000gns at the end of her racing career, but there are no hard feelings at all.

“This is all part of the game,” said Jordanger with a smile and a shrug. “Of course I wish I’d kept the dam with the benefit of hindsight, and with the way we run our operation now we’d probably keep her. I loved that she was by Pivotal and was related to Mill Reef in her third generation, but that’s life and we’re very proud to be associated with such a good horse.

“It would be fantastic if he won on Sunday. He’s not one of the big favourites, of course, but he’s still very interesting. He’s beaten the last winner of the Arc, and as we saw in Paris last year, anything can happen in the race.”

There was no hesitation when Jordanger was asked if he’d enjoyed his latest trip to Goffs, which he considers R&R from a hectic business life starting up and running companies.

“Oh yes," he exclaimed. "I think this is my 25th year, and it’s great to come here and catch up with Peter and Ross and their family, and all the friends we’ve made over the years.”

The Scandinavian influence at Goffs has certainly added an interesting dimension to international trade. The company and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing deserve enormous credit for cultivating the market, and finding new investors like the Jordangers, through frequent trips there.

I really do think I should see for myself what’s going on in the Nordic countries for the benefit of readers. After the success of ‘Guten Morgen Bloodstock’ in the summer, surely ‘God Morgen Bloodstock’ can’t be far away? (Don’t push your luck – ed).

What do you think?

Share your thoughts with other Good Morning Bloodstock readers by emailing gmb@racingpost.com

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“An outstanding-looking horse, he has won over £11,700,000 in prize-money and we cannot wait to introduce Mishriff to breeders,” say the Sumbe team after securing a high-profile new stallion for their roster at Haras de Montfort et Preaux.

Pedigree pick

The first four two-year-old novice races at Salisbury on Thursday feature a cornucopia of incredibly well bred newcomers – including fillies out of talented racemares Emulous and Havant, and full-brothers to Sangarius and Without Parole.

Those contests look very competitive, though, so Thursday’s selection comes in the potentially more winnable seven-furlong novice stakes at Wolverhampton (6.15) instead.

Apex, trained by George Boughey for Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, is the pick of the seven runners on pedigree. He is by talented two-year-old and first-season sire Kessaar, and is a half-brother to the likeably tough triple Group 3-winning filly Oscula from the family of juvenile black-type winners Brown Sugar, Burnt Sugar, Darkanna, Galeota and Wings Of War.

Apex cost €100,000 at last year’s Goffs Orby Yearling Sale, and his Prince Of Lir half-brother made €300,000 when knocked down to Peter and Ross Doyle at the same sale on Wednesday.

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Good Morning Bloodstock is our latest email newsletter. Martin Stevens, a doyen among bloodstock journalists, provides his take and insight on the biggest stories every morning from Monday to Friday