Classy Concertista added to McGivern's burgeoning band for sale-topping €220,000

A royal trio and a blazing star are familiar motifs at this time of year and the Goffs December National Hunt Sale offered its own take on the familiar Christmas themes, with some queens of the turf shining brightly on the final day of trading at the venue for 2022.

The select session of mares offered at the end of the four-day sale brought 2022 to a rousing crescendo as a quartet brought six-figure sums and helped cement the December National Hunt Sale's position as one of the biggest success stories for Goffs over the past decade.

"Just two years ago this was a two-day affair having graduated from a single session in 2013," remarked Henry Beeby, Goffs' CEO, "and there is no doubt it is now the preferred choice for so many vendors and purchasers in very much the same way as the Land Rover Sale in June.

"For that, we have our vendors to thank for the trust they place in us with each entry and we are just delighted to repay their faith with a sale of vibrancy and depth."

That depth was reflected in the trade for mares which was headed by the €220,000 sale of the imposing Concertista to Jayne McGivern of Dash Grange Stud.

The beautiful and deeply impressive daughter of Nathaniel entered the ring as the winner of six races including the Grade 2 Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, where she was also second in the Grade 1 David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle for Willie Mullins and the 'double green' team of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.

Concertista takes her turn in the Goffs spotlightCredit: Goffs

Offered by Peter Molony's Rathmore Stud on behalf of her owners, the eight-year-old brought an opening bid of €50,000 and the numbers on the bid board raced quickly into six figures with a determined online bidder pushing the pace. The €200,000 barrier was broken by the online bidder who then ended their rivals' resistance when pressing the button at €220,000.

The identity of the bidder was revealed as Jayne McGivern after Beeby brought the hammer down in her favour. Owner of Dash Grange Stud, McGivern has been a prolific purchaser throughout the year, including buying Queen Of The Stage, the dam of Constitution Hill, for €340,000 through the Goffs Online platform back in May.

During the summer, McGivern purchased the 2015 Derby, Arc, Irish Champion Stakes and Eclipse hero Golden Horn to stand as a National Hunt sire at Overbury Stud and, having relocated from Darley's Dalham Hall headquarters to Gloucestershire, he has been strongly supported, with McGivern buying mares for him.

Concertista has an exceptional Wertheimer pedigree; she is a half-sister to Intello's Listed Prix de la Porte de Madrid winner Folamour, who was also fourth in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris and Grand Prix de Saint Cloud, and her dam Zagzig is a Selkirk half-sister to the Listed winner Galiway. That son of Galileo stands at Haras de Colleville and sired the Group 1 Champion Stakes and Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Sealiway in his second crop.

Zagzig is also a half-sister to the Grade 2 Commonwealth Breeders' Cup and Arcadia Handicap winner and sire Silent Name, by Sunday Silence. Second dam Danzigaway is a Danehill daughter of Blushing Away, making her a half-sister to Gold Away.

Kahala is homecoming queen for McCarthy

Royal Kahala has provided the Winning Ways Starlet Syndicate with some memorable moments over the two years her racing career lasted, and their red and yellow scarves were dotted around the sales ring as they turned out in force to see her through the ring and say their goodbyes to the Grade 2 Galmoy Hurdle winner, who was consigned through Clonbonny Stud.

Tim Nolan, Denise O'Brien and Anna Nolan with Royal Kahala prior to her saleCredit: Goffs

In a preview of what would happen 12 lots later when Concertista would take her turn in the ring, bids opened at €50,000 for the daughter of Flemensfirth, who was trained by Peter Fahey to win five races. In addition to her gallop to glory at Gowran last January, she was successful in the Grade 3 Advent Surety Irish EBF Mares' Hurdle at Leopardstown's Christmas festival and she finished runner-up in the Grade 3 Solerina Mares' Novice Hurdle.

It will be a homecoming for Royal Kahala as she returns to the place of her birth, having been purchased by her breeder Robert McCarthy for €180,000. The granddaughter of Lady Rebecca was bred by The Beeches Stud owner, who stood talismanic sire Flemensfirth at his Waterford farm, where the son of Alleged became one of the most successful and influential sires of the past two decades.

The connections to the farm don't end there as Royal Kahala was offered in foal to Crystal Ocean, who McCarthy has placed his faith in as the future of The Beeches' stallion operation.

"I'm delighted to be taking her home," he remarked after buying the mare who he sold seven years earlier for just €5,500 at the Goffs December National Hunt Sale.

"She is by Flemensfirth and in foal to Crystal Ocean and they are two of the best horses ever to stand at The Beeches."

The strength of the foal trade all week served only to increase demand for mares and create reassurance that the National Hunt breeding sector remains on an upward curve. McCarthy has been an engaged observer of, and interested participant in, the action, and his remarks were notable.

Royal Kahala on her way to making €180,000Credit: Goffs

"She's a top mare and the way the foals out of top mares have been selling this week has been very strong," he said. "The demand for well-bred colts and fillies has been consistently strong and the level of trade is very good."

Royal Kahala's foal will be from the third crop of the Prince of Wales's Stakes winner by Sea The Stars, and his second bunch of foals sold particularly well over the four days of trading. From a total of 34 youngsters offered, 31 were sold for an average price of €25,242 and a median figure of €24,000. Crystal Ocean's advertised covering fee for 2020 was €8,000.

"We are delighted with how Crystal Ocean's second crop of foals have sold here and it is very encouraging to see that he continues to be in demand with buyers," added McCarthy.

Coolmara strike on the treble

Whenever high-end mares come on the open market the Mariga family of Coolmara Stables in Cork are almost guaranteed to be among the interested parties.

It was no different at Goffs on Thursday, where Cathal Mariga and Paul Murphy, who manages the former dairy farm, were on hand to conduct bidding for a number of the session's choice offerings.

Cathal Mariga: he signed for three mares on behalf of the family's Coolmara StablesCredit: Peter Mooney

They came away from Kildare Paddocks with three more mares to add to one of the most impressive young National Hunt broodmare bands assembled in Ireland. The most expensive of the three was the Grade 2 and Grade 3 mares' bumper winner Grangee, who set them back €120,000.

The six-year-old bay was trained by Willie Mullins for Syndicates Racing and their star performer was sold through founder Jack Cantillon's family farm of Tinnakill House.

Bought for €25,000 as a four-year-old in February 2020, she won four races and was third in the Grade 2 Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham in March. She was also fourth to Mighty Potter and Three Stripe Life in the Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle at the Leopardstown Christmas festival.

Grangee is a Great Pretender full-sister to the Listed Grosses Heinrich Vetter Badenia Chase winner Box Office. She is also a half-sister to the Group 3 AQPS Prix des Guilledines third French Toast and the Listed-placed chaser Cote Mer.

With Great Pretender a stallion son of the brilliant King's Theatre, hugely sought after as a broodmare sire, Grangee's credentials as a broodmare are impeccable and she could be returning to the land of her birth for her first covering.

"She's been bought as a broodmare and won't be kept in training," confirmed Cathal Mariga.

"Potentially we could send her to France to be covered by No Risk At All. We don't like travelling the mares over to France when they have foals so, as she is a maiden mare, he could be ideal for her."

Earlier in the week, having sold their Walk In The Park colt foal out of another talented French-bred mare in Royale Joana Has for €82,000, Mariga commented that the team liked to buy mares with proven ability on the track. They broke their own rules when going to €110,000 to secure Crackle, an unraced five-year-old mare in foal to Nathaniel, sire of this year's Derby winner Desert Crown.

There were plenty of excellent reasons for making an exception for Crackle, not least that she was one of the best looking mares offered for sale on Thursday. A deep, dark bay like her sire Sholokhov, she also boasted a fine pedigree as a daughter of the Grade 3 Glencarraig Lady Mares Handicap Chase winner and Galway Plate runner-up Burn And Turn.

Grangee gleams in the winter sun at GoffsCredit: Goffs

Crackle is the first foal out of the Flemensfirth mare and made €41,000 as a foal in this very ring, where she was purchased by Stephen Kemble from Mary Brennan. Kemble was the consignor of Crackle on behalf of Old Rectory Stud and the mare, who is from the family of Jessica Harrington's Fighting Fifth and Grand Annual winner Space Trucker, earned connections a handsome return on their investment.

"We do like to buy mares with good race record but her dam did more than enough," replied Mariga when asked about their rationale. "The foals out of Burn And Turn sell very well and she has a lovely pedigree and is an exceptional individual."

The family has supported Newsells Park Stud's leading sire with a number of their best mares and the Nathaniel covering was another mark in the right column for Crackle.

"Nathaniel is a very good sire and we like to support him, so we are pleased to buy a mare in foal to him," added Mariga.

On the day the death of Overbury Stud's brilliant stallion Kayf Tara was announced, Coolmare bought a well-related mare by the son of Sadler's Wells who was Britain's champion National Hunt stallion for a remarkable 11 seasons.

Offered by Ballincurrig House Stud, and in foal to Crystal Ocean, a sire whose most expensive foal to date was bred and sold by the Marigas, Mind Your Money was the least expensive of the three at €70,000.

The winner of three starts, Mind Your Money collected the hat-trick of bumper, hurdles and chase wins for Timmy Hyde and the six-year-old is a half-sister to Skint, successful in a Sandown Grade 3 novice hurdle for Nicky Henderson.

Her pedigree is laden with proper chasers and her dam No More Money is an Alflora half-sister to Grand National and Grade 2 First Bank Gold Cup Chase winner Red Marauder and his full-brother Red Striker, successful in the Dipper Novices' Chase and the Peter Marsh Chase.

No More Money is also a half-sister to M I Babe, second dam of Grade 2 November Novices' Chase winner Dunraven Storm and Listed mares' bumper and hurdle winner The Govaness.

Mariga said: "We really liked her, she comes from a really good family with plenty of good horses under the first two dams. Crystal Ocean is a sire that we really like and send a lot of mares to him. Mind Your Money was unlucky not to get black type herself, finishing fourth in a Listed bumper."

Poetry in motion for Boardsmill sire

Fittingly, on a day when mares dominated the higher reaches of trading, the preceding foal session, which was topped by an €88,000 son of Walk In The Park, also staged the sale of the week's most expensive filly foal.

Louise and Fiona McStay and Sarah Rohan with the Poet's Word daughter of Glens MelodyCredit: Peter Mooney

That honour went to a daughter of Poet's Word and a Cheltenham Festival-winning mare, in the Grade 1 heroine Glens Melody. Another from the draft of leading consignors Ballincurrig House Stud, she was bred by Fiona McStay, who also bred and raced her David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle and Irish TBA Irish EBF Mares' Hurdle-winning dam Glens Melody.

The daughter of King's Theatre made the perfect start to her broodmare career as her first foal, the Shantou gelding Shantou's Melody, won a bumper for Jonjo O'Neill and was second on his first start over hurdles.

Gerry Hogan, acting on behalf of Swanbridge Bloodstock, secured the filly for €78,000 and indicated that his clients, who are one of the most prominent British-based National Hunt breeders, would eventually wish for her to join their breeding programme.

"She's a lovely filly and looks a racehorse but she has the pedigree to be a broodmare down the line, hopefully after having a successful career on the track," said Hogan.

As well as being a daughter of the outstanding King's Theatre, Glens Melody has a wonderful pedigree that fits her and her second dam on the page. She is closely related to the Grade 2 Johnstown Novice Hurdle winner Lean Araig and a half-sister to the Listed novice hurdle winner Ceol Rua, by Bob Back, who is the dam of Ashdale Bob.

The son of Shantou won a pair of Grade 2 novice hurdles for Jessica Harrington last year and was also second to Klassical Dream in the Grade 1 Stayers' Hurdle at this year's Punchestown festival and filled the same position behind Gaillard Du Mesnil in the Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle at the preceding festival.

Poet's Word stands at the Flood family's Boardsmill Stud outside Trim and his first two crops of National Hunt-bred foals have been a hit with breeders and buyers.

The King George and Prince of Wales's Stakes winner stood for an advertised fee of €5,000 during his first two seasons in Ireland and his second crop of foals returned an average of almost five times that figure this week at €24,875, with the median at €20,000 from 18 sold.

Statistics and statement

Held over four days for the first time but with a similar number of horses sold than last year, the trade recorded gains across all the key indicators.

Th fourth day generated total sales of €2,502,500 from 92 horses sold out of the 140 that were offered, which equated to a clearance rate of 66 per cent. The average price on Thursday was €27,201, while the median came in at €16,000.

Overall the sale recorded an aggregate of €8,735,800, which was a jump of 22 per cent on last year's turnover of €7,164,300. The number of horses sold, at 480, was only eight per cent higher than in 2021, which clearly shows the increased prices and demand throughout the four days.

Peter Molony, whose Rathmore Stud consigned the sale-topper ConcertistaCredit: Peter Mooney

The sale average was €18,200, which was an increase of 13 per cent on last year's figure, while the median grew by ten per cent from €10,000 last year to €11,000 this year.

In his closing statement Beeby mentioned the work of both the Goffs team and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing in helping to grow the sale.

"Buyers have flocked to Kildare Paddocks from far and wide, including some major UK investors following another coordinated campaign by the Goffs purchaser attraction team and ITM, who work in harmony with such success for every category and at each sale," he said.

"Our hope as we look forward is that we welcome back many of the week’s pick of the foals to the Goffs Land Rover or Doncaster Spring Sales in 2025, especially as they will benefit from the unique Goffs Customer Loyalty Scheme when they re-sell.

"It was very gratifying to round off the sale with the now traditional strong selection of classy broodmares, which was particularly well supported this year following such superb results in recent years. Another lively session saw bids coming thick and fast from all over and we wish their buyers the best of luck with the resulting progeny, many of whom will surely return to future Goffs sales.

"For now we wish all Goffs clients a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and look forward to welcoming each and every one back to Kildare Paddocks in 2023 while thanking them again for their support, as we know we are nothing without it."

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