Sons of Getaway and Yeats share top billing at Goffs UK Spring Store Sale

Top lot honours were shared at a solid – if somewhat selective – renewal of the Goffs UK Spring Store Sale in Doncaster on Tuesday, as a pair of well-related three-year-olds brought £105,000 apiece.

By the close of trade turnover had hit £4,737,800, down 14 per cent year-on-year. The average was clipped in by four per cent to £26,470 while the median dropped by 13 per cent from £24,000 to £21,000.

The clearance rate finished at 80 per cent, with 179 of 225 lots finding a buyer.

View full Goffs UK Spring Store Sale results and stats

The second lot to hit the £105,000 mark, the Getaway half-brother to Scottish Grand National winner Joe Farrell, came as evening set in in South Yorkshire.

Ross Doyle and Colin Tizzard, standing down in the gangway, duelled it out with Tom Malone and Jamie Snowden, who surveyed the opposition from the top tier of the auditorium. After a protracted bidding process is was Malone who blinked first, and auctioneer Andrew Nolan brought the gavel down in favour of Doyle and Tizzard.

The pair have combined to great effect in recent months, with the agent sourcing the trainer's Grade 1 winners Lostintranslation, successful in the Betway Mildmay Novices' Chase at Aintree, and Reserve Tank, who struck in the Betway Mersey Novices' Hurdle and the Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.

"Myself and Colin thought he was a standout individual and he's got a pedigree to back it up too," Doyle said of the joint sale-topper, who was consigned by Ballincurrig House Stud on behalf of William Bryan and partners.

"He comes from a great home, we actually bought Reserve Tank off Ballincurrig as a store and we've had some very good ones off them before, they get a great grounding there.

"The breeders are very good too and the stallion needs no introduction, we've liked Getaway for a long time now. We bought a horse called The Big Breakaway [for €360,000] by him at the Punchestown Sale as well."

Ross Doyle signs for the joint session-topping Getaway gelding at £105,000Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

The three-year-old had been pinhooked by Bryan for €28,000 at the 2016 Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale. Doyle and Tizzard also secured a son of Flemensfirth, the previous lot into the ring, for £60,000.

"He was bought on spec, obviously Lostintranslation has been good to us and he's by Flemensfirth too," said Doyle of the Glenwood Stud-consigned gelding. "This fella is probably a bit of a sharper type, but he's a very nice mover and has a great attitude and I don't think he'll take too long for a Flemensfirth."

Murphys strike early

The first lot to reach six-figure territory was bought by the father and son team of Aiden and Olly Murphy, who stretched to £105,000 for the Yeats gelding offered by Norman Williamson's Oak Tree Farm.

Bred by Ronan Tynan, the youngster is out of the Flemensfirth mare Talktothetail, making him a half-brother to OLBG Mares' Hurdle heroine Roksana, who backed up her Cheltenham effort by finishing a close second to Spring Store Sale catalogue cover star If The Cap Fits in the Grade 1 Ryanair Stayers Hurdle at Aintree.

Lot 76: the son of Yeats in the ring before being knocked down to Aiden and Olly Murphy for £105,000Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

"He's a quality individual, has a good pedigree and he's a horse I'm really looking forward to training," said Olly Murphy, who secured the well-related youngster on behalf of an existing client of the yard.

"I trained a bit of the family for a short period of time and Yeats has had a good year. I have a nice horse by him belonging to Mr McManus, Collooney, who's a very nice prospect."

The six-figure gelding also brought a healthy bit of profit, having been pinhooked by Brendan Bashford Bloodstock as a foal for €30,000 at the 2016 Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale.

Oak Tree Farm's Norman Williamson in relaxed mood during pre-sale inspectionsCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

The joint sale-topping transaction capped a fine few days for Williamson, as he saw War Of Will, whom he sold for $250,000 at the 2018 Arqana Breeze-Up Sale, land the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on Saturday.

Malone makes a Getaway

The progeny of Getaway proved in demand throughout the session, and it was agent Tom Malone who landed the second-most expensive lot by the sire, as he went to £100,000 for the gelding offered by Treannahow Stables in conjunction with Paul Nicholls.

"He's a lovely horse and we've had some fun with Getaway of late," said Malone. "He's exactly Paul's type of horse: a big, rangy, chasing type for the future. With luck on our side he'll be a fine horse. Paul knows the pedigree as he trained Calling Wild, who's under the third dam back in the day. He's coming from a good camp with the Costellos."

The gelding, out of the unraced Flemensfirth mare Crossbar Lady, had been pinhooked for just €14,000 when signed for as a foal by Beechfield at the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale.

Tom Malone signs his first six-figure docket of the saleCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

Malone also atoned for missing out on the joint session-topping son of Getaway by striking for the Sholokhov gelding offered by Busherstown at £100,000 just a few lots later.

"Sholokhov doesn't need any introduction, he's a top class stallion," said Malone. "He's got a lovely pedigree with the dam being a half-sister to Yanworth. He's a beautiful horse with a lovely action, basically he stood out like a sore thumb.

"He's quite forward for his size and he comes from a great camp. I bought Lalor off them previously and they're a good team. He'll go to Paul Nicholls as well."

Busherstown's Katie Rudd was thrilled with the result, having pinhooked the three-year-old as a yearling for €25,000.

"He was a very athletic, balanced individual and I love the sire, he's had great success in France and I think he'll do the same over here," said the delighted vendor.

Milan sparkles for Russell

Another leading handler to secure an exciting prospect was Lucinda Russell, who went to £80,000 for a Milan gelding consigned by Rathturtin Stud on behalf of owners Allson (Sparkle) Ltd.

The Grand National-winning trainer has a particular affinity with the progeny of Milan, having saddled One For Arthur to land the Aintree showpiece in 2017.

"We've spent two days here going through all these horses and Colin and Nicola [Drysdale of Allson (Sparkle) Ltd] had a long list, but we managed to whittle that down to two horses and this was my favourite so I'm really delighted they've gone for him," said Russell.

"I think he's a lovely horse who moves so well, and obviously I love Milans. Colin and Nicola have two horses with us and they wanted a classy type so I just hope he's successful for them. "

The April-born youngster, pinhooked by Rathurtin Stud for €15,000, boasts a pedigree tailor-made for the Grand National, as not only is he by Milan but is also the third foal out of Baby Briggs, a full-sister to Ballabriggs, who won the race in 2011.

It seems likely that the Drydales' new recruit will carry the Thunder label, as the owners' other runners with Russell have been named Mighty Thunder and Aurora Thunder.

Greatrex lands her favourite

The Highflyer Bloodstock trio of Anthony Bromley, David Minton and Tessa Greatrex were busy throughout the session, and their acquisitions was signed for by Greatrex, who went to £75,000 for the Shantou gelding offered by Ballyreddin Stud.

"I saw him here on Sunday and he's been my favourite horse of the sale since," said Greatrex, who was accompanied by trainer Ben Pauling.

"I loved everything about him; he's a great goer, he's got size and scope and I just wanted him so I told Ben to buy him."

The three-year-old, a half-brother to Grade 3-placed Fortunate George and out of the unraced Bob Back mare Fine Fortune, was pinhooked as a foal by Birdie Bloodstock for €21,000.