Poignant purchase sees £80,000 son of Isfahan top Goffs UK Yorton Sale

A popular web-based dictionary defines the word 'boutique' as meaning any small, exclusive business offering customised service.

There are now a vast number of niche public auctions held in Britain and Ireland over the course of each calendar year, but none are as truly boutique as the Goffs UK-backed Yorton Sale, which took place in the picturesque countryside on the outskirts of Welshpool on Thursday.

A host of familiar faces from both sides of the Irish Sea, as well as a few from across the Channel, congregated in the historic model farm for the third edition of the sale, which saw 43 cherry-picked National Hunt-bred two-year-olds and yearlings come under the hammer.

The Indian summer experienced at Newmarket and Doncaster this week held out just long enough to fuel a distinctly relaxed atmosphere among the assembled crowd, with plenty of onlookers watching the action with drink in hand.

Nick Luck, something of a permanent fixture at Yorton events, was on roving reporter duties to tap up buyers for their views and also found time to engage in the occasional witty back-and-forth with auctioneers George Stanners and Henry Beeby.

There was, of course, a serious side to proceedings too, and the sale duly produced plenty of lively trade. Aggregate sales hit £1,138,000, an 84 per cent year-on-year hike and a 60 per cent improvement on 2019's inaugural edition.

The average was £27,756, up 30 per cent compared to 2020, while the median was £26,000, a £6,000 (30 per cent) increase on the past two editions. The clearance rate was 95 per cent as 41 lots found a buyer.

The top lot is now bound for Lew House Stables after former Grade 1-winning jump jockey Marcus Foley, who runs the recently renovated Oxfordshire operation, outbid Tom Malone at £80,000 for the two-year-old Isfahan gelding out of Just For Show.

There was a poignant subplot to Foley's purchase as new owner James Hook revealed the horse had been bought to honour the memory of a friend who died in a tragic accident aged just 20.

"Charles May was a good friend of ours but he sadly passed away when still a young man," said Hook. "We said we'd buy a horse in his memory, so this is the one we've bought to honour him. The horse will be named Chasing May and the dream is that one day he could race at Cheltenham."

The youngster, the second foal produced by the daughter of Poet's Voice, has a pedigree more in keeping with a classy Flat performer, as his dam hails from the family of Sahara Star, meaning the likes of Dream Ahead, Fairyland and Now Or Never appear back in the page.

Gestut Ohlerweiherhof resident Isfahan has also been in the headlines thanks to a classy Flat runner this year, with his first-crop son Sisfahan winning the Deutsches Derby before finishing runner-up to Torquator Tasso in the Grosser Preis von Baden.

On the horse himself, who has already shown an aptitude for jumping during pre-training at Yorton Farm, Foley added: "We'll pretrain him ourselves at Lew House and get him going, then decide who's going to train him.

"We were looking for one we think will make a proper racehorse and he's probably the only one here who I thought really fitted that bill and was worth paying a good bit for. He's such a strong type and doesn't look like he'll take much time. There's a bit of size about him too and he moved well."

The sales-topper brought connections a handsome profit having been signed for by Richard Venn and Yorton at just €15,000 at last year's BBAG October Sale.

Minton denied by De Balanda

Among the visiting French agents was Nicky Bertran de Balanda, who secured the second-top lot when going to £75,000 for the Pether's Moon two-year-old out of Azza.

Despite some tactical bidding drawing a light-hearted accusation of bullying from auctioneer Beeby, Highflyer Bloodstock's David Minton, standing with Alan King, filled the role of frustrated underbidder.

The Pether's Moon gelding sells to Nicky Bertran de Balanda for £75,000Credit: Tom Williams

"He's been bought for Francois Nicolle in Royan," said De Balanda. "He looks very nice, is a good mover, a good size and from a good family. We don't know very much about the stallion but this is a very good individual. Hopefully he will turn into a black-type winner."

The gelding is the third foal out of Azza, a daughter of Great Pretender who won a Listed event at Auteuil during her own racing days. She also finished third to Royal Irish Hussar in the Grade 2 Triumph Hurdle Trial having transferred to David Pipe. The dam is a half-sister to Pipe's high-class performer Vieux Lion Rouge.

Pether's Moon is among the stallion roster at Yorton Farm and has already enjoyed success in France courtesy of his Listed-placed daughter Anneloralas, a graduate of the inaugural Yorton Sale who is trained by Gabriel Leenders.

The £75,000 youngster made his second appearance at the Yorton Sale much more fruitful than his first, having gone unsold at £30,000 during 2020's renewal. De Balanda topped the buyers' charts with five lots secured for an outlay of £165,000.

Bramall back for more

Goffs UK's agent Caroline Kenneally was busy bidding throughout the session and secured four lots totalling £128,000 on behalf of owner Sue Bramall.

The quartet was headed by the £45,000 two-year-old Muhtathir half-brother to Project Bluebook and also included the £35,000 Buck's Boum yearling colt out of Princesse Pauline.

Bramall is the partner of Goffs UK's George Stanners' father, and the sales company director said: "Sue is mainly based in France and bought Master Nonantais [winner at La Teste de Buch] from here last year.

"She has a farm in Wexford where the horses get broken in and do a bit of hill work before going across to France to Francois Nicolle in February time with a view to running in the early spring as three-year-olds.

"It was very much a case of looking for the horses that could be an early type for France. She's been lucky at the sale before so she was very keen to go again.

"She's just looking for the athlete, she's not too worried about the pedigree, it's just about looking at horses loose schooling and judging them as an athlete. She's very excited to get these horses, it's just a pity she couldn't get across from France for the sale."

King over the Moon

Although King and Minton were denied on the Pether's Moon out of Azza, the pair enjoyed better fortune when securing another of the sire's sons at £42,000 later in the session.

Alan King: 'I'm a big fan of Pether's Moon'Credit: Tom Williams

The yearling, whose dam is a Presenting sister to the Listed-winning Chilli Filli, will now join his half-brother at Barbury Castle after Highflyer Bloodstock sourced the son of Clovis Du Berlais for £65,000 at the Goffs UK Spring Store Sale.

"There'll be no rush with him," said King. "I've actually got the three-year-old half-brother at home, he came from Doncaster and he's a horse we like. I'm a big fan of Pether's Moon so I hope I'm right about him. He seems to really stamp them and they have a lot of quality.

"The two I've got certainly have great minds and are very straightforward. We've only just scratched the surface with them so hopefully there's more to come."

Malone bounces back

The Yorton Sale has seen past graduates perform with distinction, both on the racetrack and in the sales ring, and among the return customers was Tom Malone, who went to £35,000 for the Clovis Du Berlais relation to Barshiba and Arabian Queen.

The two-year-old is a sibling to two winners, including another of Malone's purchases, the three-time scorer On The Slopes.

The agent said: "I bought On The Slopes from Donnchadh Doyle, he was a grand horse and this is another nice-looking animal. He's been bought by Mark Dwyer from Oaks Farm Stables so he'll head straight to North Yorkshire."

On the Yorton Sale concept, Malone added: "I came to the sale last year and bought a couple and they've done well since. It's a nice venue, a lovely place and they've got some nice horses here. There's 50 here, so you're not inundated with horses to inspect, which makes it a nice sale to work."

Molony makes an impact

The first notable strike was landed by Rathmore Stud's Peter Molony, who gave £28,000 for the Great Pretender two-year-old out of Coronet, a daughter of Network from the family of Cilaos Emery.

Molony said: "I thought he was all Network. He's just a big, good-looking horse who had lovely movement, size, scope and a big ear. He had everything. He needs to strengthen a little but if he does he can make up into a very nice three-year-old.

"I bought two here last year and it's great to have the trade with the two-year-olds. It's something a bit different dealing with that age group."

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