What happened next? Looking back at the last five Goffs London Sale top lots

Goffs is preparing to host its London Sale on the eve of Royal Ascot for the sixth time on Monday, with a host of promising horses of all ages set to come under the hammer after a garden party within the grounds of Kensington Palace.

Among the leading lights on offer are the South African champion mare Just Sensual, who is offered in foal to Frankel; Madhmoon's half-sister Simsimah, sold in foal to Expert Eye and with a Divine Prophet filly foal at foot; and Wesley Ward's winning American Pharoah two-year-old colt Maven.

Those or the other stars among the catalogue – which can be viewed here – look sure to fetch big prices, but what of the previous five Goffs London Sale top lots? Did they manage to justify their hefty price-tags to their new owners?

2014
Top lot Cappella Sansevero
Price £1.3 million
Pedigree 2yo b c Showcasing-Madam President (Royal Applause)
Vendor Glenburnie Stables
Buyer Sheikh Fahad Al Thani

There had been talk of a city centre sale in London, similar to that which takes place in Cape Town, for years but it long seemed a pipe dream while the logistics could be worked out. It was finally Goffs who took up the challenge, with the support of Qipco and bringing in other commercial partners, and they decided to host it on the eve of Royal Ascot to take advantage of owners, trainers and breeders from around the world being in town.

The new auction's hook was that Royal Ascot entries would be among the lots, with potential purchasers having the chance to have their colours carried at the prestigious meeting. A special arrangement was made with the BHA to ensure ownership could be transferred at such short notice.

The organisers pulled out all the stops in that first year, leading to an almost manic atmosphere on the day. Qatar Racing decided to put up for auction their Rainbow Quest mare Crystal Gaze, who had a colt foal from the much anticipated first crop of Frankel at foot and was back in foal to the dual world champion, and they also paraded the star Australian sprinter Zoustar. Even Joey from War Horse made an appearance.

Crystal Gaze and her Frankel colt foal were the main attraction at the first London SaleCredit: Rod Kirkpatrick/F Stop Press

The first public sighting of a Frankel foal drew the world's press and the sale of the three-in-one package to Coolmore's MV Magnier for £1.15 million made it onto the BBC evening news but it was, to the surprise of many, another lot – one of those Royal Ascot entries – who was the top seller of the inaugural sale.

Cappella Sansevero, a colt from the first crop of Showcasing trained by Ger Lyons for Sean Jones after being bought as a yearling eight months earlier for just 25,000gns, had won his first three starts including the Marble Hill Stakes in impressive fashion. He was knocked down to David Redvers on behalf of Sheikh Fahad for £1.3m, and subsequently raced for Qatar Racing.

The following day he ran a gallant second to The Wow Signal in the Coventry Stakes and later in the season he captured the Round Tower Stakes and took third in the Phoenix Stakes.

At the end of his three-year-old season he was retired to stand under Micheal Orlandi's Compas Stallions banner, on the back of that decent juvenile form and to capitalise on the growing reputation of Showcasing. His first crop are two-year-olds of 2019 and he already has an exciting representative in Harry Angel's half-brother Pierre Lapin, an easy winner on debut for Roger Varian at Haydock last month.

2015
Top lot Majestic Queen
Price £825,000
Pedigree 5yo b m Kheleyf-Night Fairy (Danehill)
Vendor Conyngham Lodge Stables
Buyer John Ferguson

The second Goffs London Sale was a much flatter affair than the first, in terms of sales ring theatre at least, with a top price of £825,000 given by former Godolphin chief executive John Ferguson for the Group 3-winning Kheleyf mare Majestic Queen from trainer Tracey Collins and owner Thomas Rogers.

That figure was a long way in advance of the next most expensive transaction that day, the £380,000 sale of the Oasis Dream filly Mirage. Many of the exciting lots failed to reach their ambitious reserves; only half of the 24 horses in training on offer changed hands, leading to a 28 per cent fall in turnover for them.

It was an emotional day for Majestic Queen's owner Thomas RogersCredit: Goffs

There may have been few sky-high sums flying around Kensington Palace that evening but there were other memorable scenes, notably connections of Majestic Queen moved to tears by the success of selling a filly bought for just €18,000 for a huge profit.

Majestic Queen stayed with Collins and carried the Godolphin blue to second in the Brownstown Stakes, sixth in the Prix Maurice de Gheest and eighth in the Sceptre Stakes – behind another Goffs London Sale graduate of 2015, the £290,000 buy Realtra – before joining Sheikh Mohammed's broodmare band.

Her first foal is an unnamed two-year-old filly by Shamardal, and she has yearling and foal fillies by Dubawi.

2016
Top lot Jet Setting
Price £1.3 million
Pedigree 3yo b f Fast Company-Mean Lae (Johannesburg)
Vendor Adrian Keatley Racing
Buyer China Horse Club

After a quieter year it was back to high theatre at the Goffs London Sale of 2016 thanks in large part to the rare spectacle of a filly going to public auction straight after a Classic victory.

The fact that Jet Setting had just beaten the brilliant Minding in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, that she represented up and coming trainer Adrian Keatley and had been bought by the syndicate that owned her for 12,000gns as a two-year-old only ratcheted up the drama.

The denouement was her sale to Michael Wallace, agent for the China Horse Club, for £1.3m.

Michael Wallace signs for Classic heroine Jet Setting at £1.3 millionCredit: Edward Whitaker

Jet Setting was made favourite for the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot four days later only to disappoint in sixth, but the soft ground specialist recorded a wide-margin victory in the Concorde Stakes on heavy later in the season.

The daughter of Fast Company was retired to stud at the end of her three-year-old season and her first produce, a colt by Le Havre, is now a yearling. She has a Dark Angel colt foal and was set to be covered by Showcasing this season.

2017
Top lot Lockheed
Price £900,000
Pedigree 3yo gr c Exceed And Excel-Clinical (Motivator)
Vendor China Horse Club from Somerville Lodge Stables
Buyer Chris McAnulty and Eric Wong

The purchaser of the top lot at the Goffs London Sale in 2016 became the vendor of the top lot 12 months later as Lockheed, who had carried the China Horse Club's red and yellow silks to second in the German 2,000 Guineas in the weeks before the event, was sold to race in Hong Kong for £900,000.

The sale to Chris McAnulty represented a good bit of business for the China Horse Club, as they had bought the son of Exceed And Excel for 450,000gns as a yearling.

Chris McAnulty (second left) signs for LockheedCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

Trained by Danny Shum, the now five-year-old gelding Lockheed has not won from 15 starts in Hong Kong but has been narrowly beaten on his last two runs at Sha Tin and will have the assistance of Zac Purton in the saddle when he bids to go one better on his next outing in a six-furlong handicap back at the track on Sunday.

The biggest story at the London Sale two years ago was, though, the arrival of the late Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha as a buying force. His agent Alastair Donald bought six lots for £2.05m.

2018
Top lot Belle Josephine
Price £720,000
Pedigree 10yo b m Dubawi-Bella Lambada (Lammtarra)
Vendor Salcey Forest Stud
Buyer SackvilleDonald

Donald and Srivaddhanaprabha – who by now had quickly established his King Power Racing operation – returned to last year's Goffs London Sale to buy another six star lots including the bestseller, the Dubawi mare Belle Josephine, for £720,000.

Belle Josephine, a half-sister to Listed winner Marsh Daisy from the famous Reprocolor family, is the dam of Mildenberger – winner of the Feilden Stakes and second in the Dante last season – and was offered in foal to Siyouni with her Pivotal colt foal to make an enticing package.

Alastair Donald in action at the Goffs London SaleCredit: Goffs

Belle Josephine was offered by Salcey Forest Stud on behalf of John Dance, the team having bought her for 60,000gns from a Darley dispersal at Tattersalls in 2015. Dance bred from the mare a two-year-old colt by Kyllachy who was sold to SackvilleDonald for 75,000gns and named Glorious Encounter.

The mare this year produced for her new owners a Siyouni colt foal and was afterwards mated with Frankel.