Peter and Ross Doyle busy in pursuit of the next Ginger Nut

Peter and Ross Doyle may have been tending to business in Germany during Thursday's Goffs UK Silver Sale, but that did not stop the father and son duo signing for the top lot at Doncaster in absentia as they went to £40,000 for a racy son of Clodovil.

"He's a very good individual with a good walk on him and looks like a nice, sharp colt," said Ross Doyle, who was on the phone to his representative Carol Tinkler during the bidding process.

"He doesn't look too dear. If he'd been in the Premier Sale he'd probably have been slightly more. We've been lucky with Clodovil over the years with horses like Moriarty and, more recently, Albishr."

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The colt was offered by Pier House Stud on behalf of JK Thoroughbreds, whose John Kilpatrick said: "He's a homebred of ours, born in Normandy. We're based at Le Clos Morel, near Bayeux, which is near the landing beaches.

"He's a lovely individual and I thought that the sire would make plenty of appeal to the market here - Clodovil is well liked. He's going to a great home.

"We have the mare at home," he added. "She didn't have a foal this year but is in foal to Olympic Glory, while we retained this colt's juvenile full-sister [Apotheose] who's in training with Didier Guillemin and will be out in the near future."

The April-born colt is out of the winning Barathea mare Apostrophe and is a half-brother to French Listed scorer Verglacial.

Carol Tinkler deputises signing the docket for Peter and Ross DoyleCredit: Sarah Farnsworth/Goffs UK

It was during last year's Silver Sale that the Doyles selected Ginger Nut, who has won three times since going into training with Richard Hannon, including the competitive Weatherbys Super Sprint and a valuable York nursery on her most recent outing. And it was the similarity to that filly that led the pair to spending £28,000 for a daughter of Equiano offered by Oaks Farm Stables.

"She's quite similar to Ginger Nut, who we bought at last year's Silver Sale, and she's turned out to be a good one," said Ross Doyle.

"The Equiano is a strong, good-looking filly with a great attitude. We actually bought her half-brother, Glory, who's been placed in two maidens and looks like a very nice horse for the future."

The filly, a 13,000gns pinhook by her vendor, is out of Updated, a New Approach half-sister to Dee Stakes winner South Easter. Derby winner Golden Fleece also appears in the further family.

Both of the Doyles' Silver Sale purchases will head into training with Hannon.

Fretwell restocks

Topping the buyers' chart by aggregate spend was John Fretwell, whose son Paul was on hand to sign for two lots at a total spend of £74,000. The pricier of the pair was a £39,000 son of Dandy Man offered by Battlefield Stud.

"We've been lucky buying off Battlefield before," said Paul Fretwell. "A long time ago we bought a horse called Fictional who Bryan McMahon trained for us. We had him longer than any other horse we've had because we usually trade. He was rated in the high 90s and was a good horse.

"If this one is half as good as him we'll be happy."

The son of Dandy Man bought by Paul Fretwell for £39,000Credit: Sarah Farnsworth/Goffs UK

The colt, a half-brother to two winners, was pinhooked by Bobby O'Ryan for 8,000gns at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale.

Earlier in the piece Fretwell went to £35,000 for a colt from the solitary crop of G Force, who resumed his racing career after fertility issues curtailed his time at Tally-Ho Stud.

"I just saw him going around the ring and liked the look of him," Fretwell said of the Tally-Ho homebred. "I hoped I wouldn't have to pay as much as that but it's that type of day. I bought the individual; he could be by Bobby The Pony for all I care because he's just a nice type of horse."

The G Force colt is the first foal out of the Listed-placed Captain Gerrard mare Wee Jean.

"The Doncaster sales have been lucky for us in the past, but we used to buy them for a good bit less than that!" added Fretwell. "They'll both be broken in and I'll leave allocating trainers to my dad. We haven't got anything in training this year so we're restocking for next year.

"I usually half the number my dad wants; he says a dozen and we've got six now so we might be sorted, but we'll have to see when he gets back off holiday as it's still early days."

Candy sweet on Al Kazeem

The highest-priced filly of the sale went the way of Henry Candy, who parted with £36,000 for a daughter of Al Kazeem offered by John Deer's Oakgrove Stud.

"I like the sire - I haven't had any by him before but the few that I've seen run have run well," said Candy. "She'll go to David Powell's Catridge Farm and have a rest for two or three months. She's very strong and a great mover."

The January-born filly boasts one of the stronger pedigrees in the Silver Sale catalogue, being out of a placed sister to Deer's Prix de l'Abbaye winners Avonbridge and Patavellian.

Brisk business

Prices may not have matched those achieved at the more select Premier Sale, but the session provided a busy day of trade nonetheless. By the final hammer fall, 166 of 174 offered lots had changed hands for a clearance rate of 82 per cent.

The aggregate remained on a par with the 2017 figure, with the total of £1,385,400 down just two points. However, the average dipped by 13 per cent to £10,185; while the median was £8,500, down from £10,000 12 months ago.

In his close of sale statement, Goffs UK managing director Tony Williams said: "This sale consistently produces good horses every season, and with graduates such as Ginger Nut and the Lowther Stakes-placed The Mackem Bullet, it maintained its popular following with a solid crowd of buyers from throughout Europe, many of whom stayed on after the Premier Sale.

"We've seen strong demand for yearlings and although we saw a slight dip in the clearance rate, to finish at 82 per cent is a good result with a number of purchases going to international buyers."

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