Gigginstown dispersal the headline act at Goffs UK horses in training sale

Gigginstown House Stud's annual dispersal at the Goffs UK September HIT Sale remains well above traditional highs, with nearly 40 horses set to come under the hammer in Doncaster on Wednesday.

As of Tuesday mid-afternoon, there were three withdrawals from the massed ranks of maroon and white, though they included two highly significant ones in dual Grade 1 winner Battleoverdoyen and Grade 2 winner Eclair De Beaufeu.

The draft, which originally numbered 42, still features Grade 2 winners Cracking Smart, Dounikos, and Mortal, as well as the likes of recent winners and stakes performers Asserted, Choungaya, Forged In Fire, Lignou, Star Max and The Very Man.

Asked about the quantity and quality of the draft upon the release of the catalogue, Gigginstown's racing manager Eddie O'Leary said: "We entered 37 horses here a few years ago and have catalogued only a few more than that this year.

"Cracking Smart is a classy horse. There are some big horses in there and maybe they just need a change of scenery.

"It's always been the way with us that, when they get to be novice chasers, if they're not good enough we get rid of them. They're all at the same stage in their careers."

Asked how many horses Gigginstown will have in training this jumps season, O'Leary replied: "We'll have around 40 less anyway."

Eddie O'Leary: 'There are some big horses in there and maybe they just need a change of scenery'Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

The number of Gigginstown horses entered at Doncaster this year was higher than for the past five years, with 18 catalogued in 2016, 29 in 2017, 37 in 2018, 32 in 2019 and 22 last year.

In 2020 the Gigginstown draft produced three of the top five lots, led by multiple Grade 1 winner Petit Mouchoir, who sold to Elliott and Aidan O'Ryan for £70,000. Grade 2 winner Dommage Pour Toi went to Durcan Bloodstock for £68,000, while Grade 1 winner Mengli Khan also sold well when knocked down to Highflyer Bloodstock for £65,000.

Twelve months earlier multiple Graded winner A Toi Phil topped the dispersal when selling to Richard Ryan for £70,000. Grade 3 winner Mitchouka was another to feature and sold to JD Moore and Chris Jones for £42,000.

It was in the spring of 2019 that Michael O'Leary, the Ryanair boss who runs Gigginstown with brother Eddie, announced that he was intent on winding down what has become one of jump racing's most successful ownership entities over the following years, though their annual Doncaster dispersal was already an established part of the operation's ebb and flow.

Indeed, in 2018 aggregate sales of £604,700 at the Goffs UK September HIT Sale accounted for 29 per cent of turnover at the auction, with the highest-priced lot to emerge from the Gigginstown draft being the useful handicap chaser All Hell Let Loose, who was knocked down to Brendan Bashford for £62,000.

View the full catalogue

Other highlights at this year's sale include:

• Lot 18, Patrician, a two-year-old Kodiac filly out of the Listed-winning and Group 3-placed mare Jane's Memory
• 34, Banjo Petra, a four-year-old Yeats half-sister to the dual Grade 1 winner Guitar Pete
• 61, High Stakes, the champion Irish point-to-pointer and winner of four of his five starts between the flags for John Walsh. Also the winner of his bumper debut at Wexford
• 71, Lucky Light, winner of her most recent point-to-point for Colin Bowe at Ballingarry
• 80, Tchoupinminzac who was second on his bumper debut for Wilson Dennison at Ballinrobe
• 116, the Grade 1 winner Ornua, who has claimed eight victories on the track – six of them over fences

The sale will also offer horses from many leading yards including Alan King, Dan Skelton, Jonjo O'Neill, Karl Burke, Mark Johnston, Nigel Twiston-Davies, Philip Hobbs, Richard Fahey and Willie Mullins.

The action gets under way at 10am.

September HIT Sale factfile

Where Goffs UK sales complex, Doncaster

When Wednesday, with selling starting at 10am

Last year’s horses-in-training stats From 243 offered, 221 lots sold (91 per cent) for turnover of £2,731,200 (up 31 per cent on 2019), an average of £12,358 (up four per cent) and a median of £6,000 (down 25 per cent)

Notable graduates Really Super (offered by Kimpton Down Stables, bought by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock and Amy Murphy for £21,000); Lil Rockerfeller (East Everleigh Stables, bought by Anthony Stroud and Neil King for £31,000); Izzthatright (Musley Bank Stables, bought by Jassim Ghazali for £185,000)

More news:

Martin Stevens on why a healthy export market for British and Irish bloodstock is surely a good thing, not bad

Is Flightline the sport's next big thing? Watch and judge for yourself

Prix du Moulin hero Baaeed provides poignant tribute to Hamdan Al Maktoum

Godolphin and Stroud hit the mark with €350,000 sale-topping Frankel colt

'I still haven't got over the buzz!' - meet Tattersalls' newest auctioneer

Juddmonte supply August Sale top lot as Fabilis fetches 350,000gns