Just like old times as €1.5 million Galileo filly leads the way at Goffs Orby

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and the return of the Goffs Orby Sale to its rightful home of Kildare Paddocks was greeted by an enthusiastic international cast of buyers that helped create a buoyant trade on the opening day.

The last two editions of the Orby held in Ireland had been headlined by seven-figure Galileo fillies, and so it was again on Tuesday when a daughter of Coolmore’s behemoth stallion shone brightest.

The yearling in question was a pretty and scopey filly whose pedigree and physique bore the imprint of Coolmore’s two most significant stallions of this century on either side of the Atlantic, as her dam is a Grade 1 winner by Scat Daddy.

Bred by Phoenix Thoroughbreds out of the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes winner Nickname, the filly was consigned by David Cox’s Baroda Stud and her transatlantic pedigree had the international contingent flexing their bidding muscles.

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However it was Coolmore's MV Magnier, bidding from the outside ring, who prevailed at €1.5 million, and he confirmed that her star had shone brightly right from the start.

"She has been in Coolmore all her life and she's a lovely filly," said Magnier. "Roger O’Dwyer and all the lads who have looked after her all the time have always really liked her. She's by Galileo, which says enough on its own. Her mother was a very good racemare by Scat Daddy, who looks as if he will be a good broodmare sire, so everything came together. She's a really lovely filly."

The sale was a significant one for Baroda Stud as it was the second time the farm had sold a seven-figure filly at Goffs Orby. In 2019 they sold the Dark Angel sister to Group 1-winning sprinter Harry Angel to Godolphin for €1m, but yesterday’s transaction had the added significance of being the day's top lot.

Lot 152: the Galileo filly out of Nickname who fetched €1,500,000 from Coolmore's MV MagnierCredit: Peter Mooney

"When you have a Galileo who looks and moves like her, out of a Grade 1-winning mare, then she deserves to make that sort of price," said a pleased Cox. "Jacob West [US-based agent] was very strong on her and it's great to see so many American buyers over here supporting the sale. She never put a foot wrong from when she got here and she was very busy."

For buyers and vendors alike the successful return of the Orby Sale to Kildare after its enforced move away from home last year was an important topic that Cox remarked upon as he reflected on the Galileo filly’s sale.

He said: "We got a million for Harry Angel's sister a couple of years ago but it's great to have the Orby back here and to ring a bell like that.

"Trade has been good so far, we’ve had ten through the ring up until now and nine have sold. Footfall has been really good the last four days and there is a really good atmosphere around the complex. It’s brilliant to be back."

Footsteps colt brings tears of joy

There were a lot of emotions swirling around box five of Barn A, whose occupant became the most expensive Footstepsinthesand yearling ever sold when purchased for €630,000 by Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland.

The colt is a half-brother to Lucky Vega, who won the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes last year and was placed behind Poetic Flare in the 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes earlier in the season.

Donohoe fought off determined opposition from Michael Kinane, who was bidding for the Hong Kong Jockey Club, to land the stunning colt on behalf of Zhang Yuesheng of Yulong Investments.

The same owner recently retired Lucky Vega to stud in Australia, while Jessica Harrington, who trained the son of Lope De Vega for Yulong, will also guide the career of his half-brother.

Consigned by Anna Sundstrom, and the only yearling she offered at the Goffs Orby Sale this year, the Footstepsinthesand colt was a punchy first-time pinhook for Danish owners John Christensen and Alice Weiste, who bought the colt for €300,000 at the Goffs November Foal Sale last year through agent Filip Zwicky.

"He's a gorgeous horse and it's one of the best days I’ve had in this business, to succeed in this way," said Zwicky. "It's one thing to buy the horse but you never know, he was just a baby and we could have been back here selling him for €100,000. But this family [Anna Sundstrom and her daughters] are amazing. It’s so special to see how they interact with him and how he behaves, he has the most amazing temperament."

The grandson of Group 1 Prix de l’Opera winner Satwa Queen caught Zwicky’s eye with the athleticism of his movement as a foal, something that was even more evident in the balletic grace with which he took his turn in the Goffs spotlight.

There were tears of joy and relief, as well as some sadness, at the sale of a such a special animal who had clearly earned a place in the family’s affections and that of Weiste and Christensen, who will be returning to Goffs for the foal sale.

Million in mind for Murtagh

Car parks around Kildare Paddocks were packed from early morning and the grounds hummed with the business of selling Ireland’s best yearlings.

At least some of the anticipation around the sales ground was generated by the Goffs Million and plenty of the big-spending buyers expressed the hope that their particular purchase would be suitable for the €1 million event at the Curragh next September.

That was certainly the hope of trainer Johnny Murtagh who, along with Eddie Linehan of Lackendarra Stables, struck early for the daughter of Kingman and the dual 1,000 Guineas heroine Finsceal Beo at €500,000.

Offered by breeder Michael Ryan’s Al Eile Stud, the filly is inbred 4x3 to Gone West and is a half-sister to five winners headed by the Group 2 Beresford Stakes scorer Ol’ Man River.

Lot 29: the Kingman filly out of Finsceal Beo brings €500,000 from Johnny MurtaghCredit: Peter Mooney

"She's a nice filly for a new syndicate in the yard and hopefully she's one for the Goffs Million," said the trainer.

Finsceal Beo is a Mr Greeley half-sister to Frozen Power who is the broodmare sire of this season’s Group 1 Middle Park Stakes and Prix Morny winner Perfect Power.

She has made a habit of producing offspring that have lit up the Goffs’ bid board over the past decade but the Kingman filly was the first yearling out of the triple Group 1 winner to be offered at Orby since Ol’ Man River.

The son of Montjeu brought €2.85m from Magnier at the 2013 edition while her two foals to have been offered at Goffs were also headline makers, with La Figlia by Frankel making €1.8m to Dermot Farrington in 2014 while Too The Stars, who was from the first crop of Sea The Stars, brought €800,000 from John McCormack.

McPeek on the mark

Volumes have been filled with superlatives describing the exploits of Galileo over the past two decades but like so many European acts, breaking the US market has proven rather more difficult than conquering the rest of the world.

However, as the final crops of the legendary champion come onto the market there remain opportunities for Galileo to create a legacy on the other side of the Atlantic.

For leading US trainer Kenny McPeek and his wife Sherri, who were attending their first sale at Goffs, the opportunity to purchase a son of Galileo and attempt to conquer America with him was one that was not to be missed as they outbid Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock for a colt at €440,000.

The youngster was offered by Luke Barry’s Manister House Stud and is the second foal out of the Invincible Spirit mare Pocketfullofdreams, who was second in the Listed Salsabil Stakes and Lingfield Oaks Trial for Aidan O’Brien.

Lot 180: the Galileo colt out of Pocketfullofdreams parades before selling to Kenny McPeek for €440,000Credit: Peter Mooney

She was bought by Phoenix Thoroughbreds for 1,000,000gns while carrying this colt’s year-older brother and this yearling’s six-figure price tag went some way to recouping her purchase price.

“Keeneland ran out of yearlings so we had to cross the pond!” smiled the successful bidder. ”My wife and I worked the ground and thought he was a beautiful horse, and there aren’t many of them [Galileo yearlings] left.

"I don’t know if that many of them have been campaigned in the US but that’s what we are going to do with him. We have a lot of grass racing but I think he may even handle the dirt so it will be an interesting journey.”

McPeek brought together four of his owners to invest in the Galileo colt and is hoping to leave the country with more than one yearling bought to make it a successful first foray into the Irish bloodstock market.

"I thought the price was very reasonable,” he continued. “I’m fortunate that I have a really great group of clientele, I reached out to several and we have four that we put in together and I thought it was ideal. There are a few more tomorrow that we are going to look at before touring around and visiting our grandchildren."

The return of the Orby Sale to its rightful home also brought a return to the kind of results that the auction has become accustomed to posting.

Tuesday’s strength was demonstrated by an impressive clearance rate of 92 per cent while all the other vital statistics rebounded from last year with the aggregate leaping by 52 points to €19,574,500.

Both the median and average figures jumped from those of 12 months ago with the average improving by 37 per cent to €104,120 while the median increased to €75,000, a jump of 36 per cent on 2020 and back to the same figure posted on the opening day of the 2019 Orby.

The Goffs Orby Sale concludes on Wednesday with a session starting at 10am.

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