Marco Bozzi no joker in quest for €72,000 Midnight Toker

November brought a chill that bit any unsuspecting patrons lulled by the appearance of the sun at Goffs on Tuesday, when a hectic month of activities began with the Autumn Horses In Training Sale.

It was yet another sale to post improved results, an achievement all the more impressive given that the catalogue was lower on numbers than in previous years.

From a total of 98 horses to go through the ring, 82 were sold, which equates to a clearance rate of 84 per cent, up from 78 in 2021. Turnover of €1,367,700 was an increase of seven per cent on the figure for last year, while the average of €16,679 represented 24 per cent growth year-on-year, while the median leaped 38 per cent to €11,000.

Aga Khan the name to watch again

The Aga Khan Studs draft, traditionally the highlight of this event, once more provided one of the main talking points despite the world-renowned operation offering just a trio of geldings.

Karakoul was the second of the Aga Khan horses to go through the ring but the son of Fast Company ensured his was the first name on the results sheet with a price tag of €72,000, double what his year older half-brother Kalaroun made in this ring last year.

Karakoul on his way to the sales ring at GoffsCredit: Goffs/Peter Mooney

Gold Cup-winning trainer Tom Taaffe, who is an international client relations consultant for Goffs, was taking instructions on the phone and purchased the three-year-old on behalf of Mohammed HK Al Attiyah.

His new acquisition has been placed on three of his eight starts for Johnny Murtagh, most recently when second in a 7f maiden at Dundalk, and is the second runner out of Karalara, a winning daughter of Shamardal and Karasiyra, who was successful in the Listed Lenebane Stakes for John Oxx.

The legendary trainer also guided the racing career of Shamooda, whose three-year-old son Shajak was bought by a group including agent Tom Malone out of the Aga Khan draft for €52,000.

From the first crop of his owner-breeder's Group 1 winner and exciting sire Zarak, he was third in the Listed Vinnie Roe Stakes at Leopardstown in August for Johnny Murtagh.

"He'll be going to Gordon Elliott," said Malone after signing the sales docket. "We have been watching him all summer and I think at this price he represents good value for the horse he may become in the future."

Shajak is a half-brother to three winners and his dam is a daughter of Shemaka, by Nishapour, who won the Prix de Diane in the Aga Khan silks. Shemaka is also the dam of Listed Prix Casimir Delamarre winner Shemaya, who is the great-granddam of last month's Champion Stakes hero Bay Bridge, by another stallion son of Dubawi in New Bay.

Pat Downes and Julie White of the Aga Khan StudsCredit: Goffs/Peter Mooney

Their sales helped the Aga Khan Studs end the session as leading consignor by average at €51,333.

Italy the destination for consistent juvenile

The session's top price was matched late in proceedings by Marco Bozzi, who purchased two-year-old Acclamation gelding Midnight Toker from the supplementary catalogue.

Trained by Ger Lyons for Peter Brant, who may be something of a Steve Miller Band fan, Midnight Toker has been placed in five of his seven starts. With a peak Racing Post Rating of 83, Bozzi believes there is plenty of scope for improvement in the gelding, who cost Brant €330,000 at last year's Goffs Orby Sale.

"We like the horse and have followed him since last winter, we think he can mature and will race well in Italy," said Bozzi. "He has a very good pedigree and will be trained in Rome by Giovanni Colella."

Midnight Toker's new owner is Bartolo Faraci, in whose silks Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet winner and Prix de l'Opera second Grand Glory successfully started her racing career.

Marco Bozzi relaying news on the phoneCredit: Goffs/Peter Mooney

His new horse is a half-brother to the Group 3 Grosser Preis von Lotto Hamburg winner K Club, by Kodiac, and to the triple Listed-placed Starspangledbanner filly Back To Brussels.

Midnight Toker was bred by Horse Racing Ireland chairman Nicky Hartery, also the breeder of Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks winner Going Global, who added Santa Anita's Grade 2 Goldikova Stakes to her haul last weekend.

Taylors Bloodstock were the buyers of the other horse to reach the €70,000 mark, perhaps surprisingly the six-year-old gelding Strong Johnson.

A son of Le Cadre Noir, he was third last year in the Group 3 Pat Smullen Mercury Stakes at Dundalk for his owner-breeder David Mooney.

Offered from Denis Cullen's Beechcourt Stables, the five-time winner will swap Kildare for Yorkshire and the yard of Paul Midgley, said Goffs marketing director Joey Cullen, who was taking instructions on the phone.

Horsewatchers swoop for Painters Palette

The Horsewatchers' hours spent analysing the catalogue in detail, looking for an angle that others had missed, brought them to Ballylinch Stud and the three-year-old Lope De Vega colt Painter's Palette.

The distinctive face of Painters PaletteCredit: Goffs/Peter Mooney

Trained by Dermot Weld for John Malone's enterprise, Painters Palette had shown an improved level of form on his two starts in October, when he was placed in a pair of Curragh maidens.

The most recent of those, when he was third behind Imaginarium, received a form boost on Monday with the victory of runner-up Vocal Studies in a maiden at Galway, the final winner of Kevin Manning's illustrious career in the saddle.

James Griffin was pushed to €60,000 to secure Painters Palette, who will be trained by Rebecca Menzies for the syndicate involving Racing TV's Chris and Martin Dixon, and he outlined plans for the first foal out of the Group 3 Prix de Lieurey and Prix Edmond Blanc winner Maimara.

"I was lucky enough to have owners who could dig deep to buy this horse. He came highly recommended by Dermot [Weld] and he will be one for the All-Weather Championships hopefully," said Griffin.

End of sale statement

Henry Beeby of Goffs, in his end of sale statement, pointed to the convenience of the sale for Irish trainers and owners, along with the international buyers present, as major draws for the sale.

"Although not our biggest or most prestigious sale in the calendar, today’s Horses in Training sale fulfils an important need in the market by providing a viable outlet for horses in training in Ireland.

"As the forerunner to our big two-day Autumn Yearling Sale, we attract a large and diverse international crowd, and it is fair to say that we would like to grow the catalogue as we consistently deliver for the horses presented.

"Indeed, this is a low cost, convenient option for Irish owners and trainers when compared to the alternative and benefits from the unique contribution of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing and our network of proactive international agents.

"We are grateful for the support we receive but can do so much more as is the case in every other category each year. A look at today’s buyers list sees horses knocked down to successful bidders from across Eastern Europe, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, the Gulf region as well as the UK and domestically, and a buoyant trade from start to finish as we continue to exceed expectations.

"Despite a smaller catalogue every metric has improved headed by an impressive 84 per cent clearance rate and big rises in average and median price.

The action at Goffs moves on to yearlings on Wednesday, starting at 10am.

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