Cotai Glory foals to the fore as Goffs November Sale gets off to solid start

The glory was all due to a Tally-Ho stallion named Cotai on an opening day at Goffs which witnessed reinvestment on a huge level as the ripple effect from the high-end yearling market was felt. It wasn't just foals that buyers were splurging on; the popular coffee cart and run out of sandwiches by mid-afternoon.

While Blue Point sired the day's most expensive foal – a colt sold by Ronan Tierney's Mayfield Farm to Guy O'Callaghan of Grangemore Stud – and a son of Whitsbury Manor's stalwart Showcasing, bred on the same cross as Lake Victoria, there was one sire all the buyers wanted.

Fortunately for those looking to buy foals, there were more to be purchased than the delectable ciabattas and buyers found the progeny of Cotai Glory to be exactly to their taste with four of the ten foals to sell for more than €60,000 by Tally-Ho's sire of second crop Prix de l'Abbaye winner The Platinum Queen.

Most expensive of the quartet was Ardreigh Stud's colt who is the first foal of the unraced Oasis Dream mare Cantata who was bought by Jim McCartan, bidding online as KM Bloodstock, for €85,000.

The foal was bred by Rory Maher of the Forge Stables in Templemore, County Tipperary and consigned for him by Philip O'Dwyer. Maher has only recently diversified into breeding, with pinhooking being his main stock in trade, but the steep costs of stallion fees in particular has ensured that both sides of the business have to be financially viable.

"We thought he was a fabulous foal from the day he was born, we were stone mad about him," he exclaimed. "He has great movement, he’s all quality, and has a super attitude."

Maher added: "Our usual thing is pinhooking foals, but we’ve got a handful of broodmares. We've only just got into it in the last couple of years. The reason we sold the foal is the broodmare part of business needs to make financial sense with nomination fees being quite high. The mares have to pay for themselves."

The Cotai Glory colt out of CantataCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

This particular broodmare has done that and then some.

Cantata was bought for just 2,500gns from Norris Bloodstock last February and sent to Cotai Glory, whose covering fee was €12,500 last year. She is a half-sister to the Listed Prix Luthier third Early Morning and their dam, the Group 3-placed Summer's Eve, is a Singspiel full-sister to the Ascot Gold Cup winner Papineau and a half-sister to the St Leger and Coronation Cup winner Silver Patriarch. 

Wootton Bassett, sire of four individual juvenile Group 1 winners this season, appears on the page under this colt's fourth dam but Cantata returned to Mullingar this year, to visit the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat winner Good Guess.

Paul McCartan was quick to credit wife Marie with spotting the colt.

He said: "He's by a hard-knocking stallion who is capable of getting a very good horse. Marie saw him first and took me to see him. I loved him from the first time I saw him, and I loved him again this morning. We had to go to our best to buy him, and he cost a few quid, but I am very happy to have him. He looks like a good horse and with a very good temperament, and he will be back for resale next October."

The result was a memorable one for Rory (left) and Dan Maher of Forge BloodstockCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

The O'Callaghans of Tally-Ho are known for supporting their breeders and they were also among the buyers for the best progeny on offer by Cotai Glory, going to €64,000 for the colt from Rossenarra Stud. 

The chestnut is the first foal out of Heavenly Mark, an unraced Markaz half-sister to Quattroelle, the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes winner and Grade 1 Gamely Stakes runner up by Tally-Ho's leading light Mehmas. Second dam Heavenly River is a Stormy River half-sister to the dam of Queen Mary Stakes winner and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint second Dramatised.

Brotherly love for Cotai

Ukrainian brothers Ihor and Adriy Prokhorchuk have worked at Tally-Ho for almost two decades and, with the encouragement and support of the O'Callaghan family, have enjoyed profitable pinhooking success.

In the last 12 months alone they have bought a Mehmas foal at Goffs for €55,000 that they sold last month for 170,000gns and they were reinvesting some of that profit to secure the Cotai Glory colt consigned by Owenstown Stud.

Out of the Listed Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf Spring third Lady Beware, by Dandy Man, he was knocked down to the pair for €62,000.

"Cotai Glory is an excellent stallion," commented Ihor. "We had some success pinhooking a colt from his first crop called Dig Two. He was very fast, he finished second in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot. It’s great to get back into the stallion all these years later, we’re very happy to have another colt by him in our stable. They’re hard to buy, everyone seems to want one. Hopefully we’ll be lucky."

"We’ve worked at Tally-Ho for nearly 20 years now, a long time, and have had lots of high-class horses through our hands. Tony and his family are very good to work for, we’ve learned a lot from them."

The son of Exceed And Excel has sired three Group winners, including Powerful Glory, who won the Mill Reef this year for Richard Fahey, and all three are inbred to Danehill. The Platinum Queen and Powerful Glory have Cotai Glory's studmate Kodiac as their damsire, while the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin and Group 3 Prix du Bois winner Atomic Force is out of a mare by Dansili.

Interestingly, all four of the Cotai Glory foals to make in excess of €60,000 were by different damsires, with only one – Sandra Russell's colt that made €72,000 to Flash Conroy of Glenvale Stud – being inbred to Danehill. The February foal is the first offspring of Fabricated, a winning daughter of Pride Of Dubai who is out of Al Anood, a close relation to Kodiac.

O'Callaghans provide strong support

The young pretenders to Kodiac's throne at Tally-Ho include Starman, whose eldest progeny have shone at this autumn's yearling sales. Again, demonstrating their commitment to the stallions on their roster and their clients, the O'Callaghans were in the hunt for the best from the July Cup winner's second crop and, on Monday, that was deemed to be Stanley Lodge Stud's colt out of the winning Shamardal mare Miss Blue Sky.

Lot 59, a colt by Cotai Glory, in the Goffs ring where he made €85,000Credit: Sophie Webber Photography

The sky colour was a leaden shade of grey with no blue breaking through, but there was a bright spot on the horizon for Stanley Lodge in the form of this chestnut, who is a grandson of the UAE Oaks third Music Chart and the first foal of his dam, a winner over a mile at three for Godolphin and Andre Fabre.

In his inimitable, and succinct manner, Roger O'Callaghan's verdict on the Starman colt was: "He is a lovely horse, simple as that."

When asked whether he was surprised that Starman's progeny had sold so well as yearlings given that their sire didn't run as a juvenile, Tony O'Callaghan said: "They just looked like nice horses. The trainers just took a shine to them, more than the foal men did last year. The reports on them are good so far; they have super temperaments, all of them, and they will be given every chance. We buy plenty of them every year."

They also purchase plenty of foals by outside sires and were the buyers of the Windsor Stud Showcasing colt out of the Frankel mare My Only One for €88,000, who was bought for just 12,500gns in July last year, carrying this colt. 

Unforgettable year for Grangemore

Guy and Serena O'Callaghan of Grangemore Stud are living through an unforgettable year thanks to Kodiac mare Futoon, whose son Charyn won three Group 1 mile contests this year and whose yearling filly sparked a bidding battle last month that culminated in Godolphin paying 2,900,000gns for her.

They reinvested some of that money in a colt from the fourth crop of Blue Point, sold by Mayfield Farm for €90,000, which was the highest price attained on the opening day of the November Foal Sale.

Guy and Serena O'CallaghanCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

Foaled in late March, he is the fifth foal out of Emerald Isle, who ran twice in France and was sold as a yearling at Goffs as part of the Wildenstein dispersal during the Orby Sale of 2014.

Robert Tierney, who bred this colt along with Andrew Bondarenko, was in fine fettle following the session-topping transaction.

"I'm speechless with this result," he managed to enunciate. "He was very busy here the last few days and there are people here I've never seen at this sale before. It's fantastic and we are delighted with the result."

None of Emerald Isle's previous four foals have set foot on track yet, but she is an Exceed And Excel daughter of the talented juvenile Ela Merici. By Beaudelaire, she won the Group 3 Prix du Bois and was third in the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin.

Changing lanes

Jimmy Murphy and his sons Brian and Eoghan are one of the rare families to have successful careers as pinhookers and breeders in both the Flat and National Hunt spheres. The family, who bred new Yeomanstown Stud sire and this year's July Cup winner Mill Stream, had a quick change in direction having been busy buyers of National Hunt foals last week.

It didn't take them long to get into the new groove at Goffs, and they bought one of the earlier highlights on Monday morning – Noralla Stud's Sioux Nation colt from the family of the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes winner Thundering Nights.

Offered by Caterina Dargan's Tipperary farm on behalf of his breeder Dean Harron, the chestnut brought an instant return on Harron's investment when Jimmy Murphy went to €62,000 for the late April foal.

Jimmy MurphyCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

"Dean Harron will be delighted," beamed Dargan. "He bought the mare at the breeding stock sales, and put her in foal to Sioux Nation, so this was her first produce. He's a very straightforward colt, with a great temperament and a good body, especially considering he's quite a young foal. We're delighted with the price."

The daughter of Churchill ran three times for Jamie Osborne and was sourced at Goffs two years ago. She is a half-sister to Cape Castle, the winning dam of Thundering Nights, who earned her Curragh Group 1 success for Joseph O'Brien in 2021.

Deac's Girl is out of Kaabari, who is a Seeking The Gold half-sister to Winder Hill Stakes winner Queen's Best, dam of Sir Michael Stoute's Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Queen's Best, and a half-sister to Listed River Eden Stakes winner Urban Castle, dam of Kingman's triple Grade 1-winning son Domestic Spending.

Kaabari is also a half-sister to the dams of Group winners Royal Solitaire, Royal Dress, who won the Group 3 Meadow Court Stud Stakes in July for James Tate at the Curragh, and Fred Darling winner and Prix Marcel Boussac winner Dabyah.

This colt's third dam, Cloud Castle, won the Nell Gwyn and was placed in both the Prix Vermeille and Yorkshire Oaks. She is an In The Wings half-sister to the Group 1 winners and champions Luso and Warrsan, out of the Sweet Solera Stakes winner Lucayan Princess.

Dargan, however, is a fully paid-up member of the Sioux Nation fan club.

"Sioux Nation has been extremely lucky for us, we've supported him from day one," she added. "We sold a filly by him here last year for €70,000 and a yearling filly at Goffs Orby this year for €65,000. Sioux Nation is a big, imposing horse, and a great walker. We have some more by him at home and hopefully we'll be able to keep going to him."

Tony O'Callaghan

The Redpender Stud team has also supported the extremely popular son of Scat Daddy, as Jimmy Murphy explained.

"We have a nice Sioux Nation foal at home. This colt will come back for resale all being well. He has a good page but still has plenty to do," he said.

Much later in proceedings his sons bought a Starspangledbanner full-brother to Qetaifan, a dual winner over six furlongs this season for Andrew Balding and Al Rabban. The colt was bred by Rosemont Stud and sold at the 2022 November Foal Sale by Airlie Stud to Camas Park Stud for €42,000.

Dam My Call has produced two winners from her first three runners and was bought by Airlie Stud from the Godolphin draft at the 2020 November Breeding Stock Sale and is a winning daughter of Shamardal and Hush Money, victorious twice at the highest level in Chile with her victories coming in the Premio El Derby and the Premio Las Oaks.

"A good foal," was the verdict of Brian Murphy. "The plan is to go back as a yearling, with a bit of luck, and hopefully he continues to be safe. Hopefully he will make Book 2, but there's always other openings. It has been very hard to buy today, but that's good to see too."

Conroy back in the buyers

Flash Conroy of Glenvale Stud was another with empty stables to fill following a successful yearling sale season and he bought two foals for over €50,000 apiece. The more expensive of the duo was the aforementioned Cotai Glory colt and he also went to €52,000 for a Churchill colt who is closely related to the dam of Cotai Glory's standout European juvenile of 2024, Rebel Diamond.

Conroy said of the Glashare House Stud colt: " A nice horse and he has a bit of a pedigree. I like Churchill, he's a good stallion, and I'm happy to get this colt."

Ciaran 'Flash' ConroyCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

The bay is out of the Listed Platinum Stakes winner Royal Blue Star, whose Teofilo daughter Periwinkle is the dam of Rebel Diamond, successful in the Listed Blenheim Stakes at Fairyhouse in late September for Natalia Lupini and Nigel O'Hare, who purchased the most expensive first crop foal by Persian Force to come on the market, at Tattersalls Ireland last week.

Of his earlier purchase, the Cotai Glory colt, Conroy was conscious of that sire's appeal for buyers beyond Europe.

he said: "Cotai Glory had the Mill Reef winner and they like him in Hong Kong. He is a very good-looking foal I thought."

Ballinacurra Stud sold the session's most expensive Kodi Bear foal, a colt out of the Belardo mare Scoop who is a half-sister to Dream Eater and Dreamspeed, for €65,000 to online bidder KCS.

The bay foal is the second out of Scoop, who was bred by Knocktoran Stud and was third as a two-year-old at Newmarket and placed at three in France. Her first foal, a colt by Coulsty, made €15,000 at the 2023 Goffs November Foal Sale, where he was sold by AK Thoroughbreds to John Keate. Consigned by Whatton Manor, she made £45,000 to Sackville Donald for Manor House Stables at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale.

Scoop is a half-sister to Listed winner Dream Eater, who was third in the Queen Anne Stakes and placed on multiple occasions in Group 2 and Group 3 contests. She is also a half-sister to the Listed Godolphin Stakes second and Group 3 St Simon Stakes third Dreamspeed and the Listed-placed Dubawi gelding Gulf Of Naples. 

Another of Scoop's half-sisters is Tremelo Pointe, dam of the Group 3 Round Tower Stakes third Landshark, by Bated Breath.

First-crop favourites

Joey Lyons' Summerhill Stables was a hive of activity from first light on Monday morning, with the young Meath consignor's colt from the first crop of the Haydock Sprint Cup and Gimcrack Stakes winner proving a magnetic draw.

Clarkstown Stud's colt would turn out to be a bid magnet in the ring, eventually being knocked down to Strawberry Hill Bloodstock for €62,000, which was the best price achieved by a foal from the first crop of their sire at Goffs on Monday.

It was also a healthy return on the €15,000 covering fee that the son of Mehmas commanded at Derrinstown Stud during the 2023 breeding season.

Lot 94 by Cotai Glory was bought by Flash Conroy of Glenvale StudCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

This particular foal is the first of his dam Salaasa, an unraced Teofilo half-sister to Easy, winner of the Listed Cork Stakes this season. The four-year-old daughter of Kodiac earned her black type for Andrew Slattery and Team Valor International.

Bred by Derrinstown Stud, Salaasa was purchased for €26,000 from Boherguy Stud exactly two years ago by Kelly and Adrian Kenny. Her dam, Gharaaneej, is a winning Pivotal sister to Best Regards out of Neverletme Go, a successful Green Desert half-sister to the Pivotal mare Halfway To Heaven, triumphant in the Nassau Stakes, Sun Chariot Stakes and Irish 1,000 Guineas for Aidan O'Brien and Coolmore.

Halfway To Heaven is the dam of the multiple Group 1 winner and European joint-champion three-year-old Magical and her Galileo full-sister Rhododendron, a triple Group 1 winner and the dam of last year's Derby winner and new Coolmore sire Auguste Rodin.

Perfect Power is the poster boy for Ardad and the Middle Park, Prix Morny and Commonwealth Cup winner, who stands at Darley's Dalham Hall Stud, was another of the first-crop sires to enjoy a red-letter result in the sales ring on Monday, when the first of his progeny to come under the hammer sold for €60,000.

Meta Osborne and Dermot CantillonCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

Michael Fitzpatrick of JC Bloodstock was the pinhooker who landed the perfect prize and, although scurrying off to view more foals, paused to comment: “She's a nice foal by a first-crop sire, from a good foal vendor, and she’s for resale.”

That good foal vendor is Tinnakill House Stud and Dermot Cantillon was in jovial mood in the aftermath of the sale.

He said: "We're delighted with the price, it's a great advert for her first-crop sire. She walked brilliantly, and had loads of people on her. We couldn’t be more pleased with the price."

When asked if it was a Meta (Osborne, respected equine vet and Dermot's wife) special, with the mare's breeding record, he smiled and laid the praise firmly at the feet of the couple's son Jack.

"No, it was a Jack special!" he said. "He bought her in foal, he's very good at picking up mares like that, he bought her for the Perfect Power cover specifically. The mare is back in foal to that outstanding first-season sire Far Above."

The 16-year-old Cairncross has just bred three runners from five foals despite retiring from racing at the end of her three-year-old career. She has a Group 3-placed Night Of Thunder gelding named Thunder Of Niagara and is a Cape Cross half-sister to the Grade 3 Orchid Stakes winner Dress Rehearsal and to the Listed Fairy Bridge Stakes winner Fairy Of The Night. 

She in turn is the dam of My Titania, whose Park Stakes victory was the first Group win for Sea The Stars as a sire and she has gone on to be an excellent broodmare for Ling Tsui, breeding the Group winners My Oberon, My Prospero and My Titania, all of whom were Group 1-placed.

Cairncross was purchased, in foal to Perfect Power, for 15,000gns in July of last year.

Statistical summary

The demand for foals saw all bar one of the key indicators post improved figures from last year, with the 72 per cent clearance rate the only one lower than in 2023, when it was 75 per cent.

Monday's opening session garnered €3,843,500 in sales, which was a jump of 21 per cent year-on-year. The average of €22,825 grew by 14.5 per cent in that time, while the median leaped 12.5 per cent.

The sale continues at 10am on Tuesday.

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