Sioux Nation colt fizzes to €135,000 at Book 2 but the Goffs Orby Sale fizzles out

Provence's sparkling finest lent a little glamour to the final day of the Goffs Orby Sale on Friday where a Sioux Nation colt out of Leoube brought some effervescence to sale that was more of the flat lemonade variety with his sale-topping turn proving to be the only six-figure transaction conducted during Book 2.

Galbertstown offered the bay who had the added pizzaz of a recent juvenile Group 3 race update to recommend him to the discerning palate and the half-brother to last week's Tattersalls Stakes runner-up Diego Ventura created some excitement in the ring.

The Tally-Ho team would have been well-informed about the merits of Diego Ventura as Wathnan Racing's colt was breezed by the Mullinagar operation is by their leading young sire Mehmas and patriarch Tony O'Callaghan, with son Roger, was on hand to add the half-brother to a pair of winners to their collection for next year's breeze-up sales.

"We're breezing him and the Cotai Glory [lot 808], it's our favourite game," was Roger O'Callaghan's succinct summation of the €135,000 signing. "We like selling fast ones and his half-brother was quick so we hope this one is quick too, he looks nice."

Diego Ventura won a six furlong Navan maiden on debut for Gavin Cromwell and was then acquired privately by Wathan for whom he made a successful start over that trip at Ascot in early September, before making the immediate leap to Group company for Hama Al Jehani and connections.

The Mehmas colt is most certainly quick, selling from Tally-Ho to Cromwell for €72,000 in May having been sold to Barry Lynch for €88,000 at Goffs Orby Book 1 last year by Pa Doyle's Tipperary farm.

They have a three-year-old Churchill half-sister named Taygar who is also a speed merchant, with both her victories for Michael Dods coming at the minimum trip.

“He’s probably the best yearling we’ve had, he’s a great physical and he had a big update thanks to Diego Ventura,” said breeder Ronan. “We thought he might not have a strong enough pedigree for Book One but that he would stand out here.“

He added: "Pa Doyle and his team at Galbertstown did a fantastic job and the colt was flat out with showings over the last few days. I wasn’t expecting that much, though. I thought maybe 70 to 80 grand, but he just took off. I’m delighted. All the lads from the farm have come up, so we’re going for a bit of grub now to celebrate!“

The Ronan family with their Sioux Nation colt who topped Goffs Orby Book 2 Credit: Orla Donworth

Ronan was keen to emphasise the contribution that the O'Callaghan family has made: "I’m thrilled that Tally-Ho have bought him too, as they had the brother last year too, and he’s worked out well. The O’Callaghans are great supporters of the industry, they like to give lads a bit of a twist.”

Dam Leoube raced for just her two-year-old season and her sole success was also over five furlongs while she was twice placed over a furlong further for Richard Hannon. She too has her own Tally-Ho connection as a daughter of their landscape shifting sire Kodiac.

The family has more middle-distance and staying genes; Leoube's dam Sojitzen is a winning daughter of Great Journey, a son of the breed-shaping Sunday Silence, and she is out of the Prix du Cadran winner Mercalle by Kaldoun.

Sojitzen is a half-sister to Japan's champion three-year-old filly of 1996 courtesy of her victory in the Shuka Sho and she was also runner-up in the Japan Cup.

First mare for couple a rich reward

Leoube was purchased by Sean Ronan and Caroline Hanly of Orchardstown Farms for 8,000gns at the end of her two-year-old career. 

“She was the first Flat mare my wife Caroline and I bought together,” added Sean. “She had a decent rating –82 – and we thought she was very pretty and had a good physique. We liked Kodiac as a broodmare sire too. The only reason she cost so little was her first two dams were a bit light.“

"They often say that when those mares have a good back pedigree, it eventually comes back, and luckily it’s filling in again now. Leoube has a Churchill filly at home so a full-sister to Taygar and she’s in foal to Little Big Bear.”

Ronan and Hanly have built their broodmare band up to 15 or so and are the breeders of Sioux Nation's highest-rated European runner; Middleham Park Racing's multiple Group winner Brave Emperor who was also sold by Galbertstown Stables as a yearling, in his case at the Goffs Premier Sale in Doncaster.

Ronan explained why they chose Sioux Nation for Leoube: "We've had great luck with Sioux Nation and he suited Leoube, when you go to see him he is a big, imposing horse."

The Saxon Warrior colt out of My Spirit who was bought by Natalia Lupini for €65,000 at GoffsCredit: Orla Donworth

"He was a good fit for the mare, it was down a level from Mehmas the year before but we decided to go with him for her and we're delighted with the yearling, he's a very good yearling and I think he's one of the best I've had."

Hanly and Ronan, along with Doyle, are no strangers to success in the Kildare Paddocks sale ring having sold Ireland's most expensive National Hunt foal of 2023 at the Goffs December Sale.

This colt will be seen on a track much sooner than the No Risk At All colt who made €120,000 last December as he, along with the Cotai Glory colt out of the winning Galileo mare Julienne, will be joining the Tally-Ho breeze-up vintage of 2025.

Tally-Ho teamed up with agent Valfredo Valiani for the colt, who is closely related to John Butler's three-year-old Fastnet Rock gelding Rock Armour who is due to run at Redcar on Saturday afternoon.

Julienne is a half-sister to the Group 3 Leopardstown 1,000 Guineas Trial winner Blue Cloud, dam of Royal Lodge winner Mohawk, and to the Listed second Blue Angel, the dam of Dee Stakes winner Viren's Army.

Their dam Blue Cloud was trained by Andre Fabre for Daniel Wildenstein and the daughter of Nashwan won the Prix Imprudence and was third in the Prix Marcel Boussac.

Lupini a Milanese warrior

Natalia Lupini's psychology degree probably equips her better than most trainers to deal with the vagaries of fortune and the whims of owners. 

From Milan but based outside Banbridge in County Down, where she trains alongside her partner Craig Bryson, Lupini has quickly made a name for herself as a trainer going places. No mean feat in the enormously competitive Irish racing scene.

Natalia Lupini is a rising star of Irish training ranksCredit: Patrick McCann

Such is her stature, with successes at Irish Champions' Festival and the Galway Races bringing her skills wider acknowledgement, that she and Bryson were in a position to sign for the day's second most expensive lot; a Saxon Warrior colt from the family of mother and son Arc winners Detroit and Carnegie, fitting given the weekend that's in it.

Lupini went to €65,000 for the colt, who was offered on behalf of his iconic breeder Pat O'Kelly by the Castlebridge Consignment, and Bryson explained what it was about the bay which appealed.

“He’s a nice individual with a lovely walk, and he comes from a great breeder. We’ve had a bit of luck with one by Saxon Warrior this year, and have another one by him in the yard, so we’re big fans of the sire. He crosses well with Invincible Spirit mares, too," he added.

That Saxon Warrior is recent Down Royal juvenile maiden winner Saint Brandon who was picked up by Lupini for just €12,000 at Orby Book Two last year and is out of a mare by Invincible Spirit's half-brother Kodiac.

An Invincible Spirit mare has produced Saxon Warrior's only top level winner; Victoria Road from his sire's first crop who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and is out of a half-sister to Halfway To Heaven.

This particular colt is out of the Listed third My Spirit, a half-sister to Banimpire who once held the record as the most expensive broodmare prospect sold at Goffs when purchased by Michel Zerolo on behalf of Martin Schwartz at the 2011 November Breeding Stock Sale for €2.3m.

The sun sets on another Goffs Orby Sale Credit: SARAH FARNSWORTH

The Ribblesdale winner, who was second in the Irish Oaks and third in the Prix de l'Opera for Jim Bolger, is a half-sister to Dream On Buddy, the dam of Teofilo's Melbourne Cup winner Twilight Payment.

Second dam My Renee was successful in the Give Thanks and Harvest Stakes and is a Kris S daughter of Mayenne, a half-sister to Carnegie and out of Detroit.

Statistics

The difficult trading conditions which have prevailed throughout the yearling sales season continued on Friday, where just one six-figure lot was sold during Book 2 of the Orby Sale, compared with three at the 2023 renewal. Twenty four made at least €50,000, which was an increase on last year's sale

That and a clearance rate for the second session of 74 per cent, up from 70 per cent on Thursday, were the rare silver linings as the storm clouds gather off the west coast.

On Friday a total of 151 of the 203 horses on offered were sold which generated €2,888,000 in turnover, a steep decline of almost 21 per cent on the second day of the 2023 sale.

The average fell back by 14 per cent year-on-year from €22,186 to €19,126 while the median declined by jut six points to €16,000 from €17,000 in 2023.

Statement from Goffs group chief executive Henry Beeby:

"Overall Goffs Orby Book 2 returned a clearance rate of 72 per cent which was down from 75 per cent in 2023 with 322 horses selling for a total of €6,603,800 which is a fall of 18 per cent on the turnover from last year which was €8,097,500. The sale average of €20,509 was eight per cent lower than in 2023 while the median figure of €15,500 represented a 14 per cent drop in the same time frame.

"The last two days have been very different however, as the numbers are some way off what any of us would like and well behind the last two years. A clearance rate of 72 per cent is not the most positive and all the key statistics are back to 2021 levels which is disappointing notwithstanding they mirror trends seen at every other second tier European yearling sale so far and competition for the good ones has been as fierce as ever.

"As an auction house we exist to serve breeders and provide a marketplace to the best of our ability by investing huge time and resource into every area with marketing, travel, incentives and so much more. That we have done, even if some may say it is not enough, and it could be that these two days are simply following the market correction trends that are going to be the story of 2024.

"We will analyse, review and discuss with the benefit of time and reflection before we make any finite decisions about the format or numbers in Orby Book 2.

"Frankly it is too easy to say 'catalogue less' when so many breeders look to Goffs to sell their produce and our question in reply would be to ask 'what about the rest?'

"There is no silver bullet to the current issues and the 'polarisation; of the market has been building momentum for a few years as evidenced by so many sales company statements [ours included] and commentators making the word the most overused in the bloodstock world.

"Indeed, it has become very evident that those yearlings that do not have it all – pedigree, 'fashionable' sire and conformation – are roundly rejected as there is always another to buy with so much choice and catalogues growing. 

"That means the market is speaking, and loudly, and it is up to all of us to work together to navigate our way through this latest downturn although when one considers events in the wider world it could be argued that we aren’t doing too badly."

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