Siyouni demand and Shadwell's shopping spree fuel strong Premier Sale opener

There was plenty of action away from the £440,000 Kingman colt during day one of the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale in Doncaster on Tuesday, as 18 other yearlings fetched a six-figure sum.

The session's second-top lot came late in the piece when Will Douglass of Charlie Gordon-Watson Bloodstock outpointed Shadwell's Angus Gold at £250,000 to land the Siyouni filly out of Anneli offered by Mount Coote Stud.

Gold looked to have sealed matters with a bid of £230,000, but an increase of £20,000 swung things in Douglass's favour. "£250,000?" said auctioneer Nick Nugent after the final raise had been signalled. "That's a proper job."

Coolmore set a new Premier Sale record with £440,000 Kingman colt

The filly is the first foal out of the daughter of Galileo and the Listed winner Anne Of Kiev, meaning the youngster is bred on the same cross as Prix du Jockey Club hero Sottsass and the talented Maqsad.

Will Douglass signs the docket for the £250,000 Siyouni fillyCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

"She's been bought for a new-ish client to me and she'll be going into training with Paddy Twomey," said Douglass. "Hopefully she's successful, she looks like a very exciting filly. Hopefully she'll make a two-year-old, the client wants to have top horses so hopefully she'll be a top filly. I thought she was lovely."

The filly, bred by Merriebelle Irish Farm, was making her second appearance at public auction, having been retained by her vendor at €80,000 at the Goffs foal sales last year.

Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale day one stats

Offered 233
Sold 213 (91 per cent)
Aggregate £10,511,500 (up two per cent year-on-year)
Average £49,350 (up ten per cent)
Median £38,000 (up nine per cent)

Gold gets busy

Gold may have lost out on the £250,000 Siyouni filly but the Shadwell man enjoyed better fortune on a host of other occasions, including when he secured the half-brother to Heartache who fetched £210,000 in a private sale outside of the ring.

The result was a sizeable feather in the cap of first-crop sire Adaay, who Gold purchased as a yearling before the dual Group 2 winner retired to Whitsbury Manor Stud in 2017.

The colt, who was bred by Whitsbury Manor from the Listed-winning Compton Place mare Place In My Heart, was the most expensive pinhook in the Premier Sale catalogue, having cost Jamie Railton 180,000gns as a foal.

"Obviously we had luck with the stallion," said Gold, "and I liked this horse as a foal, everybody liked him here, including a lot of our trainers. He's nearly a May foal so I'm not sure if he'll be up and running early but I hope he'll be a mid-season two-year-old."

Angus Gold in action in the Doncaster ringCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

Heartache won the Queen Mary Stakes and the Flying Childers during her racing career before she sold to MV Magnier for 1,300,000gns at last year's Tattersalls December Mares Sale. This colt's other siblings include the Listed-placed Heartwarming and the winning two-year-old Hand On My Heart.

"He's a half-brother to a Queen Mary winner and the mare has done well with a couple of her offspring, and she could run herself of course," added Gold. "That's the price I bid in the ring but that was absolutely top whack.

"We don't know if Adaay's progeny can run yet but he was a good horse. He wasn't the biggest himself, he was was quite low to the ground, but he was a very honest horse who always showed a good attitude so I was pleased to be able to get this colt."

Adaay's good day got even better when Clive Cox went to £100,000 to secure the half-sister to Marygate Stakes winner Good Vibes, who was also offered by Whitsbury Manor.

Gold landed five of the sessions top ten lots, with his haul also including a £200,000 Siyouni colt and a £150,000 Iffraaj colt out of Riskit Fora Biskit, both offered by Longview Stud, and a £145,000 Dark Angel colt consigned by Yeomanstown Stud.

Elliott's horse of the day

Alex Elliott also got among the action during the opening exchanges of Tuesday's session, as the agent went to £200,000 to secure a Night Of Thunder colt offered by Pier House Stud. Out of the Revoque mare Queen Bodicea, the racy colt is a half-brother to July Stakes scorer Classic Blade and the prolific winning sprinter Captain Dunne.

"We're looking for Royal Ascot two-year-olds," said Elliott, whose purchase was made on behalf of an undisclosed client. "I think Night Of Thunder is doing really well.

Alex Elliott: 'We're looking for Royal Ascot two-year-olds'Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

"I loved this horse too, he's probably my horse of the day; he's sharp, looks a two-year-old and is a sibling to a couple of stakes-performing juveniles too.

"I'm delighted to get him, though I'm not sure who'll get to train him just yet."

Night Of Thunder has already sired 15 successful sons and daughters, headed by Group 3 scorer Under The Stars and Listed winner Thunderous.

Almighty touch for Manister's Maxios

Gold's shopping spree contributed to a major pinhooking touch for Manister House Stud, as the Maxios colt out of Tassina went from 15,000gns foal to £170,000 yearling when added to the Shadwell ranks.

The colt is the first foal out of the unraced Galileo mare Tassina, a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Ten Meropa and from the further family of champion Pride. The likes of One Foot In Heaven and Speciosa also appear on the page.

"He was an exceptional horse with a lot of his damsire about him," said Manister House Stud's Luke Barry. "George Stanners put the idea into my head to come here and the colt was forward enough for this sale. It just shows that if you bring the right horse to this sale, it'll work out."

View full Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale results and stats