Ted Naughton brings Niarchos tale full circle with €80,000 purchase of Over The Moon

The crowded sales ring at Goffs for the opening day of the November Breeding Stock Sale, where the Niarchos draft of jewels sparkled under the lights, evoked memories of the heady days of thoroughbred auctions and racing, particularly of the late 1970s and the 1980s.

Not only because the Niarchos fillies and mares traced back to those champions bought or bred and raced by Stavros Niarchos and trained by the genius that was Francois Boutin, but also because of the spectacle of the auction as theatre. 

The bidding battles between titans of the modern day turf - Coolmore, Juddmonte, the Yoshida family - harked back to those of Robert Sangster, Niarchos and Sheikh Mohammed in sales rings around Europe and North America. 

For a few hours at Goffs on Friday night, modern-day auctions rivalled those detailed in Horsetrader but on Saturday morning, that history came alive vividly.

Although the concluding day of the sale was of a different order to what played out the night before, with car parking space in abundance and budgets more gritty reality than champagne fantasy, the sale of one mare connected all those strands together.

The mare in question was Over The Moon, a six-year-old daughter of Invincible Spirit, who had won once as a three-year-old in France for Philippe Sogorb and her owner-breeders Brendan and Anne-Marie Hayes. 

Ted Naughton signs for Over The MoonCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

She was offered in foal to Space Blues, carrying her fourth pregnancy having a two-year-old colt named Savvy Warrior by Too Darn Hot, a yearling daughter of Dark Angel and a colt foal by Sottsass.

At €80,000 Ted Naughton was the buyer of the strong bay mare who has a pedigree replete with bold black type and auctioneer Nick Nugent remarked that Naughton was on the wall to his right, and bidding on his left.

The framed moments from history which are dotted around the walls of the auditorium capture moments in time from the auction house's history and Naughton played a pivotal role in one such event.

He was the manager of Ballyrogan Stud in 1978 when the farm, owned by Jill Weal, offered a yearling filly by Mill Reef and out of Hardiemma. That was in September, three months after her older full-brother had triumphed in the Derby with Shirley Heights following up his Epsom victory at the Curragh.

Shirley Heights' sister provoked a bidding battle which was won by Colonel Robin Hastings of the BBA at 250,000gns when Francois Boutin persuaded him to have one more bid. He was acting on behalf of Stavros Niarchos.

The price was a world record for a yearling filly, which beat the one set two months earlier in July at Keeneland for a half-sister to Vaguely Noble.

Naughton had purchased Hardiemma carrying the daughter of Mill Reef for 15,000gns when Shirley Heights was just a yearling.

He had been in the ring at Goffs on Friday night when the Niarchos mares were making millions, and even though the crowd and the atmosphere were larger and more alive than for many a year, Naughton's memories of that September afternoon 45 years ago recalled even more electricity than this week's extravaganza generated.

The spectacle on Friday evoked memories of the halcyon era of the salesCredit: Goffs

"I'll never forget the sale, the crowds were amazing and I don't think even last night was as big," he recalled.

The press coverage from 1978  included a spread in the sadly-defunct Irish Press with photos of Naughton and his wife which is part of the display on the auditorium wall while those in attendance included then-Irish President Patrick Hillery. 

None of the Irish broadsheets carried coverage of this sale in their Saturday editions and there was no sign of President Michael D Higgins among the crowd at Goffs but Naughton was there on both days, and although memories and achievements are to be celebrated, the business at hand was the purchase of a beautifully-bred young mare.

He said: "She has a lovely pedigree; it's a very active family and you would need to look at an extended pedigree to see everything that is going on in that family. 

"Her Too Darn Hot two-year-old made €180,000 as a yearling and she has a nice Dark Angel yearling filly who is going to be trained in France.

"I have bought her for a friend of mine and the Space Blues she is carrying will come back here for sale, either as a foal or a yearling."

Brendan and Anne-Marie Hayes are in the process of reducing the size of their breeding operation, having sold Knocktoran Stud in September and offering some of their stock at sales across Europe.

They will continue to breed as Cotton House Bloodstock, including with members of this mare's outstanding family. She is a half-sister to Group 2 winner Royal Bench and Group 3 winners Memphis Tennessee and Mayhem, the dam of Listed winners Sky Angel and Sea Theme. 

Her second dam continues the link with that sale in 1978 as Prix Saint-Alary winner Cerulean Sky is a daughter of Shirley Heights' highly influential son Darshaan and a full-sister to Irish Oaks second L'Ancresse and three-parts sister to Oaks winner Moonstone, by Darshaan's son Dalakhani.

“I think Ted got good value,” Brendan Hayes said. “She is a lovely mare and a great walker. There is plenty happening in the pedigree, the Too Darn Hot is with Sean Woods and they like him. We  have retained the Dark Angel yearling and she’ll go into training with Philippe Sogorb and the colt foal by Sottsass is in Newmarket next week.”

Another successful sale for Baroda

Baroda Stud ended the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale as one of the leading consignors on aggregate, having been entrusted with a significant proportion of the Niarchos draft including the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Albigna. Offered in foal to St Mark's Basilica, the daughter of Zoffany brought a winning bid of €3.7m from MV Magnier.

Albigna was the star of the Baroda Stud draft at the Goffs November SaleCredit: Sophie Webber/Goffs

Their draft of fillies and mares for Saturday's second session included Ballot Time, a typically well-bred daughter of Frankel from a Juddmonte family and she was purchased for €55,000 by Ibrahim Vefa Araci. 

The leading owner and breeder in Turkey, where he stands stallions including his own Group 3 winner and 2,000 Guineas third Native Khan, also has Old Mill Stud outside Newmarket.

His purchase at Goffs is out of Vote Often who was trained by Dermot Weld to win the Group 3 Park Express Stakes and finished third to Marvellous in the Irish 1,000 Guineas. The Beat Hollow mare is a full-sister to Proportional, who was champion two-year-old filly in France having won the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac. 

Their dam Minority was twice placed in Group 3 company and is a Generous half-sister to Listed winners Skipping and Innocent Air, and to Skiphall, dam of EP Taylor Stakes and Prix Jean Romanet winner Folk Opera. She is the second dam of Romantic Warrior, who last month became the first horse trained in Hong Kong to win the Cox Plate.

Homebred stars for McCreery

Loveday, a homebred Listed performer for Amanda McCreery, was the only other horse to make over €40,000 on a gloomy November day. The four-year-old by Bungle Inthejungle was purchased by Whitethorn Bloodstock for €44,000 from trainer Willie McCreery's Rathbride Stables.

She was placed three times in Listed races throughout her two-year-old season with the first of those black type results coming in the First Flier Stakes at the Curragh behind Castle Star. She was also second in the Curragh Stakes over course and distance and third in Dundalk's Legacy Stakes.

One of five winners from six runners for her dam Bank On Blank, a winning daughter of Big Bad Bob, she was a winner at two and comes from the family of American champion three-year-old sprinter Dainty Dotsie and the Grade 1 Selima Stakes winner Collins.

Statistics

The second day of the sale had a much increased catalogue on the same day last year with 204 lots offered on Saturday as opposed to 140 in 2022, and 129 horses sold which was a 37 per cent increase on the number sold during the equivalent session. The rise in numbers sold contributed to the increase in turnover. Saturday's session generated sales of €1,276,500 which represented a 46 per cent gain year-on-year. 

The session average of €9,896 was up by six points on 12 months' ago when the average came in at €9,896 while the Saturday's median of €7,000 improved 17 per cent on last year's figure of €6,000. At 63 per cent, the clearance rate was was slightly lower than in 2022 when it was 66 per cent.

Group chief executive Henry Beeby reflected on a record-breaking day in his closing remarks.

"The Niarchos draft was the most keenly anticipated consignment at any sale anywhere in recent years and duly delivered a truly historic day at Goffs with the highest grossing day in the company’s 157 years of business at €39.5m," he said. "The duo of €6,000,000 top prices equals the highest ever recorded in Ireland which, of course, was set ten years ago at the same sale when Chicquita headlined the Paulyn dispersal whilst it also represents the top price at any thoroughbred sale in the world this year.

"On behalf of all the team at Goffs I want to record our supreme thanks to the Niarchos family for entrusting us with such an iconic and blue-blooded group of mares and fillies. It was a huge privilege to handle their sale and we were delighted to welcome a genuinely international group of buyers to Kildare Paddocks with several attending for the first time. 

Henry Beeby brings the hammer down at GoffsCredit: Patrick McCann

"The 39 Niarchos lots headlined an amazing day that was backed up by several other world class drafts, with the day graphically illustrating that Goffs is the measure of any auction house as it featured a wonderful selection of well-bred thoroughbreds that were sold to some of the biggest names in global bloodstock. That is what Goffs exists to do and I extend our appreciation to every client, whether buying or selling, and at every level for we always recognise that we are nothing without each horse and the people to buy them.

"Our Breeding Stock Sale followed on from a strong renewal of the Goffs November Foal Sale at which a huge contingent of buyers of all ages and price ranges descended on County Kildare, leading to a vibrant atmosphere throughout and another world leading top price of €700,000."

Looking at the action in the round, Beeby continued: "I commented on Thursday that the good results should not be taken as a totally clean bill of health for the industry, and it must be noted that there is a degree of correction in the market especially at the lower level. That was clearly the case today, not withstanding the statistical advances compared to last year, and breeders may rest assured that Goffs, together with ITM, accept that we can always do more to drive more people to our sales at the commercial level and we will redouble our efforts on their behalf as we head into 2024.

"In closing I repeat a very sincere and heartfelt thanks to every client, every groom, all at ITM and all the Goffs team for their hard work and enthusiasm, all of which combined to make November 23 one which will live long in the memory."

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