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News From The Opening Day Of Goffs December NH Sale

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Goffs December National Hunt Sale commenced today with solid trade for the cream of the Irish jumps-bred foal crop.  Some €2,180,000 was spent on the opening day, for an average of €15,913 and median of €13,000. The clearance rate stood at 64%, up from 61% in 2023.

Top lot was the Ballincurrig House Stud-consigned No Risk At All colt out of a Walk In The Park half-sister to Grade 1-winning chaser Joncol (Lot 118), who had one of the most appealing pedigrees in the catalogue and the looks to match, and duly caused a bidding duel between Rathmore Stud’s Peter Molony and Charles Shanahan.
 
Molony had the final say with a bid of €80,000 and he reported: “He’s a gorgeous horse with a great pedigree and his sire speaks for himself. I’m lucky enough to have a few nice ones by No Risk At All at home. 
 
“I’m looking forward to taking him home and looking at him for the next two and a half years before bringing him back here for the Goffs Arkle Sale.”
 
Ballincurrig House Stud’s Michael Moore said: “Trade is still very good for the nice foal, irrespective of what level it’s at. Even if your budget is €10,000 or €15,000, to go and buy them is still difficult. 
 
“The No Risk At All foal is for a client of ours who sent the mare to France to be covered. The object of the exercise was to find a sire to suit the mare and the pedigree. Their plan is to sell the colts and race the fillies that the mare produces, so we were testing the market a little. She was covered in France again this year, by Doctor Dino.”

Burgage Stud’s Jukebox Jury full-brother to promising jumper Argento Boy and half-brother to top-notchers Briar Hill and Jazzaway (Lot 140) was knocked down to Dick Frisby for €72,000, but a coin toss meant it was the buyer’s good friend Kieran Shields who will pinhook him.
 
Shields’ daughter Kate said: “We’re very happy with him. We love the sire and he was a good, big, scopey foal, and we hope to take him back as a three-year-old. The sire is on fire, and he’s the one we wanted to buy this week.”
 
The colt is from a great Burgage Stud family, as his dam Backaway is by the farm’s iconic sire Bob Back and is a full-sister to Grade 1-winning hurdler and chaser Boston Bob.
 
Burgage Stud’s Victor Connolly said: “This colt is the culmination of 20 years’ work. We have the stallion and we have the family. It’s a proven pedigree, so there was no need to explain anything on the page to anyone; that was the beauty of it. He was a lovely individual too, and so attracted a lot of interest. It was a relief to get him over the line, and I wish the next man the best of luck with him.
 
“Willie still holds Argento Boy in high regard, and if he says he’s a talented horse then that’s good enough for me. The reason we waited for this sale with this colt was to give Argento Boy the chance to run, and prove that he’s going to be a decent horse. I hope he’s a three-mile chaser in the making. He also has a three-year-old full-sister who will be in training next year, so fingers crossed she can add to the family’s achievements.
 
“I bought the granddam Bavaway as a barren mare, sent her to Bob Back and she bred Boston Bob, who didn’t run until he was six but rewarded his connections’ patience as he was a great horse. I actually had Bavaway’s daughter Belle Away before. She earned black type but we lost her when she broke her pelvis at Gowran one day. That was a big disappointment, but buying Bavaway and building up the family through her has made up for it. 
 
“I’m delighted with Jukebox Jury. He’s doing exactly what he promised to do. The trainers are happy, and if they’re happy it’s a good day’s work. The point-to-point guys are getting paid well for them too. He’s just been a lucky horse for everybody who’s been involved with him, all along the way. I just hope he stays lucky now.”
 
Frisby’s other purchases included the Walk In The Park filly out of a winning Oscar full-sister to Champion Hurdle hero Rock On Ruby who was consigned by Railstown Stud on behalf of Garranlea Bloodstock (Lot 23), and made €45,000.
 
“She’s a lovely, high-quality filly with a good pedigree and she’s been bought for resale,” said Frisby’s son JJ. “There are lots of good foals here, and we’re happy with the selection.”

Cathal Ennis of Quill Farm in Co. Westmeath has established himself as one of the most successful jumps breeders in the business, having produced the likes of Minella Times, Identity Thief and Beer Goggles, and he received the high compliment of Tally-Ho Stud purchasing his Walk In The Park colt out of the Aintree Listed bumper winner Avispa (Lot 136) for €44,000.
 
“He’s a lovely horse and he’s gone to an excellent farm in Tally-Ho Stud, who are neighbours of mine,” said Ennis. “They’ve been very good to me over the years, and I’ve always looked up to them and what they’ve achieved. 
 
“Avispa has a light enough pedigree, but she was a very good racemare. She beat Lady Buttons to win the Listed mares’ bumper at Aintree. I bought her at Goffs in Doncaster on the day they had the Trull House Stud dispersal, and she sold after those horses. She cost only £10,000, which wasn’t bad at all considering what she’d won. She’s a very straightforward mare.
 
“But to be honest, for me, it’s all about Walk In The Park. I’ve had quite a bit of luck with him, having bred Down Memory Lane and Sportinthepark and co-bred Monty’s Star. For me, Walk In The Park is the best sire in Ireland, Britain or France, and I particularly like that his stock improves for fences. I’ve got a lot of mares in foal to him at home. I hope he’ll be around for many years to come.”

Mouse O’Ryan was pleased to be taking home Clonbonny Stud’s Crystal Ocean colt out of a winning Beneficial half-sister to Grade 1-winning hurdler Brandy Love (Lot 112) for €40,000.
 
“He’s a lovely horse and obviously one of the picks of the day for me,” he reported. “His half-sister Railway Bell was placed in two point-to-points for Rob James and is unbeaten in two starts for Fergal O’Brien, winning a bumper and a maiden hurdle. She looks like she could be a black-type filly, which would be great for this colt. 

“I’ve bought him for a few friends of mine in Limerick. They own a couple of horses in training with Gordon [Elliott] so there are options for this colt down the line; he could be one for resale or be kept and put into training.”
 
Clonbonny Stud’s Denise O’Brien, pictured, will shave her head and hold an auction in aid of the Julian Benson CF Foundation in McCormack’s pub in Naas after tomorrow’s session of the Goffs December National Hunt Sale. 
 
“I decided I was going to cut my hair again, after growing it for about three years, and I thought if I was going to go short again that I should shave it for charity,” said O’Brien.
 
“My parents lost a son before I was born to cystic fibrosis so it’s a condition we’ve always been aware of and they did a lot of work with the cystic fibrosis association. Mammy said why don’t you do it for the cystic fibrosis association and the Julian Benson Tranquility House.
 
“Julian is converting a house into four two-bedroom apartments as a home away from home for families of patients with cystic fibrosis who can stay there while their loved ones are in hospital. Hospital stays can be very long, and a common cold can put cystic fibrosis patients in hospital.
 
“I was hoping to raise €5,000 and I have hit my target already, which is fantastic and thank you to everyone for their support.”
 
Auction items include a Croke Park stadium and museum tour, tickets for Liverpool’s FA Cup game on January 11 and a Goffs racing package.

Among the other leading lights was the Blue Bresil filly out of the Grade 2-placed King’s Theatre mare Billy’s Hope (Lot 170), so bred on the same cross as megastar hurdler Constitution Hill. She was bought by Blue Bresil’s custodians Rathbarry Stud for €48,000.
 
“She’s a lovely quality filly, she has size and scope and is a great walker,” said Rathbarry’s Paul Cashman of the lot, who was consigned by Railstown Stud for Garranlea Bloodstock. “The cross obviously works, and she comes from a good farm and good breeders. I’m delighted to get her.”
 
Galbertstown Stables’ Nathaniel colt out of Grade 1-placed hurdler Barra (Lot 152) meanwhile sold to Kevin Ross Bloodstock and Chris Jones’s Killeen Glebe for €44,000.
 
“He’s a very nice horse, and the sire has done no harm this year,” said Anna Moore, who signed the docket. “It’s a nice page, and there was a good update to the pedigree with Creation [a full-sister to the dam] breeding Fortune De Mer, the winner of the bumper at Cheltenham the other week. 
 
“I just thought he was one of the nicest horses of the day. He will come back for resale.”
 
Jamestown House Stud gave €42,000 for an attractive Walk In The Park filly out of the Grade 3-placed Flemensfirth mare Catcheragain from Thistletown Stud (Lot 208).
 
Tim Nolan said: “She’s a very late June foal but to look at her, you wouldn’t think that. She’s a good, big filly who looks like an April foal. I was looking to buy a filly and I really liked her.
 
“There were only two foals I bid on today – I was the underbidder on the Walk In The Park filly who made €45,000 earlier – and now I’ve bought her and I’m delighted to get her. I saw her yesterday and loved her.
 
“She has a lovely family and has plenty of siblings ahead of her who could update the pedigree even more in the next couple of years. We have a few in training so we could do that with her, or bring her back for the Goffs Arkle Sale.”

Darren Hession made a fine first impression when making his debut wielding the gavel at Goffs. The winner of the IPAV novice rostrum auctioneer of the year in 2022 conducted the bidding for 13 lots, culminating in the sale of a Walk In The Park half-sister to Grade 1-placed hurdler and chaser Sandor Clegane (Lot 168) to Gerry Hogan for €38,000. 
 
“It was a really enjoyable experience,” said Hession. “I’m delighted to be afforded the opportunity to do this as it’s a massive global stage, not just a national stage. When you begin auctioneering you always aspire to sell in a place like Goffs.
 
“I was fortunate to get into bid spotting at Goffs a few years ago. I did the Goffs Orby Sale in 2022 first, and I’ve been spotting on the rostrum since last year. It’s very useful as you get a context of how the sale works from that angle. 
 
“I gave it my all today, as I’m a firm believer that nerves don’t help anybody. Well, maybe a little adrenaline helps, but panicking is no good. I have to thank all the auctioneers here for helping me prepare and giving me guidance – Henry, Nick, Andrew, Bernard and Tadhg. Their help has been phenomenal, they couldn’t have done any more for me.”