Top two lots to sell on Thursday are bought by BBA Ireland
Four-year-old winning Galileo (Sadler's Wells) filly Red Azalea topped the Goffs February Sale when bought for €340,000 by BBA Ireland on Thursday.
Offered by Baroda Stud as a supplementary lot, Red Azalea is out of the Group 3 winner Music Box (Invincible Spirit). Trained by Donnacha O'Brien, Red Azalea came to the sale having won once and placed five times in her nine career starts, with the daughter of Galileo breaking her maiden at Ballinrobe, by two and a half lengths, last July.
The price was the highest recorded at the sale in nine years.
BBA Ireland also bought the second most expensive lot to sell on Thursday, Nomadland (Frankel), who cost €110,000.
Also sold by Baroda Stud, the four-year-old daughter of Frankel (Galileo) is unraced. Her second dam is Love And Bubbles (Loup Sauvage), dam of Japanese Grade 1 winner Deep Brillante (Deep Impact).
Over the two day sale, 273 lots sold for €4,348,550. With 22 per cent fewer horses sold this year, the aggregate was down 28 per cent to €6,020,200. The average fell 7 per cent from €17,103 to €15,929 while the median remained at €9,000.
Reflecting on the first sale of 2023 at Kildare Paddocks, Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby said: "Goffs February fulfils an important function in the sales calendar as it provides another opportunity for foal (weanling) sellers and buyers. Sometimes the youngster needed more time and on other occasions they did not make our superb November or December Foal Sales for some reason or failed to hit the target on that visit to the ring.
"When November and December are strong it sometimes leads to a weaker February as orders might be filled and/or the better lots already sold. Whether or not that is the case this week is debatable but the common theme over the last two days has been a vibrant trade for those that held most appeal, especially to the pinhooking fraternity, but an altogether different story for those deemed not to be as commercial. Suggesting otherwise would be foolhardy as it is very much the case in the times in which we live.
"2022 probably enjoyed a post pandemic bounce in terms of numbers with the expansion to three days for the first time since 2018 and so this year's two-day affair was always going to show a reduced turnover. However, it is interesting to note that the median price remained the same as 2022 which demonstrates a consistency to the market for a sale in which the size of the entry is largely reactive to the autumn sales.
"Trade for the breeding stock session mirrored the weanlings with keen competition for some and less interest in others but we have been pleased to welcome another strong overseas contingent to Kildare Paddocks who are enticed year after year by the enduring quality of Irish bloodlines and the endeavours of ITM working alongside the Goffs Buyer Recruitment Team and our excellent international agents.
"The market leading status of Goffs February has been confirmed once again with the highest February prices for Flat weanling, NH weanling and breeding stock with the latter recording the fourth best price for this sale and the best since 2014. As ever, we extend our thanks to each vendor and all our purchasers for we are nothing without them."
