Highlighted by five six-figure lots, the Goffs UK Spring Store Sale came to a successful conclusion in Doncaster on Tuesday with a set of figures that were the second highest in the sale’s history.
Headed by a son of Adlerflug who was sold by Ballincurrig House Stud for a sale record of £200,000 to Henrietta Knight on Monday, 225 horses – 83% of those offered – sold for a total of £7,147,500 and average of £31,767, a figure virtually on a par with last year. The median dropped by four per cent to £25,000.
“We have added another successful chapter to the Spring Store Sale’s 60-year history and it seems fitting that it was this year that we set a new record top price for a British store with yesterday’s £200,000 top price,” said Tim Kent, Goffs UK Managing Director.
“Last year we ambitiously expanded this sale to two top-class days, set new records across the board, and on the back of that, we doubled the prize fund of our bumper to £100,000, making it the richest bumper in the world. We have invested a lot into the sale, it holds an important place on the calendar being Britain’s only elite store sale, so to see it maintain the ground it gained last year, whilst setting more new records, is very gratifying and we can look back over the last 12-months and be very pleased with what it has achieved.
“We are obviously only half-way through the Spring Sale with two-days of horses-in-training and pointers to come but we would like to extend our thanks to everyone who has supported us for the Store Sale and we look forward to another big two-days of selling – starting tomorrow at 10am.”
Henrietta Knight was back in action on behalf of owner Mike Grech again on Tuesday when going to £155,000 for a French-bred son of Gris De Gris.
The first foal out of Dearly Des Places, an unraced Laverock half-sister to the Listed-winning hurdler and Grade 1-placed chaser Queen Des Places, the gelding had been sourced privately out of France by his vendor Johnny Collins of Brown Island Stables.
Chris Gordon, meanwhile, will take charge of a relation to Champion Hurdle hero Binocular after coming out on top at £140,000 for Oak Tree Farm’s Getaway gelding out of Through The Lens. The youngster, who had been pinhooked for €62,000 as a foal, is set to carry the colours of Richard Cheshire.
The most expensive filly of the day was a daughter of Kapgarde, for whom Jerry McGrath went to £110,000. Sold by Goldford Stud, she is particularly well-related as a daughter of the Listed-placed hurdler Brise Vendeene, a half-sister to the Grade 1-winning hurdler Vroum Vroum Mag.