RACING & BREEDING

Ryan McElligott

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There can be little doubt that the main event in Ireland last week was the stunning opening day of the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale, which was headlined by the incredible €6 million sale of this year’s Irish Oaks winner, Chicquita.

This much-anticipated sale featured the 24-lot dispersal of Australian owner Paul Makin’s breeding empire, which took place under the banner of the Paulyn Dispersal, and the undoubted jewel in the crown was Chicquita. Her €6 million sale enabled her to become the most expensive thoroughbred sold in Ireland, thus eclipsing the 3.1 million Irish guineas record set by Authaal in 1984. A daughter of Montjeu, Chicquita was bought by Peter and Ross Doyle for an undisclosed client.

The Paulyn Dispersal featured two other seven-figure lots with a Japanese buyer forking out €1.1 million for the former July Cup winner Fleeting Spirit, who was sold in-foal to Galileo.

Meanwhile, the regally bred Song came under the hammer carrying to Frankel and she cost John Egan €1 million.

The Paulyn Dispersal was the cornerstone of a superb edition of the November Breeding Stock and, even excluding the results from Makin’s dispersal, the figures finished some way in advance of last year. An aggregate of just over €13 million represented a 60% improvement on last year. The average grew by 44% to €40,159, the median of €14,500 was up by almost a third, while the clearance rate progressed to 84%.

Foal Sale

The breeding stock sale was preceded by the Goffs November Foal Sale, which also ended with a fine set of results. At the top of the market trade was broadly similar to last year but the strength of this sale lay in the middle market which was characterised by strong competition and an excellent overall clearance rate of 84%. The turnover for the four days came in at €18 million, which was some 23% ahead of 2012. The average increased marginally to €26,624, while the €17,000 median was an improvement of 13%.

The top price of €420,000 was paid by David Redvers for a Rip Van Winkle half-brother to this year’s Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Just The Judge. That filly carries the colours of Qatar Racing and so, too, does her promising juvenile half-brother, Obliterator, so it was no surprise that the Qatar team swooped for this colt. The Rip Van Winkle colt was bred by Joan Keaney Dempsey, who bought the dam for €26,000 six years ago.

Ascot

On the racing front, perhaps the most notable performance came from Willie Mullins’s Annie Power, who started her season with a decisive victory over Zarkandar in a Grade 2 event at Ascot last Saturday. Annie Power was in receipt of 11 pounds and her jumping was somewhat untidy at times but she was well on top at the finish and this display further underlines her status as a jumping mare of exceptional ability. It will be fascinating to see what route her trainer takes with her over the coming months.

Navan

Troytown Chase day at Navan on Sunday also witnessed several performances of note. Centre stage went to Cootamundra as he provided trainer John Berry and jockey Robbie Moran with a triumph to savour. This 10-year-old doesn’t win very often but has run some fine races in defeat and he picked an opportune time to register his first success over fences, having been ridden to perfection by Moran. A strong traveller and a good jumper, he should continue to be a force in some good staying handicaps this winter.