Zain Art tops Goffs mares when selling for €390,000
Sunset on Monday brought a rare astrological phenomenon into the skies over Goffs’ sales complex, with the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter illuminating the night sky. Said to be a portent of greatness, and perhaps even the Christmas star itself, buyers of the mares sold under its celestial light will certainly be hoping it is a good sign.
Excellent Art (Pivotal) has certainly had his best year in a long time. The exploits of his two-year-old granddaughter Aloha Star (Starspangledbanner) brought him out of the shadows, and his grandson The Revenant (Dubawi) adding the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) to his trio of Group 2 victories ensured a longer stay in the light.
As a Group 1-winning son of the brilliant broodmare sire Pivotal (Polar Falcon) it is unsurprising that Excellent Art has found success in that role and when a young daughter, already the producer of a Group 1 performer from just her second foal, came into the ring at Goffs on Monday fireworks were anticipated.
Ciara Eglington’s Collegelands Stud consigned Zain Art (Excellent Art), dam of this year’s Balanchine Stakes (Gr 2, 6f) winner and Phoenix Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) third Aloha Star on behalf of Cornagher House Stud, and the unraced half-sister to three-time Listed winner Battalion (Authorized) was eventually knocked down to the Camas Park Stud team for €390,000 (approx. AUD$631,825).
The eight-year-old was offered in foal to Land Force (No Nay Never), winner of the Richmond Stakes (Gr 2, 6f). A granddaughter of the excellent broodmare Danzigaway (Danehill), Zain Art has a yearling colt by Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer) and foaled a Ribchester (Iffraaj) filly in 2020.
Sindiyma (Kalanisi), dam of the Anglesey Stakes (Gr 3, 6.5f) winner Marie’s Diamond (Footstepsinthesand), who was third in the Queen Anne Stakes (Gr 1, 1m), and Monrington Cup Prelude (Listed, 2000m) winner and Metropolitan Handicap (Gr 1, 2400m) placed Sikandarabad (Dr Fong) was offered by Airlie Stud carrying a full sibling to Marie’s Diamond.
The Kalanisi (Doyoun) mare, who has a yearling colt by Free Eagle (High Chaparral), is out of a half-sister to the Aga Khan’s great champion Sinndar (Grand Lodge) and brought a winning bid of €315,000 (approx. AUD$510,450) from Ballylinch Stud’s John O’Connor.
“She’s been bought to go to Lope De Vega,” O’Connor revealed of the mare who has produced half of her winners to sires from the Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat) line.
“She’s a lovely, proven mare who has produced two stakes horses, and that’s a real positive for her. It’s a high-class pedigree; this season’s Group 3 Amethyst Stakes winner Sinawann and Sonaiyla, who was third in the Group 1 Flying Five Stakes last season, are on the page as well.”
A beautiful full-sister to Volta (Siyouni), the Prix de Sandringham (Gr 2, 1600m) winner and dual Group 1-placed filly from the second crop of leading sire Siyouni (Pivotal), was another of the mares on offer to set pulses racing.
Four-year-old Varamini was the star of the strong Godolphin draft offered on Monday and is a half-sister to the dual Group 3 winner Calvados Blues (Lando) and to the winning dam of Listed winner No Needs Never (No Nay Never).
She was knocked down to Mags O’Toole for €280,000 (approx. AUD$453,750) and the agent said: “She’s a very good-looking mare with an attractive covering by a leading sire. It’s a quality and current family with lots going on and she will stay in Ireland.”
Offered in foal to top-class sire Invincible Spirit (Green Desert), she is out of an unraced Machiavellian (Mr. Prospector) full-sister to Group 2 winner Beautyandthebeast and a three-parts sister to Neatico (Medicean), winner of the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis Bayerisches Zuchtrennen (Gr 1, 2000m).
Statistics and statement
Despite all the obstacles to be overcome there were glimmers of hope in the results of the Breeding Stock Sale, with the clearance rate an excellent 87 per cent.
The declines in both the median and average were marginal and, in the context of 2020, that is another positive.
Monday’s average of €31,555 (approx. AUD$51,135) was down just 4.8 points on 2019, while the median dipped by 3.6 per cent to €13,500 (approx. AUD$21,875). Turnover dropped by 31 per cent to €5,490,000 (approx. AUD$8.9 million) but from 66 fewer horses sold in 2020 than in 2019.
In his end of sale statement, Goffs chief executive Henry Beeby noted: “Our Breeding Stock catalogue was much reduced and the reasons are clear. In fact, you could ask why anyone would want to be selling a broodmare this year in Christmas week, so we have been heartened by the level of interest from what has proved a global audience with the help of Goffs Online trade. Last year was particularly good, growing by 28 per cent, so perspective is needed when analysing the figures.”
Taken together the four-day November Sale returned solid figures, with the average and median falling back by 11 and ten per cent respectively compared with the 2019 sale.
However, it must be remembered that last year’s November Foal Sale was a blockbusting one for Goffs, with a record top price and exceptional growth.
The clearance rate of 78 per cent for the sale as a whole was just two per cent lower than the 2019 sale, which took place over five days. Turnover fell by 33 per cent from €34,452,000 in 2019 to €23,069,200 (approx. AUD$37.38 million) this month, but from 217 fewer horses sold. The average price achieved over the four days was €35,166 (approx. AUD$56,986), while the sale’s median price was €18,000 (approx. AUD$29,170).
“Our foal sale ended up with a smaller than usual catalogue as understandably some vendors made other plans as, at the time of entry, there was so much uncertainty,” Beeby stated.
“Then we were hit with more withdrawals than would normally be the case when the sale had to be delayed. Make no mistake we respect the decisions people have had to make this year, but it meant a contraction in the results we have been able to return, especially as several of the absentees had huge sales potential.
“That said, trade was remarkably strong for those that caught the eye, culminating in an especially vibrant final day that saw a trio of Frankels sharing top billing at €440,000 when selling to buyers from the UK, Japan and Ireland.
“Not surprisingly last year’s record-breaking results were out of reach, but it is worth remembering that the 2019 sale outperformed the market and grew by 25 per cent, so we have really gone back to 2018, which is not a bad result given the times we are in. In fact the average price is nine per cent ahead of two years ago, and the median static.”