€200,000 sale-topping Ghaiyyath colt strengthens links between Goffs and their longest-standing foal vendors
A posse of high-rolling pinhookers appeared when the half-brother to recent Listed winner Pipsy (Kodiac), who was by Darley shuttler Ghaiyyath (Dubawi), was presented on day two of the Goffs November Foal Sale.
The Morrins from Pier House Stud were involved beyond the €175,000 mark, as were Michael Fitzpatrick and Barry Mahon, who operate under the banner of JC Bloodstock. But after a string of €5,000 increases it was the O’Callaghan family from Tally-Ho Stud who had the final say at €200,000 (approx. AU$332,700).
The youngster is the fourth foal out of Experte, an unraced High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells) half-sister to the Wertheimers’ French Group 2 winner Ziyad (Rock Of Gibraltar), and the pedigree goes back to the Wildenstein family of Artiste Royal (Danehill) and Aquarelliste (Danehill). The dam’s first runner looks a good one as the Ger Lyons-trained Pipsy was last seen landing the Legacy Stakes (Listed, 5f) at Dundalk.
The six-figure result continued a long and successful association between Goffs and the company’s longest-standing foal vendors, the Finegan family of Milltown House Stud in County Meath.
“My dad Noel is 93 and has been selling foals at Goffs for 60 years or more, even before the company came to Kill and was still based in Ballsbridge,” said Jill Finegan, whose son Jack led the colt through the ring.
“He should have been here today but had a hospital appointment and couldn’t make it. He’s fine, though. He’s out in the yard every single morning with me and still telling everyone what they should do!
“The farm is now run by three generations, with Jack helping out while doing his final year of college. We also have Jean O’Leary here with us assisting at the sales every year, so it’s a real team effort.”
She added: “Eamonn Reilly bought the dam for us [for €42,000] and we sent her to Kodiac for a few years and we thought we’d change tack with Ghaiyyath. We’re always striving to upgrade the stock and get better results. I’m delighted that Tally-Ho Stud bought the colt as we’ve had a lot of dealings with them over the years and they’ve always supported us in that time.”
The Tally-Ho team have already enjoyed some big results with the progeny of Ghaiyyath having sold one of his daughters to Godolphin for 500,000gns during Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, while Peter and Ross Doyle went to €360,000 for the filly out of Shenoya at the Orby Sale. The latter had been pinhooked from Ringfort Stud at a cost of 130,000gns.
“The stallion has been lucky for us before and this colt has a great pedigree and comes from a good farm,” said Tally-Ho’s Roger O’Callaghan. “We’ve been doing business with the Finegans since before my time. My dad and Jill’s father Noel go back a long way.”
The first crop of Ghaiyyath proved commercial catnip during this year’s yearling sales, with 55 sold lots generating an average price of £129,615 from a fee of €30,000. The group was headed by the colt out of Tickled Pink (Invincible Spirit) who sold to Godolphin for 1,050,000gns on day one of Book 1.
Ghaiyyath is currently serving his third book of mares at Darley’s Northwood Park base in Victoria at a fee of $27,500 (inc GST).
Day two followed a similar thread to Monday’s trade with the average down but the median up. The second session saw 250 foals come under the hammer and 206 changed hands at a clip of 82 per cent. Turnover reached €7,608,500 (approx. AU$12,657,728), which was down nine per cent against the corresponding session in 2022, while the average slipped by four per cent to €36,935 (approx. AU$61,400). The median went in the opposite direction by three points to settle at €31,000 (approx. AU$51,572).
Donworth delight at personal best
The first lot to make six figures at this year’s November Foal Sale provided breeder John Donworth with his best ever result. The colt, who was presented by Galbertstown Stables, hails from the second crop of Darley shuttler, Earthlight (Shamardal) and was knocked down to renowned judge Timmy Hyde from Camas Park Stud at €115,000 (approx. AU$191,300).
“I’m absolutely delighted,” said Donworth. “He was always a lovely foal but there was some nervous energy watching him sell. We knew he was going to make a few bob but we didn’t expect him to go as far as he did. He was a lovely individual though and a lot of people liked him.”
The colt is out of Stone Roses, a winning daughter of Zebedee (Invincible Spirit) who in turn is out of a half-sister to Irish 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) hero Indian Haven (Indian Ridge). Stone Roses has bred three winners at paddocks since she was bought as part of Donworth’s “retirement plan” for €22,000 in 2016.
“I retired on the 16th of November in 2016 and on the 18th November I gave the government some of their money back as I bought two mares here, one of which was Stone Roses,” said Donworth, a dairy farmer by trade who worked for Teagasc, an agricultural agency of the Irish state.
“We still have the two mares but we might have to expand now. We’ll see, we’re taking it year by year. This is the best result we’ve had and by a country mile. There were a lot of good judges on him and they all showed up in the ring.”
Donworth said his daughter, Goffs’ senior digital marketing executive Orla, was responsible for the mating between Stone Roses and Earthlight.
“He was a good commercial option and Kildangan are good for standing the kind of sires that really help smaller Irish breeders like us,” she said. “The mare is back in foal to Earthlight because we were so thrilled with the way this colt was when he was born.
“Special thanks has to go to Pa Doyle for consigning him and Peter Molony and Nuala Lynch at Rathmore Stud for prepping him. We raised him ourselves at home in Raheen, Ballyneety and he went to Rathmore for the last month.”
Earthlight’s progeny have found favour across the sales rings of Europe with his debut yearlings averaging £90,920 for 62 sold. The Group 1-winning son of Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway) stood his first season at a fee of €20,000, which had been clipped into €18,000 by the time the Donworths sent Stone Roses in 2022.