Weld’s brother to Ghaiyyath tops the charts at €700,000
Bidspotters were on their toes when Springbank Way Stud presented the Dubawi (Dubai Millennium) brother to Darley shuttler Ghaiyyath shortly before 8pm during Wednesday’s session of the Goffs November Foal Sale.
However, for every bid in the ring there were twice as many online and when the hammer eventually fell at €700,000 (approx. AU$1,163,000) auctioneer Henry Beeby announced the successful party as Lucky Vega, a nom de plume of Yulong Investments. Despite bidding online, the operation’s principal, Zhang Yuesheng, stood among his team on the top deck of the auditorium throughout the bidding.
On the other side of the ring stood the colt’s breeder Dermot Weld, who reflected on the sale by saying: “He’s a smashing foal and it’s been a wonderful family for us. I’m delighted for the farm. I thought that price was about what he’d make, he was entitled to make that.
“A lot of work went into it so I’m very proud of the farm, my son Mark, stud groom Mark Murphy and all the team, they did all the work.”
The colt is the 13th foal out of Nightime (Galileo). The dam not only developed into a superb producer for Springbank Way but she also has the distinction of being the first of 99 Group/Grade 1 winners sired by Galileo (Sadler’s Wells), having won the Irish 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) in 2006.
Since retiring from racing Marguerite Weld’s homebred has bred seven winners, including three who achieved black-type and two who won at the very highest level.
Ghaiyyath, who now shuttles to Darley’s Northwood Park in Victoria, is undoubtedly her best runner to date having won four Group 1s in the Godolphin blue, namely the Grosser Preis von Baden (Gr 1, 2400m), the Newmarket renewal of the Coronation Cup (Gr 1, 1m 4f), the Eclipse (Gr 1, 1m 2f) and Juddmonte International (Gr 1, 1m 2.5f).
Ghaiyyath himself topped the 2015 November Foal Sale when signed for by John Ferguson at €1,100,000, while another brother, Al Nafir, repeated the feat when bought by Godolphin at €1.2 million in 2019.
Nightime also bred Zhukova (Fastnet Rock), winner of the Man o’ War Stakes (Gr 1, 11f) in 2017. The daughter of Fastnet Rock (Danehill) joined the Godolphin broodmare band at a cost of 3,700,000gns later that year. She has bred two winners, including the Listed-placed First Ruler (Dubawi).
Nightime’s youngstock have now generated more than £5,350,000 (approx. AU$10,198,100) in sales receipts. Weld revealed she still has more to offer too, adding: “Nightime is in foal to Wootton Bassett, she’s in great form. Not only have we got the dam, but we still have the granddam, Caumshinaun. Naturally she’s retired but she’s in great form as well.
“She’s the matron of the farm and we’re very proud to have her. It’s a family we’ve had for years. I bought Caumshinaun here from the Irish National Stud and we raced her before she became a very good broodmare for us. Nightime was a very classy filly too.”
Ghaiyyath’s first two crops of youngstock continue to take the sales by storm, and Weld said he was anticipating training the progeny of the Kildangan Stud sire.
“I have a couple of very nice Ghaiyyath yearlings and two nice filly foals by him, so I’m looking forward to those,” he said.
That lot topped a day of trade that generated €12,360,500 (approx. AU$20,532,600) in receipts, a 19 per cent reduction compared to the same session 12 months ago. The average was down by the same amount at €71,865 (approx. AU$119,400), while the median was down by ten points at €52,000 (approx. AU$86,400). The clearance rate was 85 per cent as 172 sold from 202 offered.
Crowley in clover
Another face among the throng of delighted breeders was Frances Crowley of Brickfield Stud in County Offaly, whose Ringfort Stud-consigned colt by Darley shuttler Blue Point (Shamardal) was sold to Godolphin for €250,000 (approx. AU$415,300). Godolphin already knows plenty about the pedigree as the third dam is Firth Of Lorne (Danehill), meaning the likes of Master Of The Seas (Dubawi), Albahr (Dubawi) and Australian Group 1 Cascadian (New Approach) appear back on the page.
The Blue Point colt’s dam La Rosetta, a New Approach (Galileo) half-sister to this season’s Metropolitan Handicap (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Just Fine (Sea The Stars), was actually sold by Godolphin at the December Mares Sale in 2021. Crowley said: “He was very well received and a nice few vets so we were hopeful, but I didn’t expect that. I’m in a bit of disbelief to be honest!
“The colt was always lovely, always a great mover, and the way he’s taken all the shows has been amazing. The lads who were working with him said he pulled out for the last show as well as he had the first. He did everything right.”
Explaining the backstory to the breeding of the youngster, Crowley said: “Ted [Durcan] bought La Rosetta for me at Tatts in 2021 for 40,000gns when she was in foal to Sea The Moon. We actually sold her Sea The Moon colt for 60,000gns [to KCS Bloodstock] last year. She’s a lovely mare and her two-year-old by Shamardal is at Charlie Appleby’s and the word is good about him.
“I think it was Ted who suggested Blue Point. We were trying to make a decision between two stallions and she had to be covered within a few hours and Blue Point was available so we agreed a foal share.”
Crowley, who keeps a six-strong broodmare band at Brickfield, added: “It’s a family run stud and I have Eoghan O’Donoghue helping me in the mornings. It’s mostly just us two and then the kids help whenever they’re home. Derek and Gay Veitch [of Ringfort Stud] are my neighbours and they’re a great source of advice so I’m really grateful to them.”
Shrewd buy pays off for Fleming
Paddy Fleming’s Awbeg Stud bought the Orpen mare Accolade for just 32,000gns at Tattersalls in December 2021. Her first foal, a colt by Sergei Prokofiev (Scat Daddy), fetched €52,000 at this sale last year and the mare was pushed even further into the black on Wednesday when Lynn Lodge Stud signed for her colt by Coolmore Stud shuttler Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) at €200,000 (approx. AU$332,200).
Fleming explained he targeted the mare with the Wootton Bassett mating in mind as she is a half-sister to The Summit, a Group 3 winner and dual Group 1 runner-up who was bred while Wootton Bassett stood at Haras d’Etreham at just €6,000. Wootton Bassett now stands at Coolmore, where his fee has reached €200,000 (approx. AU$332,200) for 2024 on the back of a year in which the son of Iffraaj (Zafonic) sired three new Group 1 winners, namely Bucanero Fuerte, King Of Steel and Unquestionable.
“She was bought for one reason: to go to Wootton Bassett,” said Fleming. “She was lucky straight away and very often when a mare starts off lucky, she continues to be lucky. That’s been the case and obviously the sire had a great year, he’s bound for stardom. Eddie O’Leary bought a No Nay Never from us last year that was lucky for him so it’s great that’s come back again. Hopefully he’ll be just as lucky buying off us this time.”