Goff remains top at Goresbridge sale

Image © Healy Racing

For the second time this season, Mick Goff was responsible for the top lot in the Goresbridge sales ring. 

Back in December, his Moate Stables had consigned the €90,000 top lot in the shape of the Ballindenisk four-year-old maiden winner Dancing Soldier, and four months later, the Wexford handler was again making headlines at the Kilkenny sales venue.

On this occasion, it was his recent Castletown-Geoghegan winner, Techno Kid, who proved to be the big attraction.

The Capri was offered for sale swiftly after his maiden win, with the five-year-old having only opened his account four days earlier, but he had done so in good style, benefitting from a change in tactics to make all of the running at the Westmeath course under Matt Gahan to score decisively by nine lengths.

Meath-based trainer Cian Collins, who had been present at Castletown-Geoghegan to saddle a four-year-old runner earlier on the card, was clearly impressed by the performance, as he secured the grey for €57,000.

Techno Kid was one of two horses to break the €50,000 mark at the sale, as Matty Flynn O’Connor’s Ballyknock winner, Imperator Furiosa, was bought by Gerry McGarry.

This was a second time this month that the Blue Bresil mare was offered for sale this month, as having failed to find a buyer at £75,000 earlier in the month, she realised €50,000 for her Ballycrystal handler.

Leading trainer Gavin Cromwell secured Shark Hanlon’s Ballyragget runner-up Champ Du Charmil for €48,000.  Out of a half-sister to the Haldon Gold Cup winner Pablo Du Charmil, the Goliath Du Berlais had finished ten lengths behind the subsequent £60,000 seller Custodium last month. 

That was one of two purchases for the Grade 1-winning trainer, as he also took home Luke Murphy’s Monksgrange runner-up Payslip for €20,000.

British buyers were out in force throughout the day, with Sadhbhs A Singer now set to cross the Irish Sea to go into training with Neil Mulholland.

Gary Murphy’s Durrow winner was bought for €48,000, and she was one of four horses to be bought by British-based purchasers for prices of €35,000 or more - Britain by Align The Cosmos (Dan Asbury - €44,000), Ask Mullie (Marcus Collie - €40,000), and Charlie Whizzban (Tom Malone - €35,000).

Speaking following the conclusion the sales, Ed Donohoe of Goresbridge Horse Sale was satisfied with the day’s trading.

“We had a good, solid day’s trading, the top price was €57,000, but there were four or five horses that made 47 or €48,000-plus,” he said. 

“There was a good clearance, and it was very well supported. We had people from everywhere, all of the top Irish trainers were represented, every agent in Ireland and England, there was a lot of them here. Big crowds, so really happy with the day’s trading. And we are building on it, and I am sure we are going to build on it with the sale at the end of the year.”

The next point-to-point sale at Goresbridge takes place on December 1st.