Nothin' lasts forever, even cold November rain. Axl Rose's lyrics rang true around a rain-lashed Kildare Paddocks sales complex Nov. 23 as the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale drew to a close with a whimper, and Storm Bert dumped a considerable amount of mild November rain on the hardy souls who had turned out to bid and the tireless grooms and sales staff, caring for the mares until the very end.
A reduced catalog could not continue the fireworks from the preceding foal sale and the figures were down on those recorded on the second day of last year's sale, which received a boost in numbers and quality as part of the domino effect of the Niarchos draft on the opening day.
The one silver lining amid all the gray clouds was Saturday's clearance rate of 78%, which was a significant improvement on the 63% recorded on the second day of the sale last year, with 56 of the 72 fillies and mares presented for sale changing hands.
Comparisons of turnover on Saturday with previous years are a little skewed. Sales totaled €445,500 (US$464,135, €1=US$1.04), an enormous decline of 65% year-on-year. For additional context, a comparison with the second day of the 2022 sale shows a drop of 49% from the €869,400 grossed that day. More horses came under the hammer in both of those years, however, with 93 in 2022 and 129 last year.
More meaningful is a comparison of the average and median prices. The 2024 average of €7,816 (US$8,143) represented a decline of 20% year-on-year and was 15% lower than in 2022. The median of €5,000 (US$5,209) was a drop of 17% year-on-year, with the 2023 figure of €6,000 unchanged from 2022.
Henry Beeby, group chief executive of Goffs, said: "Today was a rather sobering end to a big week but, as throughout the sale, those that appealed were hard enough to buy and we'll only redouble our efforts to persuade more to support the sale.
"This business can be brutal on occasions, but Irish breeders can be assured Goffs will not rest in our efforts to provide a vibrant global marketplace for them. That's what we live to do and what we love to do.
"Our breeding stock sale was never going to come anywhere near last year's truly historic sale which, of course, was headlined by the once-in-a-generation Niarchos draft. However, leaving that aside we're perfectly content with trade for the better mares we offered and enjoyed a vibrant trade fueled by a truly international buying bench."
Profit hard to come by
Saturday saw just four lots sell for €25,000 or more, with the top price of €45,000 (US$46,882) given by David Byrne of Rochestown Lodge Stud for Profit Refused.
The winning 3-year-old daughter of Profitable hails from a current top-class Godolphin family. Her dam, Silver Moon, was bred by Godolphin and is an Exceed And Excel half sister to dual Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) winner Rebel's Romance and Manhattan Stakes (G1) winner Measured Time, by Frankel .
The unraced Silver Moon had a filly foal by 2021 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) winner Space Blues who made €50,000 to Martin Bozo on Wednesday at the Goffs Foal Sale.
