Blue Point Colt Tops Goffs February Sale

The black, white, and red silks of the North Kildare farm have been carried to victory around the world and horses bred by Moyglare have triumphed at the highest level, from Santa Anita Park to Melbourne and every important racing destination in between. So when presented with the opportunity to buy stock bred by Eva Maria Bucher-Haefner's farm, those with the means will take these rare chances. At the Feb. 6 second session of the Goffs February Sale, Moyglare presented two of last year's colt foals for sale and they drew the big hitters into the auditorium like moths to a flame as the consecutive lots smashed the six-figure barrier. Speaking after seeing off his brother Gay for the Blue Point (IRE) colt who would end the day as the sale topper, Tally-Ho Stud proprietor Tony O'Callaghan was prompted to comment on the magnetic draw of the Moyglare name which saw the space around the sale ring. While he spoke, bidding was ongoing on the Study of Man (IRE) colt offered by Moyglare and not a single major player left the auditorium as the figure crept upwards. Of the Blue Point colt he outbid his brother for, O'Callaghan remarked: "He was the best horse here and all options are open to him, we could go for a yearling sale or even breeze him." At €250,000 (US$259,638, €1=US$1.04) he was the only horse to make in excess of €200,000 over the course of the two-day auction. He possessed all of the ingredients for a Michelin-star recipe; by the leading young sire, out of a young, winning mare from a top-class family, and bred by one of the best. The late-April foal is the second and final foal of Tina Angelina, a winning Dansili full sister to the 2015 Meld Stakes (G3) winner Carla Bianca (IRE) and a half sister to listed winner Joailliere (IRE), the dam of Moyglare's 2022 Irish One Thousand Guineas (G1) winner Homeless Songs (IRE). Tina Angelina produced a colt by Dark Angel (IRE) who is now 2 and this weanling before her death at the age of 6 last year. A winner over 1 1/4 miles on her debut at 3, she was from the family of Irresistible Jewel and Royal Diamond. Sale Statistics Year-on-year growth for the second session of the sale was high across all key indicators, with turnover leaping by 58% to €2,554,000 (US$2,652,457), while the increases in the median and average were even greater. The average posted the biggest gain, rising 65% to €21,284 (US$22,105), with the median improving 60% to €12,000 (US$12,463). The daily clearance rate was 67%, which was identical to the sale as a whole. Turnover for the whole sale grew by 25% to €3,857,500 (US$4,006,207), with the median posting the same percentage increase. The sale average of €18,026 (US$18,721) was 40% higher than 12 months ago. The 67% clearance rate was also an improvement from 65% last year. Isolating the weanling session, again the increases in average and aggregate were of the eye-catching variety, although at €10,000 the median remained unchanged from 2024. A total of 138 weanlings from 204 offered were sold, producing a clearance rate of 68%, compared with 61% last year. The weanling sessions generated €2,759,000 in turnover, which was an increase of 50% year-on-year, while the weanling average grew by 43% to €19,993 in that period.