Wexford horses sell for £816,000 at Doncaster to re-inforce dominance
THE WEXFORD dominance of the point-to-point sales ring was reinforced once again at the Goffs UK January Sale at Doncaster last week when the first six top lots were all offered by local yards, with Donnchadh Doyle’s Monbeg, Ballindaggin, operation and Michael Goff’s Moate stables at Clondaw, Ferns, leading the way.
The twelve Wexford horses, including some that were not that expensive, fetched a total of £816,000. Doyle smashed the sales record with £270,000 for the top lot and sold four horses for a total of £364,000, while Goff got £210,000 for his very impressive New Year’s Eve winner, Dickie Diver.
Star of the show was Doyle’s Phoenix Way, a five-year-old (since January 1) bay gelding by Stowaway, who demolished the field on debut by twelve lengths at Killeagh on January 14 under Rob James. It was bought by agent, Timmy Hyde. The horse had been bought at Goff’s store sale in May 2016 for just £15,000 when put up by Paul Nolan Bloodstock - a profitable bit of business.
Doyle also got £68,000 for Donbitedabait, a five-year-old bay gelding by Oscar, beaten into second by half a length on debut at Tinahely on January 14, ridden by Barry O’Neill. Winner of that race was Kapgarry, ridden by Harley Dunne for Colin McKeever from the North. Dontbitedabait was bought for £18,000 at the Goffs Landrover sales in 2016.
Doyle’s other two sales were for more modest prices: Landofsmiles, a five-year-old gelding by Beneficial, was third at Aghabullogue on January 7 and was let go for £16,000, while Kilcullen Bellamy, a six-year-old bay mare by Black Sam Bellamy that won at Borris in early December fetched £10,000.
Michael Goff from Moate Stables, Clondaw, was delighted with his day’s work. Dickie Diver, a five-year-old gelding by Gold Well jointly owned by Goff and Richard Frisby, was a mighty impressive 20 lengths winner at Templenacarriga on New Year’s Eve under stable jockey, Shane Fitzgerald.
‘It’s a great sale; it’s lovely when they work out that way…the horse is probably a little bit special. We bought him in as a three-year-old and broke him ourselves. We’re over the moon with him,’ Goff told the Racing Post. Purchaser was J.P. McManus and it’s thought he will go to trainer, Nicky Henderson.
Goff also got a very good £40,000 for his five-year-old bay mare, Megaboost (out of Ballingarry) who was second on debut at Aghabullogue on January 7, beaten by Robert Tyner’s Bay Ambition. He got £22,000 for Clondaw Fixer, a six-year gelding by Court Cave, which was second on New Year’s Eve in a five-year-old maiden at Templenacarriga.
Champion trainer, Colin Bowe, and his Milestone Stable, Kiltealy, sent just one runner to that same meeting and his Lorvan Pearl (a bay mare by Gold Well) was a very impressive winner of her maiden under Barry O’Neill. This was reflected in the £90,000 paid for her, a great price for a mare.
Illtellmema (a six-year-old grey mare by Milan), owned by The Forge Syndicate, Bannow, and trained by John Martin Walsh at Duncormick, was a good winner of an older mares’ maiden at Killeagh on January 14 under young Tiernan Roche from Tomhaggard; the experts were impressed enough to fork out £27,000.
Ivan Walker from Drumderry Stables, Bunclody, sent his Patrick O’Hara-owned seven-year-old mare, Good Auld Times (Olden Times-Hazehall Princess) on the long journey to Moira, Co. Down, in early December and it paid off as she won nicely under Mark Scallan; the mare went under the hammer for £10,000.
Trainer Paul Nolan also had a couple of track horses at the sale for CRB Bloodstock. Reeling in the-years, a five-year-old F le mens firth gelding, had run in two bumpers and two maiden hurdles last year with second in Clonmel being the best result. It fetched £36,000.
Stole The Show (a six-year-old by Mahler) had one second from eight races, and fetched £17,000 from well-known trainer, Dr. Richard Newland.
A good week for Donnchadh Doyle was crowned at Gowran Park on Thursday when the wellbacked favourite, Monbeg Notorious (7/2), won the famous €100,000 Thyestes Chase under Jack Kennedy for Gordon Elliott. He began his racing career in the care of Doyle at Ballindaggin with two point-to-points under Barry O’Neill in May, 2015 - he fell in the first but went on to win impressively at Tralee a week later and was quickly sold on to Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown Stud. He has since won a bumper, two hurdles and two chases and the sky’s the limit now.