Big guns do battle at Goffs

Goffs Orby sale came alive late this afternoon at the Kildare venue as Coolmore stud boss John Magnier outbid Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum for two of the choicest lots.

Magnier played up some of the substantial earnings of the Coolmore and Ballydoyle teams when going to £620,000 for a son of Danehill, a home stallion which has served him particularly well.

An early-April colt out of Ingabelle, a Group Three winner and dam of Group- winning fillies Priory Belle and Wild Bluebell, the sales topper is heading not surprisingly to Ballydoyle to join champion Irish trainer Aidan O`Brien.

'Danehill has worked well for us and you`d hope he`d upgrade the family,' observed Magnier, who was bidding himself alongside agent Demi O`Byrne.

Asked to comment on the early trend at Goffs, Mr Magnier said: 'There is a trade for these horses - we`ve seen that in the last few weeks and again here. The world goes on.'

Magnier had also outbid Sheikh Hamdan a short time earlier at £600,000 for another April-foaled colt, this time a son of the brilliant Prix de l`Arc de Triomphe winner Peintre Celebre.

This good-looking son of the 1997 World champion racehorse is a half-brother to the Group scorers Creaking Board, Crowd Pleaser, Dyham Diamond and Dakhla Oasis.

'Obviously he`s a nice horse and the plan is for him to go to Ballydoyle,' added Magnier.

The top lot, by Danehill, was consigned from Ballylinch Stud in Kilkenny, while the Peintre Celebre colt emanated from Knocklong House Stud nearby at Celbridge run by Patrick and Paraic O`Neill.

Fillies by Sadler`s Wells, the perennial champion sire based at Coolmore, are always popular and sought after - and today was no exception.

Sheikh Hamdan secured a late-January bay filly by Sadler`s Wells out of a half-sister to King of Kings for £280,000 through his Irish manager Hubie de Burgh, this lot having come from Paul Shanahan`s Ashtown House Stud.

Two lots later de Burgh had to give best though at £500,000 for another Sadler`s Wells filly, this time from the family of the 1997 European champion older horse Pilsudski as Anthony Stroud signed the docket.

'This is an attractive filly with a good pedigree which I purchased for a foreign client. She goes into training in England,' said Stroud after picking up the tab for the filly from Roundhill Stud, near the new Limerick racecourse and run by Bobby and Honora Donworth.

Much earlier in the day Sheikh Hamdan indicated he was determined to boost his already substantial team when he purchased a colt by In The Wings from Airlie Stud for £320,000.

'I thought he was a good individual and nicely bred. I hope to buy more,' said the Sheikh after outlasting the challenge of Joss Collins of Blandford Bloodstock.