From the sublime to the ridiculous: five of the biggest moments from Goffs London Sale history

Goffs’ London Sale remains arguably the most unique bloodstock auction in the world. And it is not merely the central London setting, nor the scale of the glitz and glamour on show, as there has also been no shortage of sales ring drama over the past 11 years. 

The stories this event produces reverberate far and wide, from the eye-watering prices to once-in-a-lifetime offerings. We chart five of the biggest moments in London Sale history.

1. The Sparkling Plenty shemozzle

Sparkling Plenty was not the first Classic winner to be offered at the London Sale, but she was the first to come under the hammer barely 24 hours after her Group 1 success. Last year’s Prix de Diane heroine drew a suitably sizeable audience who were duly treated to a frankly audacious round of bidding. 

The business end involved Narvick International agent Emmanuel de Seroux, Amo Racing’s Kia Joorabchian, who was standing with Nottingham Forest Football Club owner Evangelos Marinakis, and Goffs’ French agent Amanda Zetterholm. 

Joorabchian’s offer of £7.8 million was countered with a gasp-inducing play of £8m by De Seroux, but it was Zetterholm’s bid of £8.1m that finally brought Henry Beeby’s gavel down. 

However, it quickly transpired Sparkling Plenty had been bought back, followed by a much more protracted discussion among the various parties. In the end it emerged Al Shaqab Racing had entered the fray and sealed the deal by offering the filly’s owner, Jean-Pierre-Joseph Dubois, £5m for a 50 per cent stake. Although it was £3.1m less than initially seemed the case, Sparkling Plenty's price was still a clear London Sale record. 

Auctioneer Henry Beeby (right) takes an offer of £5,000,000 for Sparkling PlentyCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

“As I said to somebody earlier, I’ve auctioneered for 39 years and worked for an auction house for 42 years, and I’ve never seen anything quite so complicated as this has turned out to be,” said Beeby once the dust had settled. “It’s certainly a day I won’t forget.” 

Few who were in Kensington Palace Gardens that evening will forget the sale, either. 

2. Givemethebeatboys is top of the pops

Con Marnane and his daughter Amy are renowned as two of the shrewdest judges around, and their eye for future talent was highlighted once again when Givemethebeatboys, a mere €11,000 yearling, won the Group 3 Marble Hill Stakes on his second outing. 

That effort also saw the colt’s value increase somewhere in the region of 11,725 per cent as Bronsan Racing, the nom de plume of father-and-son duo Con and Neil Sands, stepped up to top the 2023 London Sale with a bid of £1.1m.

Con Marnane watches on as Givemethebeatboys sells for £1,100,000

“I can’t describe how I feel at the moment,” Con said in an emotional post-sale debrief. “I’m just so happy. Goffs have done an incredible job. I had no figure in my mind but I knew a lot of people wanted him. He’s very special. You don’t get horses like him going to Ascot that are not already owned by the big powerhouses. This is a very special day. This is up there with the biggest I’ve had, but if he wins tomorrow it’ll be bigger!”

Givemethebeatboys went on to finish a close fourth in the Coventry Stakes and later added the Listed Committed Stakes and the Group 3 Phoenix Sprint. 

3. A new super Power emerges 

You never quite know who will turn up at the London Sale, and that point was emphasised in no uncertain terms in 2017. The name King Power Racing would have meant little back then, but a six-lot haul costing a combined £2.05m proved to be Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha’s first major statement in the horseracing world. 

The Leicester City owner’s purchases were made by bloodstock agent Alastair Donald, who said at the time: “They’re all for the same man, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who has horses with Andrew Balding. He’s looking to build up his stable and he was attracted by the prospect of having runners at Royal Ascot this week. 

"He loves his horses, he’s also big into polo and has around 150 polo ponies. He’s had huge success with Leicester and now he’s looking to expand his racing interests here.”

Who will emerge as a new superpower at the Goffs London Sale this year?Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

The sextet included Tisbutadream, who became King Power’s first stakes winner when landing the Coral Distaff. The roll of honour has since been added to by Group 1 winners Donjuan Triumphant, Winter Power and Art Power. King Power returned to the London Sale 12 months later and bought another six lots worth £2.105m. These included Shine So Bright, who defeated Laurens to land the Group 2 City of York Stakes. 

Could a similarly significant new player emerge this year? Watch this space. 

4. Jet Setting a London Sale game-changer

All eyes were on Jet Setting when the Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine was offered in 2016. The daughter of Fast Company had already risen from rags to riches, progressing from 12,000gns horses-in-training buy to Classic winner, and lived up to her star billing when bringing £1.3m from the China Horse Club. 

That transaction capped a game-changing journey for her connections, namely owners the Equinegrowthpartners Syndicate, trainer Adrian Keatley and bloodstock agent John Kilbride. 

The latter reflected on the trade later in the year, saying: “We talked about how it had pushed us all forward and I just said to him, ‘Adrian, if you want to be in this game for 40 years we have to use this momentum.’ On the eve of Royal Ascot we’d come off the back of winning a Classic with a filly on an upward curve. There was so much wonder there and it was nice to let the market decide. Even though she was a cheap filly, it was a great return.”

Jet Setting's connections are all smiles after the Irish 1,000 Guineas winner sells in 2016

Jet Setting’s form proved rather up and down thereafter, including when well held in the Coronation Stakes in the days after her sale, though she did romp away with the Group 3 Concorde Stakes later that season.

She has subsequently bred three winners at paddocks, including two since sold to Northern Farm in Japan, where her brood includes the Group 3-placed Pace Setting.

5. A first for Frankel 

The inaugural London Sale was held in 2014, the same year that Frankel’s debut crop of foals arrived. There was a slice of sales ring history when Lot 65 hit the market, as Crystal Gaze was not only offered in foal to the dual world champion but with her Frankel colt foal at foot. 

The first public sighting of a Frankel foal captured the attention of the world’s media, as it did for Coolmore’s MV Magnier, who duly struck the winning bid of £1.15m. 

“He’s been bought to race and could be fast by the look of him,” said Magnier, whose purchase made the BBC evening news. “He’s a good, strong colt. The lads liked him a lot and I have to listen to what they say. A horse like that, with that pedigree and those looks, should be making serious money.”

Crystal Gaze and her Frankel colt parade ahead of the inaugural London Sale in 2014

He added: “The sale was a fabulous idea and fair play to all the people who came together to put it on. Anything that promotes our sport is a great thing.”

The colt, subsequently named At Your Service, won four minor races, while the in utero foal became the useful Tiger Eye. Crystal Gaze later bred an Italian Derby winner in Tuscan Gaze. 

Despite the seven-figure price tag, Crystal Gaze did not top the first London Sale. That honour went to Cappella Sansevero, who was bought by Sheikh Fahad Al Thani for £1.3m and ran second to The Wow Signal in the Coventry Stakes less than 24 hours after changing hands.

Goffs London Sale

Goffs London Sale factfile

Where Kensington Palace Gardens

When Selling begins on Monday 

Last year’s stats From 23 offered, 15 lots sold (65 per cent) for turnover of £8,395,000 (up 123 per cent year-on-year), an average price of £559,665 (up 63 per cent) and a median of £200,000 (down 20 per cent) 

Notable graduates Crypto Force (sold by Michael O’Callaghan Racing, bought by Hamish Macauley, Omni Racing and Amo Racing for £900,000); Givemethebeatboys (sold by Bansha House Stables, bought by Bronsan Racing for £1,100,000); Military Mission (sold by Kremlin Cottage Stables, bought by McKeever Bloodstock, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott for £170,000); New Endeavour (sold by Varian Stable, bought by Gai Waterhouse, Adrian Bott and McKeever Bloodstock for £260,000)

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