‘It’s always good to try something new’ – all systems go as Goffs Classic Sale passes first test

The latest addition to the breeze-up circuit has passed its first test, with participants giving the opening stage of the Goffs Classic Sale a firm thumbs up. 

The auction is not scheduled to take place until 6.15pm on Saturday after day two of the Irish Derby meeting at the Curragh, which features the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes. 

This means breezing and selling bookend trade at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale, which runs from Wednesday through to Friday, with Goffs aiming to be “respectful of an established sale” while also enhancing its own offering. 

Those who were focused on the 50 or so juveniles that went through their paces at Naas racecourse on Monday were duly impressed by both the location and the calibre of stock on offer. 

“It went very well,” said British-based consignor Malcolm Bastard, who is offering a late-maturing St Mark's Basilica filly (Lot 28) and a well-related son of Not This Time (55). “The actual breeze track was top-class and the ground was superb. It was a beautiful track to breeze on.” 

Those sentiments were echoed by bloodstock agent Matt Coleman, who said: “I thought it was a lovely facility to breeze at. There was good viewing and the track seemed in excellent condition. It’s a nice steady uphill climb, so I thought it was the ideal place to breeze horses. It’d be as good a location as any I’ve been to to watch horses breeze.” 

He added: “There are some horses we’ll consider, for sure. I still need to do a bit more work on it and obviously they don’t sell until Saturday, but there are certainly some horse I’ll be mentioning to clients. They’re not all backward middle-distance horses, there are some fast ones in there as well.” 

Although some vendors have questioned the timeframe between breezing and selling, Coleman said the additional days would help ease the logistics around buying, especially for agents and trainers with interests in the Flat and National Hunt markets. 

“I understand from a vendor’s perspective it’s quite drawn out, breezing on a Monday and selling on a Saturday, but logistically it suits me,” he said. “I know there are plenty of other countries that use a similar system; in Australia and New Zealand they even breeze a few weeks beforehand. Obviously it gives everyone plenty of time to view the horses and get through vetting, so it’s certainly very workable.”

Matt Coleman: "There are some fast horses in there"

After some initial scepticism among the breeze-up ranks, those who have got behind the initiative suggested the sale provided a range of positives for consignors. The positioning in the calendar means they can now pinhook and prepare a later-maturing individual, which opens up new avenues in the yearling market, while it also offers a welcome Plan B for two-year-olds who have missed an earlier breeze-up sale engagement.  

One lot that falls into the former category is the Starspangledbanner colt out of a sibling to international Group/Grade 1 winners Sabiango and Silvano (47). The colt, who put in the fastest presale workout, according to times seen by the Racing Post, is being offered by Roderic Kavanagh of Glending Stables, who picked the youngster up during Book 2 of last year’s Orby Yearling Sale for €29,000. 

“In fairness, my business partner, Cormac O’Flynn, was a big believer in the sale and when we bought the horse he earmarked him for this,” said Kavanagh. “He’s an end-of-April foal and a big, scopey horse so it’s worked out. We’re glad to be here with him anyway. There have been doubts over the last couple of months over whether we needed to wait with him, but I think it’s done the horse well and I think he’s a very suitable candidate for the sale.”

Kavanagh added: “I was very happy with him in his breeze; he breezed well and finished out his gallop nicely. He’s by Starspangledbanner, so he’s bred to enjoy galloping. He’s a very good sire and went on again last week with a Coventry winner at Ascot [Gstaad]. This colt actually has a bit of stamina on the dam’s side of his pedigree, so having time to develop as the year has gone on has been good for him. 

“He would’ve been fine at Fairyhouse [for the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale] too but it’s nice to support a new sale. Goffs is our local auction house, and at every stage in the market, buying and selling, we’re trying to support them. Hopefully we’ll be rewarded.” 

Prospective purchasers keep a close eye on proceedings during the Classic Sale breeze

The top end of the European breeze-up market has been particularly lively in 2025, as evidenced by seven lots making a seven-figure sum between the Tattersalls Craven (two), Doncaster (one) and Arqana (four) events. However, it has not all been plain sailing away from the head of the market, and Kavanagh said he expected that trend to continue at Goffs on Saturday evening. 

“As with every breeze-up market, I think it’ll be selective,” he said. “If you breezed well and stand up well, that’s going to be a big feather in your cap. Hopefully there’s a good market there and that it’s sustained the whole way through. I think there’ll be a handful, maybe a dozen or so, that sell well, and I hope the rest get traded as well. It’s going to be interesting seeing how it goes, but it’s always good to try something new.” 

Coleman also reached for the word “selective” when giving his market predictions, but added that there “seemed to be plenty of appetite among people out looking at the horses.” 

Bastard was slightly more guarded in his predictions, but said the standard of horse he had seen deserved to attract interest from prospective purchasers. 

“We’ve got to see how it goes, we don’t know who’ll turn up and what the trade is going to be like,” he said. “All I can say for certain is, I’ve seen quite a few nice horses around so people ought to come along. As ever, you’ve got to be hopeful. When you’re dealing with horses you never know what’s around the corner. The glass has got to be half full.” 

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