It was at the November Foals Sale at Goffs in 2015 when Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) exploded for 1.1 million euros and the wheel was spinning all the way around this week with stallions based on The Kildangan Stud is represented by 14 ponies in what promises to be another deluxe edition.
The sale runs from Monday, November 14 at 10 a.m. to Thursday, November 17, and will be followed by a two-day November Breeding Sale.
At the time of that sale, Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) was selling for 6.6 million euros and Goffs director Henry Beeby was looking forward to what he thinks will be another productive week.
He said, “Goff’s November pony sale is the preferred choice of the majority of ponies that go to the market in Ireland. We have cream of the Irish pony breed and have some very special pedigree in it. It’s a huge and interesting item.
“Anyone interested in buying a pony, whether as a peddler or end user, they will be at Goffs. We are looking forward to it.”
When asked what he’s most excited about at the pony sale, Beeby added, “There’s a King (GB) half brother to Skitter Scatter, half brother to Teofilo (Ire) Dawn Approach (Ire), Churchill’s (Ire) half-brother to Sonnyboyliston (Ire) and the older brother of Sea The Moon (Ger).
“There’s also a star sea (Ire) brother with Sea Of Class (Ire), a few Wootton Bassetts (GB) and is the half brother of Arrest (Ire). You can go on and on and on. There are a lot of commercial boars out there and it’s been a very successful sale for hobbyists. People come here with new order books because it’s the first big pony sale and we have something for everyone.
“The date is graded. Monday and Wednesday will close the trade and Tuesday will take it a step further. Thursday is when the real green blood drops will be sold. “
With Ghaiyyath, Arizona (Ire), Circus Maximus (Ire), Earthlight (Ire), Far Above (Ire), King Of Change (GB), Shaman (Ire) and sottsass (Fr) are just some of the stallions represented by their first ponies at the sale. But it’s not just the first season stallions that Beeby is looking forward to.
He said, “We saw quite a few ponies from early-season stallions and were guided by breeders. We will start reviewing them in more detail with the buyer from Saturday onwards. It was from Saturday when the excitement really started to build.
“It’s exciting to see the first brood you’re used to on the track. We have the last Galileo (Ire) pony to be offered for public auction and the first season stallion. The great thing about the November Foal Sale is that it all has potential.”
The main takeaway from the Orby and Sportsman Annual Sales at Goffs last month was the presence of international buyers. While pony sales are mainly coming from the domestic market, Beeby is expecting international players to appear.
He said, “One of our most famous quotes is, ‘Goffs are the gateway to the world for Irish ranchers.’ Of course, the biggest group of buyers in this sale will be Irish video players. Most buyers don’t have to travel far and they certainly don’t have to board a plane. But we will have a lot of UK-based hookers and we will also have a small number of French, European, Scandinavian and American buyers. We have a number of Japanese buyers participating and some will bid online. It will be another international gathering, that’s for sure.”
Chicquita may be the poster girl of the November Livestock Sale, but the top producers have qualified at the Goffs in recent seasons.
“This sale has really overpowered it,” explains Beeby. By all our marketing the fact that we’ve got Saffron Beach (Ire), Blackbeard (Ire), Little Big Bear (Ire) and Alcohol Free (Ire) dams from this sale says up a lot of things. Ghaiyyath and Alcohol Free are also sold here. We can go to people and say, ‘look what you can get here.’
“We may not have another Chicquita this year but we have a really good group who will appeal to an international audience. If there are breeders looking to invest in broodstock, this is a sale they simply cannot miss.”
