Latest news with #Goffs
RTÉ News
06-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
First Instinct battles to victory at Cork
William Haggas was on the scoresheet at Cork as First Instinct toughed it out to land the Listed-class Goffs Irish EBF Polonia Stakes over five and a half furlongs. Chris Hayes was hard at work for much of the race but the 4-1 chance responded well to pressure and hit the front a furlong out before holding off the late challenge of 33-1 shot Town And Country by a head, with fellow outsider Songhai in third and firm favourite Babouche only fourth. A winner at Nottingham and Haydock as a two-year-old last term, First Instinct stepped up on a recent staying-on third behind Electric Storm at Bath over the minimum trip. Hayes said: "I love when Mr Haggas sends horses to Ireland as we have a great strike-rate together and there are never any complications. He was bullish with this filly and thought she had a good chance. "She jumped so fast coming out of the gates that I nearly came off but she got into her stride really quick. I was able to use Seamie (Heffernan, on Grande Marques) as my lead horse and had no worries. Billy (Lee, on Town And Country) was coming quick but I was pulling out more. "I spoke to Tom (Marquand) and he thought the drier ground would suit. Tom said she was fresh for her last run in Bath but she was good as gold today and was very professional. "I'd be happy at today's distance and if ever she comes back here again, I'd like to ride her." Jack Davison is eyeing a trip to Royal Ascot with Oh Cecelia (5-1) following a convincing victory in the Irish EBF Auction Series Maiden, which earned her a €50,000 Goffs bonus. The daughter of Starspangledbanner built on a close second at the Curragh by pulling nicely clear under James Ryan to beat odds-on favourite Rogue Legend by a length and a half. The trainer said: "That was super and she is a good filly. "I ran her the first day (of the season) on heavy ground, where she was just touched off and performed so well just on ability. She is a fast filly who wants today's fast ground to show her speed and gears. "I thought she won cosily enough at the line and would benefit from a stronger pace. "We have two runs now and I would love to have a filly for Royal Ascot. She wants fast ground, she is fast and is improving, so we will consider the Queen Mary Stakes." City Of Memphis (8-13 favourite) made a big impression when powering home for Paddy Twomey and Billy Lee in the Annual Membership Available Maiden on her racecourse debut. A €370,000 purchase in May last year, the three-year-old did not reach the track as a juvenile but started to make up for lost time with a comfortable success at 8-13. Twomey said: "We bought her off Katie Walsh at the breeze-ups last year and just waited with her. We haven't looked much but she has plenty of ability and everything she does, she does with ease. "We were confident coming here that she would run a good race and I'm delighted she has won. "When you go to the breeze-up sale, you pay your money and take your chance, but we've been lucky with Alan (O'Flynn, owner). He asked me to buy him fillies in the past few years and we got Purple Lily the first year and now this one, so he has two nice fillies. "We'll take her home now and aim to go up the grades, hoping to get black type."
The Herald Scotland
06-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
First Instinct proves the right one for Haggas at Cork
A winner at Nottingham and Haydock as a two-year-old last term, First Instinct stepped up on a recent staying-on third behind Electric Storm at Bath over the minimum trip. Hayes said: 'I love when Mr Haggas sends horses to Ireland as we have a great strike-rate together and there are never any complications. He was bullish with this filly and thought she had a good chance. 'She jumped so fast coming out of the gates that I nearly came off but she got into her stride really quick. I was able to use Seamie (Heffernan, on Grande Marques) as my lead horse and had no worries. Billy (Lee, on Town And Country) was coming quick but I was pulling out more. 'I spoke to Tom (Marquand) and he thought the drier ground would suit. Tom said she was fresh for her last run in Bath but she was good as gold today and was very professional. 'I'd be happy at today's distance and if ever she comes back here again, I'd like to ride her.' Jack Davison is eyeing a trip to Royal Ascot with Oh Cecelia (5-1) following a convincing victory in the Irish EBF Auction Series Maiden, which earned her a €50,000 Goffs bonus. The daughter of Starspangledbanner built on a close second at the Curragh by pulling nicely clear under James Ryan to beat odds-on favourite Rogue Legend by a length and a half. The trainer said: 'That was super and she is a good filly. 'I ran her the first day (of the season) on heavy ground, where she was just touched off and performed so well just on ability. She is a fast filly who wants today's fast ground to show her speed and gears. 'I thought she won cosily enough at the line and would benefit from a stronger pace. 'We have two runs now and I would love to have a filly for Royal Ascot. She wants fast ground, she is fast and is improving, so we will consider the Queen Mary Stakes.' City Of Memphis (8-13 favourite) made a big impression when powering home for Paddy Twomey and Billy Lee in the Annual Membership Available Maiden on her racecourse debut. A €370,000 purchase in May last year, the three-year-old did not reach the track as a juvenile but started to make up for lost time with a comfortable success at 8-13. Twomey said: 'We bought her off Katie Walsh at the breeze-ups last year and just waited with her. We haven't looked much but she has plenty of ability and everything she does, she does with ease. 'We were confident coming here that she would run a good race and I'm delighted she has won. 'When you go to the breeze-up sale, you pay your money and take your chance, but we've been lucky with Alan (O'Flynn, owner). He asked me to buy him fillies in the past few years and we got Purple Lily the first year and now this one, so he has two nice fillies. 'We'll take her home now and aim to go up the grades, hoping to get black type.'
Daily Mirror
25-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
'Bittersweet' moment as racehorse fetches £1m after missile attack on investor's Ukraine home
A two-year-old, offered by a group of Scandinavian investors, smashed the record for the highest priced lot sold at Goffs in Doncaster when bought by Godolphin A group of bloodstock investors realised a sum beyond their wildest dreams when they sold a two-year-old for a record £1 million. Last year the jumper Regent's Stroll fetched the highest price paid at a Goffs auction in Doncaster when knocked down to ex-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and his pals for £660,000. The figure was smashed on Thursday after Godolphin landed the winning seven figure bid for a colt by Mehmas who had been prepared by former jockey Katie Walsh, sister of Ruby Walsh, on behalf of a Scandinavian group, at the breeze-up sale. The Nordic Partnership includes Danish-born businessman Jakob Dalhoff and his Ukrainian partner Maria, who live in war-torn Ukraine. Dalhoff said: 'I said to our agent Filip Zwicky two years ago that I wanted him to find a new, interesting project for us, and so he and Anna Sundstrom bought two foals for us to pinhook at the Goffs November Sale – this Mehmas colt and a Blue Point filly, who made a nice profit as a yearling last year. All the credit has to go to them for finding such lovely horses. 'Never in our wildest dreams did we think the Mehmas colt would make that much money today. We were thinking £400,000 or £500,000, so we're over the moon." He went on: 'It's very bittersweet, though, as we've had a lot of joy here but we face horrors at home in Ukraine. Life is so odd now. We were in the middle of enjoying a cosy meal with friends in Doncaster last night and our mobiles started bleeping to alert us to an air-raid attack at home. 'We own a couple of horses in Denmark, and a percentage of any winnings goes to renovation work after the bombing of Ukraine. It helps a lot, and we've seen the difference it makes. We do humanitarian work in Ukraine and help as much as we are able in any way we can. We'll be back home to Ukraine next week.' Walsh has become a successful bloodstock consignor, preparing horses for the breeze-ups, since retiring from the saddle. 'It's unbelievable,' she said. 'I'm delighted for my clients. It's very different [to being a jockey], I'm not going to lie. Financially, this makes an awful lot more sense of course, but they're two completely different things. It's a different thrill, a different buzz, a different adrenaline rush.' The colt will go into training with Charlie Appleby.
