O'Byrne goes to £700,000 for son of A P Indy

No one leaves you in doubt about how important the two-day Goffs Orby Sale is. Depending on who you talk to it is a thermometer for the health of a multi-million pound industry, a reflection of Ireland's gift for dealing with the thoroughbred racehorse or the culmination of a year of effort for thousands of ordinary Joe and Josephine Soaps working in the horse game.

But after a while it just seems to swamp the senses of the outsider.

There is only so long that anyone can hear snatches of conversation such as "that Royal Academy made one forty" before beginning to view £140,000 as indeed a piss poor effort for a one-year-old racehorse that may graduate to having the running ability of W C Fields.

That is not to suggest that the big boys operating here don't know what they are doing. After all they wouldn't be big boys if they didn't. But those dealing at the top level of the world yearling market are a club so exclusive they make the cavalry version look like a chippie.

In the circumstances then yesterday's top priced lot brought a nice touch of vulnerability to proceedings.

"Lot 225 is a chestnut colt by the champion A P Indy out of the champion Coup De Genie," said the ring announcer before helpfully declaring Lot 225 to be "a rig". As if that wasn't enough, "rig" began flashing up in bright red lights on the money boards.

What does it mean? Well isn't it reassuring that money cannot buy, even the most regally bred males among us, a guarantee that both our testicles will drop. "Rig" is the horseplayers description for when only one of the family jewels will come out to play.

Not that it seemed to bother the colt or indeed the Coolmore Stud team who forked out a cool £700,000 for him. But at least one of the on-looking tanned, khaki clad wannabes, finger conspicuously inside catalogue, had the humanity to shudder and grimace: "Rather him than me."

Demi O'Byrne did the bidding for the John Magnier team and was commendably unconcerned about the colt's "special" status.

"We've had some good ones before like that including Thunder Gulch," he said. "The testicle is there alright. It's a bit tight but it will probably come down in time."

The Irish Horseracing Authority chairman, Denis Brosnan, hit the mark when the Caerleon colt submitted from his Croom House Stud made £480,000 to agent John Ferguson who was bidding for Godolphin.

The same team also secured the full brother to Coliseum for £340,000 while the £340,000 figure was also reached by a Sadlers Wells filly bought by Wafic Said and a Danehill colt who was bought by Japanese interests.

Those figures contributed to what Goffs' managing director, Philip Myerscough, described as: "A very strong sale that attracted some seriously significant prices."

So much so that £25,267,000 was spent over the two days, up seven per cent on last year, while the average price for the 364 horses sold was up four per cent to £69,415.

The cold figures appeared to confirm what everybody said all along.

Top 10 Prices

Lot 225: Colt by A P Indy - Coup De Genie, Bought by D L O'Byrne - £700,000.

Lot 377: Colt by Caerleon - Misallah, John Ferguson - £480,000.

Lot 259: Filly by Sadler's Wells - Ducking, Addison Racing - £340,000.

Lot 269: Colt by Danehill - Fabled Lifestyle, Silky Green Inc - £340,000.

Lot 300: Colt by Sadler's Wells - Gravieres, John Ferguson - £340,000.

Lot 295: Colt by Southern Halo - Gleaned, Pro-Am & Co - £270,000.

Lot 283: Filly by Dr Devious - For Example, O Cole - £260,000.

Lot 233: Filly by Caerleon - Dance Date, Silky Green Inc - £220,000.

Lot 239: Filly by Sadler's Wells - Dasheen, D K Weld - £200,000.

Lot 314: Colt by Gone West - Irish Order, Peter Doyle - £200,000.