PR 333 Goffs Orby Sale 2015
released by Papillon PR for Goffs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
9th September 2015
WHO’S YOUR FATHER?
THE LEGENDARY GOFFS’ SALE DRAWS TOP UK NAMES IN THE HORSE RACING
WORLD TO BID ON AN INTERNATIONAL PLATFORM FOR FRANKEL, GALILEO
AND SEA THE STARS OFFSPRING
This year’s Goffs Orby Sale, Ireland’s most prestigious thoroughbred auction, will be welcoming an
impressive list of UK Owners, buyers and trainers (including the Queen’s bloodstock and racing advisor,
John Warren and son Jake, Sheikh Fahad Al Thani’s agent David Redvers, trainer Hugo Palmer who won
his first Classic race with an Orby horse this year, and agent Hon. Ed Sackville to its multi-million pound
yearling sale.
Ireland is universally acknowledged as a world leader in thoroughbred breeding and Goffs is proud to
present a selection of 487 of the country’s best yearlings for the 2015 Orby Sale. The two day elite sale
will take place on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th September, following a pre-dinner social affair at
the world famous K Club, and the catalogue is available online at goffs.com. Typically this annual sale
sees over 50% of the finest thoroughbred yearlings crossing the Irish Sea and making their names on
English turf.
Galileo, Frankel, Dubawi, Sea The Stars, Oasis Dream, Invincible Spirt, Teofilo, Shamardal, Dark Angel,
Nathaniel, Canford Cliffs and Zoffany are just some of the headline names among a mouth-watering sire
profile of established and first crop sires.
Six of the best Frankel yearlings will come to Orby with every chance of emulating the success of his
foals who achieved their highest prices at Goffs. Last year’s sale saw a filly by Frankel sell for a
staggering €1.8 million, the record for an Irish foal and the highest price in Europe since 2002, so all
eyes will be on the rostrum to see what thrills this year’s sale brings.
Commenting on this year’s Orby Sale, Goffs Chief Executive Henry Beeby said:
“We are delighted with this year’s outstanding Orby catalogue. Leading Irish breeders have
increased their support of the sale with a bigger selection of their best yearlings resulting in an
increase in the catalogue size that was a consequence of an additional 500 nominations. That
hunger to be part of Orby follows some spectacular results in recent years and there is little
doubt that Orby is unmissable for leading international buyers as it offers extraordinary quality
and value.
“The feedback from purchasers has been so positive in recent years and they tell us that Orby
yearlings are the measure of any they see. That there has been a European Classic winner in
every one of the last 12 years bar one, clearly demonstrates the level of yearling that is on offer
at Goffs”
International consignor Ted Voute, based in Warwickshire is a champion of Goffs Orby Sale.
Speaking at the last renewal of the Orby Sale, Ted explained why so many key players in the racing
world come to Ireland:
“There’s an incredible aura here at Goffs. Ireland is certainly the home of the horse and
horsemanship. This, plus the fact that the warm team at Goffs work incredibly hard to secure
some of the best horses in the world, and their hospitality is second to none.”
It is no secret that Goffs’ Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby believes that Irish thoroughbreds are the
backbone of British racing. He said:
“I believe that Orby represents all that is best about Irish bloodstock and we are truly grateful
to everyone that supported our event here at Goffs, whether they were responsible for a large
draft or a single yearling. We cannot do anything without the horses, and the Class of 2015 has
allowed us to attract a global audience to Goffs.
“The UK is a very strong market for us. Our British and International buyers have come to
recognise that Goffs Orby is a sale that deserves its place at the top table and that the yearlings
we present are the measure of any that are catalogued anywhere else in the world.
“I love the thrill of the auction, but I almost get a bigger buzz watching these yearlings progress
throughout the year - and I will certainly be cheering all of our graduates on as they make their
debut next year.”
Earlier this year Goffs London Sale, held at Kensington Palace in association with one of the
most respected and well renowned names in racing, The Al Thani family and QIPCO, has also
helped attract a much wider audience. As Henry continues:
“Royal Ascot is the most prestigious race meeting in the world. Therefore every significant
player in racing and breeding across the globe will be putting in an appearance. I cannot think
of any better place for this timely event than the grounds of Kensington Palace”
ENDS
For more information about Goffs, Orby or London sales, please contact Katie Whirledge on 07973
800 234 / 01543 898195 or kt@papillonpr.co.uk or Sarah Murray at Sarah@papillonpr.co.uk
ENDS
Notes to editor:
About Goffs
Founded in 1866 Goffs is Ireland’s leading bloodstock auction house and is internationally renowned for
the quality of horses it sells, with horses purchased at Goffs winning regularly at the highest level
around the world – a fact that attracts every major purchaser of thoroughbreds to Goffs auctions each
year.
Goffs conducts eight sales a year from their universally acclaimed sales complex just 30 minutes from
Dublin as well as boutique sales held in conjunction with major racing festivals, namely Goffs London
Sale during Royal Ascot week, Goffs Champions Sale during Irish Champions weekend in September,
and Goffs Punchestown Sale at Ireland’s own answer to Cheltenham.
The Goffs team is led by Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby, who started in the thoroughbred auction
business in 1982, and Chairman Eimear Mulhern, a successful breeder in her own right. They are backed
up by a passionate team who ensure that Goffs works to the highest standards in every area to deliver a
customer experience that is second to none.