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Malay Mail
18-06-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Cocktails, canapés and million-pound horses set scene for Royal Ascot
LONDON, June 18 — In the gardens of a royal palace, Swiss billionaires, Qatari royals and the odd former footballer gathered on Monday night for a one-off chance to bag a racehorse ready to run at Royal Ascot the next day. Over £7.5 million (RM43 million) changed hands as bidders vied to secure one of 28 thoroughbred horses, 18 of which are due to compete this week for a chance to win a portion of Royal Ascot's £10 million prize pot. The Goffs London Sale, now in its 11th year, is an exclusive auction held in the grounds of Kensington Palace where anyone, providing they have a minimum £150,000 credit clearance, can bid for front-row access to one of the world's most prestigious sporting events. 'You could be standing in the grounds of Kensington Palace at six o'clock and by two o'clock the next day, you could be at the parade ring alongside the British Royal Family with your own runner and your own colours,' Henry Beeby, chief executive at the 160-year-old Goffs auction house, told Reuters. Top lot Ghostwriter, who holds an entry for the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot on Saturday, went for £2 million to football agent Kia Joorabchian of Amo Racing while the second most expensive horse, Woodshauna, sold for £625,000 to John Stewart of Resolute Racing — two of the biggest buyers in the sport. Joorabchian, who is known to be a big spender after dropping over £24 million at a single sale last year, said his son had picked out the horse and that it had a good chance in the Hardwicke Stakes, a prestigious Group 2 race held at Royal Ascot. Danish entrepreneur and hotelier John Christensen said he bought Super Soldier for £390,000 so his friends would have something to cheer on at the races on Tuesday. Last year's sale turned over almost £8.5 million though Beeby conceded that was an exceptional year. Sean Levey riding Rosallion in action during the 14:30 Queen Anne Stakes, June 17, 2025. — Action Images pic via Reuters Most years the London sale raises £3–£6 million pounds, he said. Horses bought at the sale have some history of success at Ascot, though this is by no means guaranteed. The last time a graduate of the London ring won at Royal Ascot was in 2021 when Oxted won the Group 1 King's Stand Stakes while others, like Givemethebeatboys, sold in 2023, have been well-placed. Jackpots The most expensive horse ever sold there was the French mare, Sparkling Plenty, who had won a Group 1 in Chantilly just days before. She was sold outside the ring in 2024 for £5 million, beating the previous top price of £1.3 million. The sale acts as an unofficial curtain raiser for Royal Ascot where trainers and top horses from around the world will compete over five days in races worth up to a million pounds. Highlights include the marathon two-and-a-half-mile Gold Cup on Thursday as well as numerous top-grade races featuring some of the world's best racehorses. Colin Keane riding Field Of Gold in action during the 16:20 St James's Palace Stakes, June 17, 2025. — Action Images pic via Reuters Horseracing may contribute £4.1 billion to the British economy annually, but it's often a game of risk and chance. While jackpots, — like the €9,000 colt, Kodi Bear, who returned €500,000 when sold again around 9 months later — do happen, for most buyers, owning a racehorse is a luxury. And it can go badly wrong. An American-bred horse, St James Square, was sold for US$2.4 million in 2018 and never finished better than sixth in five starts. 'We're dealing in luxury items, nobody needs to have a racehorse,' Beeby said. Like all commodity markets, thoroughbred sales are not immune to global trade headwinds and tariffs. And like many trading houses, Goffs is navigating trade tensions with the United States — Goffs' trade with the United States was around €10 million worth of horses last year — and the fallout from Brexit, which ended a tripartite agreement on the free trade of horses between Britain, France and Ireland. 'We are indelibly linked to the worldwide economy but by the same token, this is an extraordinarily resilient global business,' he said. 'We could do without [tariffs], we're hoping they're a distraction rather than a barrier.' — Reuters
The Sun
11-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Nicky Henderson set to wave goodbye to 21 horses as owners decide it's time to move on
A GRAND total of 21 Nicky Henderson-trained horses are set to be put up for sale later this month - as owners decide it's time to move on. Doncaster's Spring HIT/PTP Sale will see a whole load of Seven Barrows runners go under the hammer. Among them is Grade 2 winner Shanagh Bob, owned by Joe and Marie Donnelly of State Man, Sir Gino and Lulamba fame. The lovable seven-year-old never reached the same heights as his owner's other superstars. But he closed out his time with Henderson with one final victory - his first since December 2023 when he scooped the Graded race at Cheltenham - in a match race at Ludlow on Sunday. Hendo said: "He's always been a lovely horse and is very straightforward to train. "It's fair to say he's not quite been as nice as we thought he'd be but he won well and he's still got a bright future. He'll go to the Doncaster sales now." Also up for sale is First Street, owned by billionaire Lady Bamford. First Street, an eight-year-old gelding, actually finished second to State Man in the 2022 County Hurdle. The future Champion Hurdle winner was famously thrown in that Grade 3 handicap race off a ridiculous mark of 141. He would go on to be rated a best 169. First Street gave State Man 1lb that day and went down just over a length at 16-1 under Nico de Boinville. Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, who own the likes of Impaire Et Passe, have also listed their five-year-old gelding Katana as being for sale. This many horses going under the hammer doesn't mean owners are leaving Hendo, just that these particular runners may do better elsewhere under a different ownership. Henderson, who also recently saw £1.2million world-record jumps horse Palladium leave his yard, endured a tough end to the season when stable star Constitution Hill imploded yet again at Punchestown. The former Champion Hurdle king jumped poorly in the Grade 1 Boodles Champion Hurdle, finishing 27 lengths behind winner State Man. He fell in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham and again capsized a few weeks later at Aintree. But he could be seen again next month after being given an entry in Ascot's Gold Cup. And there is real hope for the future with the likes of Lulamba. He made amends for his narrow Triumph Hurdle defeat at the hands of 100-1 Poniros with victory in the Grade 1 Ballymore Champion Four Year Old Hurdle at Punchestown. The Willie Mullins-trained Poniros, owned by Brighton boss Tony Bloom, finished four lengths behind in second. List of Nicky Henderson horses due for sale at Doncaster Broxy Music Hooper Marengo Bay Jasmin Bellevue (withdrawn) Uptown Lass Raffles Nobu Timetoshine Attacca Soldier Saint Captain Morgs Shanagh Bob Nativehill First Street Sutherland Katana Inneston Bo Zenith Kingston Pride Haddex Des Obeaux Diyaken Minella Premier Willmount Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
News.com.au
07-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Superstar mares Bella Nipotina and Amelia's Jewel headline lots at black-tie Inglis Chairman's Sale
Michael Christian, the owner-breeder of The Everest winner Bella Nipotina, admitted he will be feeling the full gamut of emotions when super mare enters the auction ring at the Inglis Chairman's Sale at Warwick Farm on Thursday night. 'I'll be feeling nervous, excited, anxious – and very sad when 'Bella' goes up for sale,'' Christian said. 'We bred the mare and have enjoyed the most incredible and unbelievable ride that anyone could imagine with her. 'We were keen to hold on to the mare to breed but our partners in the horse decided they would like to sell. 'So, the only fair way to do that is to bring her to public auction which is what we are doing.'' • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. The Ciaron Maher -trained Bella Nipotina was retired earlier this year after an outstanding race career where she won 11 of her 57 races, with four wins at Group 1 level including The Everest, for a staggering $22.7m prizemoney, second only to all-time great Winx on $26.4m. Understandably, Bella Nipotina is the headline act among 96 lots due to go under the hammer at the Chairman's Sale, a black-tie event that has become one of Inglis' most signification annual auctions. • The catalogue also include outstanding fillies and mares like Group 1 winner Amelia's Jewel, I Am Me, Makarena, Estriella, Too Darn Lizzie, Tiz Invincible and Semana, plus a share in exciting young stallion Alabama Express will also go under the hammer. At last year's Chairman's Sale, 59 lots were sold for an aggregate of $35,335,000 with an average price of $598,898 (median of $400,000) with the top priced lots including $3.4m for She's Extreme, $3.2m to Tutta La Vita and $2.2m for Kimochi. But with the bullish Australian racing and breeding industry, Chairman's Sale records are set to be smashed on Thursday night. 'It's going to be a really fun night,'' Inglis chief executive Sebastian Hutch said. 'This year's Chairman's Sale especially is a celebration of the careers of some of the best race fillies and mares.'' • Free membership, $1000 bar tab if Rosehill sale goes ahead Hutch said the Chairman's Sale is like no other thoroughbred auction anywhere in the world. 'It's effectively a cocktail party with a horse sale added, everyone is dressed up, there's pre and post-sale entertainment – this year being duelling pianos based off the Las Vegas phenomenon,'' Hutch said. 'The sale itself is all over in just three or four hours, it really is globally unique and it's here in Sydney.'' The highest-priced for a mare sold at auction was the $6.6m paid for Imperatriz last but although bidding for Bella Nipotina is not likely to reach those dizzying heights, it is expected she will go for more than $3m. 'My brother and I will be bidding to a price to see if we can keep 'Bella','' Christian said. 'Whether that is enough to buy her is another question but we will wait and see.''
