Breeding on a small scale is not for the faint-hearted. There are long, hard hours, high expenses, and disappointment is never far away. But on day one of the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale Aug. 27, the Knox family received the sort of result that not only makes the hardship seem worthwhile but also might just inspire others to take the plunge, too.
Trade in Doncaster proved solid from the off, but none of the 243 lots offered could match the £240,000 (US$318,286,£1=US$1.33) price tag attained by the Havana Grey filly out of Twist Of Hay.
The business end of the bidding involved Mark McStay, standing with Paul and Charles Shanahan at the top of the stairs to the left of the rostrum, with his main rival, Paddy Twomey, stationed on the top deck opposite the auctioneer.
At times it appeared that Twomey held the initiative, but when McStay nodded a £10,000 raise to £240,000, the group 1-winning trainer shook his head and tapped out.
The six-figure sale also brought a significant international flavor to proceedings, as the successful agent revealed his purchase had been made on behalf of a major owner from the other side of the Atlantic.
“She’s been purchased for Ira Gumberg of Skara Glen Stables in America, whose family bred Rags To Riches ,” said McStay. “She’s a beautiful filly who was very well presented by Sarah Fanning. Havana Grey speaks for himself; he gets fast 2-year-olds and this looks like a particularly fast filly. She has Queen Mary written all over her.
“That’s what Doncaster has been renowned for producing over the years, and she was by far and away the most outstanding physical, in terms of fillies anyway, on the sales ground.
“She’s going to go to Donnacha O’Brien, who’s a Royal Ascot-winning trainer and has been lucky for me. He’s already had a Royal Ascot-winning juvenile with Porta Fortuna , and let’s hope this filly is his next. Skara Glen Stables are very important owners in America, so it’s fantastic that they’ve decided to step up and buy a very nice filly here.”
The filly, whose dam is a Showcasing half sister to the Athasi Stakes winner Twilight Spinner , was bred by the Northallerton-based Jeremy and Muriel Knox and their son Josh. The family explained this result was not only a personal best but that it had been 30 years in the making.
“We’re very small breeders with just five mares,” said Josh Knox. “The last five generations of this pedigree have been in our family. My late grandparents, Ken and Pat Knox, had Miss Mercy, then Shrink, Spinatrix, and now Twist Of Hay. They bought Miss Mercy and started breeding from her. She was just a cheap little acquisition but she’s been the foundation mare for this whole family.
“We always knew we had a nice horse with this filly but all the stars have aligned. We landed on the right sire at the right time and she developed into a really good individual with a great walk. We’ve been doing this for 30 years and this is by far our biggest result.”
Of the 243 lots to come under the hammer in the 10-hour session, 200 found a buyer at a clip of 82%. Aggregate sales reached £8,209,500, which was down 11% against the comparative session in 2023. The average price was £41,050, which was down 14%, while the median was £31,000, an 11-point drop.
The Premier Yearling Sale continues Aug. 28, with the concluding session starting at 9:30 a.m. local time.
