Alessandro Marconi was left thanking his lucky stars he missed a flight to America on Monday as a last minute decision to re-route himself to Goffs for the Autumn Horses-In-Training Sale resulted in the bloodstock agent signing for the top lot – the 104-rated Aga Khan-owned Tangapour (Wootton Bassett) – for €185,000 on behalf of unnamed client. “I have never been so happy to miss a flight before,” he said. “I was meant to be on a flight to America for the sales in Keeneland this morning but I missed it and decided to come here instead. I've been lucky buying from the draft in the past.”He added, “I bought Erzindjan a few years ago, who has had a really good career and is still racing for TJ Kent in Newmarket. This horse is for new connections and they were keen on having the best horse in the sale.“I'd like to thank Princess Zahra Aga Khan, who has presented her draft here and in Arqana and gives us some access to these bloodlines. On the back of Tattersalls the price seemed quite reasonable, he's out of a Dubawi mare and has been performing alright. He came highly recommended by Johnny Murtagh and hopefully he's going to adapt to quick ground.”The Aga Khan draft was responsible for the top five most expensive horses sold during the horses-in-training section of the sale. All told, the Aga Khan Studs sold 15 horses for €637,000.The horses-in-training sale turnover dropped by 6% to €1,335,000 while the average dropped by 3% to €16,899 and the clearance rate dropped marginally [2%] to 85%. The median, however, was up by 81% to €10,000 and Goffs chief Henry Beeby was particularly punchy after the sale. He said, “We've said it before, we'll say it again, and we'll keep on saying it. Send us the horses and we will deliver. Yet again, with the top five lots the Aga Khan Studs draft has graphically illustrated that the Goffs Autumn HIT Sale can and will return the highest prices for the category and I am not embarrassed to say that it frustrates us to see so many Irish horses travelling to England last week when we have such an international buying bench in Kildare Paddocks this week. As the only sale for the form horses in Ireland we prove our point year after year, with owners and trainers delighted with the outcome of their drafts, and my end of sale comments highlighting the same issue. The fact is it costs less in terms of travel, entry fee and commission to sell here so we will keep banging the drum and strive to persuade more Irish horses to enter and reap the dividend of the unique Goffs service.”Beeby added, “The international nature of the buyers' profile and the opportunities they present is clearly demonstrated by a review of the results with horses heading to Italy, Germany, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Czech Republic, Mongolia, UAE, Qatar, Libya, Saudi Arabia and the UK. Those buyers flock to Goffs each year and ensure a lively atmosphere in the ring as they interact with us and compete with each other. We appreciate their business and wish them well with their Goffs horses in training. Today's small catalogue has returned acceptable statistics with a strong clearance rate and a very pleasing leap in median price to underline the relative strength of the sale.”Meanwhile, the Autumn Yearling Sale got off to a respectable start with 88 of the 112 horses offered selling at a turnover of €879,300. The average on Monday for that section of the sale was €9,993 and the median €6,500. Buys of the dayGiven Serialise (Footstepsinthesand) went off at odds of 9-1 for the Kensington Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot earlier this summer, she has to be deemed value at €7,000 to Denis Hogan and James McAuley. Betsen also looked well bought at €16,000 to Freddy Tylicki on behalf of trainer Tony Carroll. Betsen has been a rock solid sprint handicapper in Ireland and that form should translate well to Britain. The post ‘I’ve Never Been So Happy To Miss A Flight’ – Marconi Re-Routes To Goffs For Top Lot appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.