The second running of the Goffs Classic Breeze-Up Sale provided a heavy dollop of déjà vu with Mark McStay, who bought the best horse out of the inaugural running of the sale, matching last year's top-lot figure of €330,000 on a Lope De Vega colt consigned by Norman Williamson. Top-notch prospect Extremely Zain (Hello Youmzain) was sourced by McStay for €185,000 at this sale 12 months ago from Katie Walsh, who has sold a handful of classy runners to the leading bloodstock agent down through the years. While Walsh did not consign the son of Lope De Vega, who posted one of the most taking breezes and boasts one of the best pedigrees in the sale being out of a sister to champion racemare Treve, the leading vendor owned a share in the colt and recommended him highly to McStay. The winning bidder said, “Everybody who buys a top lot says they were the best in the sale but I really did think that. I think he is a lovely colt. Norman Williamson and Katie Walsh recommended this horse very highly and I have had tremendous luck buying from Katie down through the years, including with Extremely Zain at this sale last year. This horse is by one of the best sires in the world and it is also one of the best pedigrees given he's out of a sister to Treve. He posted a pretty quick time for a horse who is bred to get beyond a mile and he was presented very well and vetted impeccably. He's been bought for an existing owner and training plans are fluid. He's a horse who hopefully has a pretty big future.” Similarly to the unbeaten Extremely Zain, very much the poster boy of this sale, the Lope De Vega colt missed an intended engagement at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale and Williamson explained that he was delighted to be afforded a second chance at Kildare Paddocks. The consignor said, “He was entered in Arqana and had a little hold up with a pulled muscle. Straight away, I spoke to Nick Nugent, well in advance, and told him we thought he was a very good horse and he has turned up here. He is a beautiful colt. There were three or four people in on him [after €200,000], all the right people. Mark bought Extremely Zain here last year and he is going to be a very good horse. Let's hope this fellow does the same. We are thrilled, but we think he is a very nice horse.”Williamson added, “The sale certainly has a future. Last year, I think some people were wondering if it would work or not, but it has proven itself. Katie sold a good horse in it last year and he made plenty of money. Let's hope it keeps going. I am happy.”Radcliffe Goes To €215,000 On “Rockstar” Sea The Stars FillyCormac Farrell was the only other vendor to break the €200,000 mark when his Sea The Stars filly, who posted the second-fasted time in the breeze, sold to Kerri Radcliffe for €215,000. The agent, who was bidding in absentia through Goffs' Hayley O'Connor, commented, “We'll know in time [how good she is]. I saw her on the farm and watched the breeze-up online. I saw her in the beginning of March and I loved her. I did try and buy out of the yard, but Cormac wanted to see her breeze and see everything she had to do. She jumped through all the hoops and she's a gorgeous filly. She was the second-fastest in the breeze and to be honest, for a Sea The Stars filly in June to be going like that, that's pretty rockstar times. She has a lovely pedigree. I have been hunting since Libertango because I was the underbidder on her and then had to watch her win the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot, so I didn't want to be the underbidder on her. She's for a new client who has just come into racing.” Farrell described himself as over the moon with the result with the Sea The Stars filly, who put the cherry on top of a solid breeze-up season for the Kildare-based consignor.He said, “We're absolutely delighted to get her sold and we are grateful to be here. Kerri Radcliffe saw her in the yard six weeks ago and loved her. I was telling Kerri how good this filly was all week at Royal Ascot and thankfully the filly read the script and showed how good she is in the breeze. We're having a great year – one of our graduates almost won the Chesham on debut [On Just Terms, second] and another [Social Symbol] flew home to take fourth in the Norfolk Stakes. So we've had a very good bunch of horses through our hands and hopefully we can keep churning out winners and more importantly stakes horses. We'll keep trying anyway.”On the sale format, Farrell emphasised how grateful he was to be afforded the opportunity to have a second bit of the cherry in selling the Sea The Stars filly, but described the sale as “flat” and suggested some tweaks.He concluded, “The sale has its merits, for sure, and obviously I am grateful to Goffs to be here because things can go wrong with horses when you are preparing them for one day. But I'd love if this sale took place after racing at the Curragh. Wouldn't it create a bit of hype and excitement for the sale? If they could do that, I'd actually go out and buy horses purely to target this sale. Look at how well the premier point-to-point sales go down after racing at Punchestown, Aintree and Cheltenham. The concept of this sale works well but the excitement has been lacking here. We could try to create something similar at the Curragh because it has been flat here all week. There are people here trying to get things done, but it is flat.” Beeby Says Classic Sale Puts Doubts To BedGoffs chief Henry Beeby revealed that the format to the Classic Breeze-Up Sale will be considered going forward but said any doubts about the concept were put to bed following reasonably solid trade. Despite a 16% rise in the turnover to €2,985,000 for a catalogue that featured 11 more horses, the clearance rate fell by 11% to 74%. The average was up by 8% to €71,072 and the median rose by 11% to €50,000. Beeby commented, “The Goffs Classic Breeze Up made an auspicious debut 12 months ago and proved a big point for the team as it is fair to say there was a bit of debate about the concept, the format, the date and more. However, those initial doubts were well and truly forgotten as the sale returned the highest average and median ever at an Irish Breeze Up.“Our second go met with much more approval and has been well supported by our vendors, and it is to them that we extend our sincere thanks in the first instance as without their horses, we have nothing. The catalogue read well and the horses lived up to their pedigrees, both on the track on Monday and in the yards at Kildare Paddocks. The result has been a sale that has built on year one in some style to consolidate its position as the premier sale of its type on these shores with an average and median that is unrivalled which makes us both proud and thankful.”He added, “Interestingly, the debate around the format is not as clear cut as we initially believed and some notable judges told us that the extra time between the breeze and the sale, whilst perhaps logistically imperfect, can benefit the horses and allow them to show themselves to better advantage. That is certainly something we will consider as we plan for year three whilst the date is now seen as a major selling point as it provides a vibrant outlet for proper horses at the end of the season and several vendors took full advantage reaping the dividend in the sales ring. As ever, we are indebted to Irish Thoroughbred Marketing for their vital work and, once again, Naas Racecourse provided perfect ground for the breeze which is, of course, vital for the whole event.”The post Déjà Vu At Goffs Classic Sale As McStay Makes Hay With €330k Lope De Vega Colt appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.