Williams catches a wolf from Godolphin draft

IAN WILLIAMS returned to a mine in which he's found gold in the past by digging into the Godolphin draft to secure the top lot, Wolfcatcher, for £78,000 during the Goffs UK Autumn Horses in Training Sale on Tuesday.

Williams' previous purchases from Godolphin include winning hurdler Blue Rambler, bought for £48,000, and dual Flat handicap winner London Prize for £70,000. Both were sourced from the dispersal of Bloomfields stock at Cheltenham in April.

Wolfcatcher has run 12 times during his career, winning twice on the Flat for Andre Fabre and once over hurdles for John Ferguson. He is currently rated 135 over hurdles and 92 on the Flat.

Williams said: "I thought he was a fine looking individual with some cracking form in the book. I've been very fortunate with some of the horses I've bought from Godolphin this year.

"He was a horse I really wanted to buy — I don't have a client for him at the moment. He's going to be able to do two jobs and I like him a lot. He suits us down to the ground."

Mountain catches a Wave

Qatar trainer Debbie Mountain, despite not being present at Doncaster, snapped up dual winner Catch A Wave for £70,000.

Formerly trained by Kevin Prendergast, the son of Approve lost his maiden at the third time of asking when landing a mile contest at Bellewstown in August.

Catch A Wave added another victory to his name in October when winning a mile nursery handicap at Leopardstown.

Goffs bloodstock manager Sean Flannery, who was acting on behalf of Mountain, said: "He's a nice horse and won well when he won his maiden. Debbie is very happy with him."

An early mare for Mehmas

Dual Group 2 winner Mehmas will take up stallion duties at Tally-Ho Stud in County Westmeath next year and has one mare already lined up to visit him in the shape of Stormy Clouds, who was bought by the operation for £60,000.

The daughter of freshman sire Sir Prancealot, who also stands at Tally-Ho, was trained by Richard Hannon to win three races including the valuable Goffs Premier Yearling Stakes at York in August. She gained black-type when third in the Listed St Hugh's Fillies Stakes at Newbury behind Group 3 heroine Mrs Danvers.

Matt Houldsworth of Howson and Houldsworth Bloodstock, who bought the filly on behalf of Tally-Ho, said: "She's a nice, lovely, sweet filly who was good on the racecourse. She'll be perfect for Mehmas."

Also to hit £60,000 yesterday was Ballyhome, a five-year-old son of Westerner, who was last seen winning a maiden point-to-point at Loughanmore by four lengths.

Offered by Colin McKeever's Loughanmore Farms, he was bought by A&K Plastics.

Two lots make £50,000

Tim Lane of Oakgrove Stud admitted there was a sentimental aspect to his purchase of Confident Kid from the Godolphin draft for £50,000, one of two lots to make that amount on the day.

The three-year-old son of Dubawi was bred by John Deer's Oakgrove Stud out of the Listed-placed Danehill Dancer mare Longing To Dance. He was sold by the operation to John Ferguson for 500,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in 2014.

Since then Confident Kid has run five times for Saeed Bin Suroor with his best effort coming when finishing second in maidens at Haydock and Pontefract this season.

Lane said: "We've got the dam at home who is in foal to Golden Horn and we've got a brother on the ground.

"We'll take him back, give him a holiday and take a view. He'll probably make a horse to send to France, as he gets a trip, and there's a good programme over there. It's been a good family to us and we've earned lots of money from them.

"The family is like wine and cheese, it gets better with age, and looking at him as well he's a good size and everything. Hopefully he'll make a good four-year-old, maybe five-year-old."

Tom Malone struck at the same price for Midas Gold, a four-year-old son of Rip Van Winkle who was an impressive winner of a bumper at Southwell in August for David Loder.

Malone said: "He's a lovely animal. He won very well when he ran at Southwell and he's got a lovely pedigree.

"His brother Nando was Graded-placed over fences in France. I liked the horse and I don't think he was dear for that price. He's going to Brian Ellison for Phil Martin."

Final figures

At the close of trade 237 horses sold for turnover of £2,151,100, an increase of 58 per cent on 2015's figure of £1,364,200. The average rose 26 per cent to £9,076 and the median increased 25 per cent from £4,000 to £5,000.

Goffs group chief executive Henry Beeby said: ""Today's Horses-In-Training Sale proved, yet again, that we will return outstanding prices for this category when we have the horses to promote, as we have enjoyed a lively trade for the wide variety of flat and jumps horses offered, none more so than the large Godolphin draft and several of the point-to-pointers that travelled across from Ireland.

"Indeed, the sale was attended by a large crowd of buyers from home and abroad leading to multiple bidders on countless lots throughout the day.

"No one ever pretends that the Doncaster Autumn Yearling Sale is the most high profile or prestigious sale of the year but it does fulfil an important function for breeders.

"Yesterday followed recent market trends with a selective trade although, as is the norm, there was plenty of competition for those that held the most appeal."