Goffs London Sale: Buy a horse on the eve of Royal Ascot and watch it race in front of The Queen
It’s the racehorse auction like no other in the world, when racing royalty descend on London ahead of the world famous meet at Royal Ascot. Goffs London Sale offers the chance to buy a horse on the eve of Royal Ascot, and then watch it race in front of The Queen.
Approximately 20 thoroughbreds – each of them ready to run at the Royal Meeting – will go under the hammer in the stunning grounds of Kensington Palace on Monday, 18 June in front of 1200 invited guests from around the world.
In the first four years of the Goffs London Sale, sponsored by QIPCO, over £20 million has changed hands as investors and racing aficionados from around the globe, including China, Australia, Qatar, Japan and Thailand have competed with their super wealth, pursuing their ambition of owning a Royal Ascot winner.
The closest to realising that dream to date was Cappella Sansevero, bought for £1.3 million by Qatar Racing in 2014 who finished second in the Coventry Stakes less than 24 hours later. Café Society, bought by Australian racing fans, was third in the Wolferton Handicap at Royal Ascot the same year.
Twelve months ago, the owner of Leicester City football club, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, laid out £2 million to purchase no fewer than seven horses during the curtain raiser for the greatest horse race meeting in the world, four of which ran the very same week at the Royal Meeting.
So, will 2018 be the year when a horse from the Goffs London Sale wins at Royal Ascot? That’s what Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby, who was part of the team which created the Goffs London Sale, is hoping for as he explained to The Sloaney: “In horse racing terms, the Goffs London Sale is like being able to buy a Ferrari on the spot, be given the keys and drive it away; that’s not something that can usually be done with a racehorse. This horse sale is one at which, uniquely in the world, you can buy a horse on a Monday and then watch it race the same week in your own name and in your own silks at the most prestigious flat racing meeting of all and in front of Her Majesty.”
Some of the horses to look out for this year as the bidding begins includes the undefeated two-year-old Vintage Brut and Pocket Dynamo, a winner in France last month.
Invited guests will not only watch the thrilling spectacle of the bidding wars between buyers in the grounds of Kensington Palace, they can also enjoy afternoon tea and fine wines from Goffs’ official partners, Selfridges and Château Léoube. Other partners at the glamorous event include JetSmarter, Select Mobile Network and Rosemary Water.
Further information can be found at http://www.goffslondonsale.com
