€40m worth of bloodstock goes under hammer at Goffs next week

More than €40m worth of racehorses will be bought and sold at Goffs next week.

The annual two-day Goffs Orby Sale on Tuesday and Wednesday will see 475 of the best thoroughbred yearlings go under the hammer.

More than 1,300 racehorse buyers will travel to Co Kildare from Europe, China, Japan, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Argentina, Quatar and the USA to purchase the hand-picked selection of Irish yearlings.

All major international bloodstock purchasers and agents will be present including Coolmore Stud, Sheikh Mohammed and Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum of Dubai and Sheikh Fahad Al Thani from the Qatari royal family as well as The China Horse Club.

A spokeswoman said: "This year the sale is expected to yield close to €40m. "Of particular interest, at the Orby sale will be six of the first crop of yearlings by Frankel on the market."