Lyons top man at Kensington Palace

Kiltale trainer Ger Lyons was the top man at thehistoric inaugural Goffs sales on the eve of Royal Ascot at Kensington Palace in London last night where the top attraction was a foal of legendary racehorse Frankel which sold for £1.15m.

The three-month-old unnamed colt was sold together with the mare, Crystal Gaze, which is in foal again to Frankel.

However, Lyons sent his Coventry Stakes entry Capella Sansevero to the sales and the Sean Jones-owned two-year-old which had won at Dundalk, Naas and the listed Marble Hill Stakes at the Curragh in three starts made the top price on the night of £1.3m.

Capella Sansevero will now run in the silks of Qatar Racing will be ridden by Jamie Spencer in the Coventry Staks today, 3.05pm over six furlongs.  

“Sean (Jones) and I basically decided to keep Cappella Sansevero unless he hit our 'big' reserve. We were also worried that a potential buyer wouldn't want to run him today and that would have been disappointing,” Lyons stated on Facebook.

“So we were very surprised and a little shell-shocked when Sheik Fahad and his brothers decided they wanted him and were buying to stay in the yard.

We had no indication this would happen and the only result that could make this any better is that we win the Coventrytoday for them. 

“As Jamie Spencer is Qatar Racing's retained rider it is their policy that he rides their horses in the UK and unfortunately for Colin Keane that is the situation,” he added.