A SELECT group of store horses, destined originally for sale at the Goffs Land Rover Sale and the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale, came together on Monday at Doncaster and consisted of lots from British-based vendors and from designated Irish vendors who faced logistical issues with the upcoming flat yearling sales.

This cooperation from the two major sales companies in Ireland and Britain showed what can be done in exceptional circumstances, and great credit is due to both organisations for acting in the best interests of their consignors.

A clearance rate of 78% saw 43 of the 55 lots offered being sold and the average of £55,588 exceeded that of both the Land Rover and Derby sales of 2019. The lots were sold by Goffs’ Henry Beeby and Harry Fowlston from Tattersalls.

The highlight of the couple of hours selling was a three-year-old son of Getaway from Norman Williamson’s Oak Tree Farm who was originally due to sell at the Derby Sale. A half-brother to the Punchestown Festival winner Dawn Shadow, he sold for £175,000 to Michael Moore of Ballincurrig House Stud, one of seven lots to realise a six-figure sum.

A €65,000 foal buy, his dam is a listed-placed full-sister to Grade 2 winners Shadow Eile and Corskeagh Royale. Moore did not reveal the name of his client but indicated that the gelding would be given plenty of time.

Moore was on the receiving end of the £135,000 sale of a three-year-old son of Walk In The Park to Ross Doyle and Colin Tizzard. The gelding is the first foal of the excellent racemare Bitofapuzzle, winner of a Grade 1 hurdle for mares at Fairyhouse for trainer Harry Fry and was another slotted for an appearance at Fairyhouse.

Trainer Olly Murphy featured prominently in The Irish Field last weekend, discussing his career to date and his hopes for the future. One of his hopes now will be to win with his latest purchase, a three-year-old son of Camelot out of a mare who was placed at Group 1 level on the flat in both the German and Italian Oaks. However, at stud she has produced a pair of blacktype National Hunt winners and New Year’s Eve who was runner-up in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham. Murphy, who signed also in the name of his absent father Aiden, paid £165,000 for the gelding. Vendor Flash Conroy of Glenvale Stud had catalogued the gelding in the Derby Sale.

Conroy was also responsible for another prominent sale when his three-year-old Flemensfirth gelding out of a full-sister to Theatre Guide sold to Dan Skelton for £110,000, doubling in value from his €62,000 valuation as a newly-turned yearling two years ago.

In the week when the retirement from stud duties of Kayf Tara was announced, one of his daughters sold to Mags O’Toole for £130,000. The three-year-old was another aimed at the Derby Sale and she is the first foal of the smart, listed-winning hurdler Mayfair Music, a daughter of Presenting. The filly will be trained in Ireland, though O’Toole stayed mum about the identity of the new owner. Juliet Minton’s Mill House Stud sold her for breeder Bunny Roberts.

Mark Dwyer’s Oaks Farm Stables ‘got out’ on the sale of a three-year-old Martaline full-brother to Grade 1 winner Very Wood. Having paid €115,000 for him last year, he received £120,000 this time when trainer Mark Rimell took a shine to the gelding who is named Hard Wood and had been due to travel to Fairyhouse.

Multiple Gold Cup winning trainer and now a highly successful author, Henrietta Knight has been prominent at the sales in recent times and she was again on the leading buyer’s list when she paid £105,000 for a son of Fame And Glory offered by David Cox’s Baroda Stud. He is out of an unraced Presenting half-sister to Grade 1 hurdle winner Quick Grabim. Like all of the six-figure lots he was originally intended for sale at Tattersalls Ireland.