A €46,000 yearling son of Shantou emerged as the top lot at the one-day Tattersalls Ireland February National Hunt Sale which got the Irish sales year off to a positive start with an improved set of figures.

Even though the prices at the head of the market fell short of recent editions of this sale, an enlarged catalogue helped the aggregate for the day to come at over €1.6m, which represented a 13% progression on last year. The average of €9,805 was an improvement of six points, while the €7,200 median jumped forward by some 24 points. A clearance race of 57% was marginally down on last year.

On a day that was exclusively dominated by yearlings and those buying with a view to resale, the €46,000 sale-topper represented a sire who has already enjoyed an excellent season through the likes of Death Duty and Airlie Beach.

Furthermore, the Shantou colt is a half-brother to a Grade 2-placed juvenile hurdler in L’Aigle Royal and this led to Tom and Katie Rudd’s Ormond Bloodstock fighting off several different challenges for the Stephen Lanigan-O’Keeffe-owned colt.

“He’s a lovely horse by a top sire, who is having a great season, and he’s a half-brother to a smart horse too,” commented Rudd. “He’s been bought on behalf of a syndicate and the plan is that he will be back here to be resold at the Derby Sale as a three-year-old.”

Much later in the day, Ballincurrig House Stud man Michael Moore forked out €40,000 to secure a son of Montmartre consigned by Caroline Berry. This colt, who could well return to the sales ring as a three-year-old, is out of a half-sister to the 2015 Ryanair Chase hero and last weekend’s Clarence House Chase runner-up Uxizandre.

Also destined to return to the sales ring in a couple of years is a €37,000 son of Presenting out of an own-sister to the Grade 1-winning two-mile chaser Felix Yonger. He was bought by Kevin and Anna Ross.

“He’s been bought to come back for sale as a three-year-old. He’s a lovely horse with a great temperament and he made a lot of appeal as a good looking son of a leading sire out of a sister to a high class chaser,” stated Mrs Ross.

Ciaran Conroy was busy stockpiling talent for future store sales and his spending was headed by a €35,000 son of Fame And Glory related to the Fortria Chase winner Arctic Skipper. Conroy also went to €28,000 for a Sholokhov colt out of a listed-placed chaser.

An initial career in the point-to-point field beckons for a €34,000 son of Famous Name out of an own-sister to Graphic Equaliser after he went to Alan Harte, who was standing with Joey Logan. In the past the pair have had the likes of Finian’s Oscar, Champers On Ice and Champagne West through their hands during the formative stages of their careers.

“He’s going to go down the point-to-point route and let’s hope he can turn out as good as several of the others who we’ve bought in the past,” remarked Harte. “He’s a smashing sort, a very good walker from a good family and his sire was a remarkably tough and high class racehorse.”

Owner Dan MacDondald, standing with Liam Burke, missed out on the Famous Name but he did secure the only Walk In The Park yearling on offer when giving €30,000 for the Ennel Bloodstock offering. The colt, who shares his sire with the likes of Douvan and Min, may be retained to race but could also return for sale at a later date.

The in-form sire Westerner was represented by a €32,000 colt from Ballincurrig House Stud, while the day’s top-priced filly was a €28,000 Teofilo half-sister to the Irish St Leger second Ahzeemah and the Triumph Hurdle winner Tiger Roll. She was bought by Eamon Phelan.

Final Figures - Entire Sale

2016 309 276 159 1,472,350 9,260 5,800

2017 350 299 170 1,666,900 9,805 7,200