O’Leary and Bective Stud take top lot
JUST as they did at the Land Rover Sale, Eddie O’Leary and Bective Stud carried off the sale’s top lot as a bid of €280,000 proved sufficient to see off M.V. Magnier for a son of Walk In The Park offered by Ballincurrig House Stud.
This gelding is a half-brother to this year’s Pertemps Final second The Bosses Oscar and that horse along with another member of the family, the useful Tullybeg, already carry the Bective Stud colours.
O’Leary confirmed that his purchase would be trained by Elliott while this sale capped another excellent week for the sire.
From 32 lots sold Walk In The Park produced a quite remarkable average of €76,641 for the sale.
Holden-Shefflin to the fore
JUST as they did at Goffs a couple of weeks ago Paul Holden, his daughter Ellmarie and Michael Shefflin joined forces to pick up a host of choice stores.
Foremost among these was a €200,000 son of Walk In The Park who boasted a pedigree that outstripped all others.
The Yellowford Farm offering boasts Hurricane Fly amongst his siblings and the chance to secure a relation to the all-time-great hurdler duly led to fireworks before the Holden-Shefflin team outlasted English trainer Olly Murphy.
This gelding will now represent the same connections who produced the £570,000 point-to-pointer Jonbon last autumn.
The same connections also picked up the top lot on day one when forking out €160,000 for a Westerner own-brother to the Cheltenham bumper winner Ferny Hollow. He was sold by the noted nursery that is the Parkhill family’s Castletown Quarry Stud.
Also set to represent the Holden team in the coming seasons is a €130,000 Jukebox Jury own-brother to the Grade 1-placed Irascible, a €130,000 Doctor Dino gelding related to A Plus Tard and a €105,000 son of Walk In The Park.
Joey Logan stocking up
JOEY Logan further added to his impressive collection of store purchases when he paid €155,000 for a son of Doctor Dino from Norman and Janet Williamson’s Oak Tree Farm.
A €100,000 yearling, when Logan was underbidder, this half-brother to a French Grade 2 scorer was bought to embark on a point-to-point career with Denis Murphy. The following day Logan spent €150,000 on a Walk In The Park gelding from Glenwood Stud who was showing a good return on the €48,000 he cost as a yearling. He too will go down the point-to-point route.
This year’s sale contained just two sons of Authorized and both were bought by Stuart Crawford on behalf of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.
On Thursday Crawford spent €155,000 on Kilminfoyle House Stud’s relation to the very useful Mitchouka and the previous morning he gave €140,000 for an Authorized gelding offered by Walter Connors’ Sluggara Farm.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned Denis Murphy teamed up with Colin Bowe to give €150,000 for a son of Walk In The Park and he also forked out €115,000 for an attractive son of the up-and-coming French-based sire Jeu St Eloi.
Bidding in absentia
TOM Malone was one of many British buyers inconvenienced by the bizarre turn of events on Tuesday evening.
However, his absence from the sale did not preclude him from securing a number of the best stores. Malone, acting through Mags O’Toole and buying on behalf of Paul Nicholls, spent €145,000 on a Presenting own-brother to Mount Mews who was showing a good return on the €68,000 he cost Jimmy Murphy as a foal.
The agent also gave €130,000 for a Shantou gelding from Castledillon and he forked out €120,000 on an impressive Blue Bresil gelding from Chris Jones’ Killeen Glebe. Malone’s buying spree continued into day two as he went to €150,000 for a son of Allaho’s sire No Risk At All as well as spending €110,000 on a Soldier Of Fortune gelding related to Time For Rupert.
Top filly bound for Gordon Elliott
THE leading filly at this year’s sale was a €125,000 daughter of Joshua Tree from Brook Lodge Farm and she was knocked down to Bobby O’Ryan who purchased Black Tears at this sale several years ago.
This filly is a half-sister to the high-class English bumper horse Good Risk At All and she will be joining Gordon Elliott. Also set to join the Elliott team is a €115,000 daughter of Saint Des Saints whom the trainer purchased from Peter Vaughan’s Moanmore Stables.