THE two-day Tattersalls Ireland August National Hunt Sale started quietly on Wednesday morning.
Hopes remain high that the strong demand for store horses seen at the premier sales in June will have a knock-on effect at this week's auction but by 12.30pm on Wednesday, just 28 of the first 59 lots offered had been sold.
On the corresponding day last year (when the sale was staged in July) the clearance rate was 60%.
Top price during the morning session was the €38,000 paid by Jerry McGrath (on behalf of Ballyea Farm) for a Jukebox Jury filly.
Consigned by Eli Creek House, the three-year-old is out of a German-bred maiden by Sea The Moon.
McGrath said: "I suppose a Jukebox Jury filly was one of the main characteristics for me. I am a big fan of the sire. I bought Holloway Queen and she won at the Cheltenham Festival for us this year. He passed and is a big loss for the industry. Hopefully this filly is lucky.
"She might head to the racetrack or she might go point-to-pointing first. She could even be for resale at some stage. The new owner is a trader, and she is staying in Ireland for the time being, I think."
Asked if his purchase represented good value, McGrath added: "Yeah, I think she's one of those, you know, if she was in a select sale that she might have made more. The vendor was very keen to give her more time. She's a very racy filly, and a filly we're looking forward to."
More to follow ....