RESULTS from this week’s Goffs Arkle Sale are evidence that there is still plenty of money in British jump racing and the demand for Irish-bred horses is strong, says Charles O’Neill, chief executive of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing [ITM].

The three-day Arkle Sale saw growth in all key metrics, with many industry participants expressing surprise at the strength of the market at all levels.

British owners, trainers and bloodstock agents, along with Irish point-to-point handlers, drove trade to a large extent.

O’Neill is confident that the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale will be well supported too,

He commented: “There was a very strong buying bench at Goffs, and they were more active then we were expecting, and at every level of the market.

“Leading into the sale we were nervous. We didn’t know where that store market was at, and we would have taken anywhere close to last year’s results. So to surpass those figures quite substantially is a huge testament to the quality of the horses and the strength of the demand.”

He noted that there were also a small number of French buyers on the grounds.

“Six of the top 11 lots in Part 1 were Irish-bred. Four were French and one was British-bred,” he added. “Last year almost all the top lots were French, so the Irish are coming back and hopefully the future is strong.”

Yard visits

Asked if ITM changed its tactics in attracting British buyers this year, O’Neill said: “Our UK rep Mary Ryan did a lot more yard visits which were tied in with race meetings.

“We actively sponsored more owners and trainers facilities at various racecourses, targeting midweek meetings where we get to spend more time with people. Then we followed that up with yard visits and it seems to have paid off.”

This week’s trade seemed in conflict with the general impression that British jump racing was in crisis, riddled with small field sizes and a dearth of quality horses.

O’Neill said: “You’re always worried about that but this week showed that there is still a very strong demand for the National Hunt game in the UK. I kept telling vendors that there would be a lot of British buyers coming but I think they were still pleasantly surprised to see how strong they were.

“Bookings are already very strong for the Derby Sale. Once the horses are there, these people will be there. They need to buy. A lot of people went home without filling orders because they just couldn’t get near what they wanted.”

Finding accommodation for overseas buyers remains tricky, due to a shortage of hotel vacancies in the Kildare/Meath area.

“It’s not getting any easier,” O’Neill said. “We work very closely with the sales companies and no one has ever been left without a room. We’re always able to get hotels and at good prices. We look after clients, give them a good time and once you do that you have a chance to get repeat business.

“Ben Pauling brought in three big groups of owners this week and they had a ball. They were well looked after by ITM and Goffs and I think they’ll be back again.”

The big initiative at this year’s Arkle Sale and Derby Sale is the addition of a two-year-old store sale. O’Neill believes it is here to stay.

“I think it was way more successful than any of us would have envisaged,” he said. “For a two-year-old to top the entire sale was absolutely brilliant. The two-year-old average price was only slightly below the three-year-old average. The clearance rate was very strong as well.

“I spoke to Richard Pugh [of Horse Racing Ireland] afterwards. He is involved in introducing the new series of academy hurdles and he was delighted. And the big thing was that the English trainers were very, very active in that section.”

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