IT was a case of quality over quantity at the Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale last year, when the smallest catalogue ever published for the sale, numbering 781 lots, produced record average and median prices of 20,043gns and 15,000gns respectively.
Hopes must be high then for next week, with 686 lots catalogued to sell from Monday, November 9th to Wednesday, November 11th. All the leading sires are well-represented, with exciting young sire Poet’s Word leading the way with 62 lots, followed by Affinisea with 45, Harzand with 41 and Maxios with 36.
Authorized, Blue Bresil, Crystal Ocean, Doctor Dino, Golden Horn, Goliath Du Berlais, Jeu St Eloi, Jukebox Jury, Logician, Masked Marvel, Nathaniel, Nirvana Du Berlais, No Risk At All, Old Persian, Order Of St George, Tunis and Walk In The Park are also represented.
Among the promising young stallions yet to have their first runners are Hurricane Lane and Santiago, while In Swoop has made an impressive start on the flat, led by German Derby third Salitos.
The first Irish foals by Majborough’s sire Martinborough also feature, alongside the very first foals by Camelot’s multiple Group 1 winner Luxembourg, the dual Group 1 runner-up Arrest and dual Leger hero St Leger winner Eldar Eldarov.
Joining them are a select number of foals from the first crop of French new boys Nietzsche Has and Leon Du Berlais.
As always, a handful of stallions dominated the top of the market last year, when four sires were responsible for the top 10 lots.
Profitable pinhooks
However, there was still plenty of value to be found, even among the leading sires - Kilteskill Stud sourced a Walk In The Park filly for €37,000 and resold her through Brook Lodge at the Derby Sale for €115,000 to Bryan Cooper, while a Poet’s Word gelding bought by Lakefield Farm for €20,000 was resold for €165,000.
BZ Bloodstock put their faith in the first crop of Santiago and were rewarded at the Derby Sale, when their €22,000 pinhook was resold by the Codd family’s Churchlands Stables to Matt Coleman and O’Neill Racing for €170,000.
Despite the market’s increasingly narrow focus on a small number of stallions, pinhookers can often be rewarded for widening the net, with Clock Tower Stud’s 2026 stores the perfect example.
The €80,000 top lot at Part II of the Derby Sale, by Soldier Of Fortune, was sourced by Tommy Newton and James Walsh at the November NH Sale for €15,500. The pair paid just €3,500 for a filly by Behesht at the same sale and had cause for celebration when she fetched €60,000.
Cabragh Lodge was another vendor who enjoyed a sizeable profit, reselling a €7,000 pinhook by Success Days for €66,000.
Worth the wait
With some patience, the November NH Sale can also be a happy hunting ground for end users, too. Last month I spoke to Judith Long, who bought Missouri Snow at the 2021 edition for just €1,400 and the Mizzou mare went on to win an Oldcastle maiden on debut in March, landed a mares’ bumper on rules debut and picked up listed blacktype next time out, before taking third on her first start over hurdles.
By registering her bargain buy for the Weatherbys ITBA National Hunt Fillies’ Bonus scheme, Long picked up a €7,500 bonus when the mare scored at Sligo and is eligible for another bonus over hurdles and fences.
The five November NH Sale graduates to win at Grade 1 level so far in 2026 ranged in price from €10,500 to €70,000, and the most expensive of those – Johnny’s Jury – went on to fetch €150,000 as a store.
Ian Ferguson is among those who often goes straight to the source, rather than wait until the store sales, and his success stories include €80,000 foal buy Ballyburn and €36,000 yearling Banbridge.
Next week’s sale kicks off with 21 yearlings, while foals make up the majority of the catalogue, which concludes with 20 mares, one of which is a wildcard.
Day 1
Lot 42: Harzand half-brother to Embittered, a Grade 1 winner over hurdles and Grade 3 winner over fences
Lot 72: Nirvana Du Berlais filly out of a blacktype Kayf Tara mare
Lot 115: Martinborough half-brother to two graded horses
Lot 135: Luxembourg colt out of a blacktype half-sister to Don Poli
Lot 145: Crystal Ocean half-sister to the multiple graded-placed Break My Soul
Lot 161: Nathaniel colt out of a listed-winning hurdler and Grade 3-placed chaser
Lot 162: Hurricane Lane colt out of Grade 2 winner Brides Hill
Lot 175: Authorized filly out of a listed-winning hurdler
Lot 179: Arrest colt out of a Grade 2-placed listed winner
Lot 184: Dee Ex Bee half-brother to Grade 3-winning chaser Ol Man Dingle
Lot 203: Jukebox Jury colt out of a full-sister to Briar Hill
Day 2
Lot 208: Affinisea half-brother to dual graded winner Senecia
Lot 216: Jukebox Jury colt out of Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase heroine Gitane Du Berlais
Lot 228: Poet’s Word filly out of a Grade 3-winning hurdler
Lot 238: Luxembourg half-sister to listed-winning hurdler Solitary Man
Lot 253: Logician colt out of a dual graded-placed listed winner
Lot 257: Martinborough half-sister to dual Grade 3 winner Franky Du Berlais
Lot 268: Santiago half-brother to Grade 1 runner-up Thomas Mor
Lot 270: Poet’s Word half-sister to Grade 2 winner Magic Daze
Lot 271: Poet’s Word half-brother to a listed winner, out of a Grade 3-winning mare
Lot 273: Nirvana Du Berlais colt out of Grade 2 winner Maria’s Benefit
Lot 284: Nietzsche Has half-sister to Frodon
Lot 296: Full-brother to Grade 1-winning novice hurdler Storming George
Lot 305: Order Of St George half-brother to the Grade 1 performer Jacob’s Ladder
Lot 325: Authorized colt out of Grade 2-placed listed winner Sensulano
Lot 327: Poet’s Word half-sister to Grade 2 bumper winner Colcannon
Lot 334: Poet’s Word half-brother to Grade 3 winner Scorpio Rising
Lot 341: Arrest colt out of a blacktype full-sister to Thyme Hill
Lot 350: Maxios half-brother to three blacktype horses, out of a two-time listed winner
Lot 357: Walk In The Park colt out of Grade 2-winning hurdler Violin Davis
Lot 371: Jukebox Jury filly out of multiple graded winner Allegorie de Vassy
Lot 373: Walk In The Park filly out of Grade 1 hurdler Alletrix
Lot 382: Harzand colt out of Grade 1 winner Ashroe Diamond
Lot 384: Doctor Dino half-brother to Grade 1 runner-up Anzadam
Lot 386: Poet’s Word colt out of Augusta Kate, dam of three blacktype winners
Lot 390: Walk In The Park colt out of Aintree Grade 2 bumper winner Avispa.
Lot 395: Poet’s Word colt out of Grade 2 winner Ballyshannon Rose
Lot 403: Jukebox Jury half-brother to multiple graded winner Impervious
Lot 422: Blue Bresil filly out of a listed-winning sister to Ballyburn and Noble Endeavor
Lot 426: Harzand half-brother to Grade 2 winner Kingston Queen
Lot 436: Affinisea half-sister to Grade 2 winner Fortune De Mer, out of a Grade 3-placed mare
Lot 438: Poet’s Word half-brother to multiple blacktype winner Shecouldbeanything
Lot 450: Luxembourg half-brother to Grade 2-placed listed winner Dream On Baby
Day 3
Lot 460: Success Days half-brother to Group 1 flat horse Fair Mountain, out of multiple group winner and Group 1-placed Fair Breeze
Lot 489: Martinborough filly whose dam won a Grade 3 and listed hurdle
Lot 491: Harzand half-brother to dual Grade 2 winner Oscars Brother
Lot 516: Masked Marvel half-sister to Grade 1 chaser Kapkiline
Lot 559: Full-brother to Grade 3 runner-up Kool One
Lot 567: Blue Bresil half-brother to a dual listed winner, out of a blacktype full-sister to Royal Alphabet
Lot 591: Jukebox Jury filly out of a two-time listed winner
Lot 595: Eldar Eldarov colt out of a Grade 2 winner
Mares
Lot 666: Half-sister to Grangeclare West, in foal to Luxembourg
Lot 680A: Walk In The Park mare out of multiple Grade 1 winner Benie Des Dieux. Covered by Crystal Ocean
Lot 681: Cast A Spell, a blacktype hurdler from the family of Revoque, is in foal to Maxios