FOLLOWING a solid day's business here on Wednesday, trade at Tattersalls Ireland remained steady on Thursday for the second and final day of the August NH Sale.
The morning session was a little quiet but by 4pm 82 of the 141 lots offered had changed hands, giving a clearance rate for the day of 58.2%.
At that time the day's top lot was a €36,000 Poet's Word gelding from Lisroan Farm. A wildcard entry, the gelding is out of West Asleep, a half-sister to three blacktype horses.
Purchaser Kevin Ross said: "He is for a client in England as a racing prospect. I don't know training plans. He is out of a Westerner mare and has a good dam side, and missed his date at an earlier store sale."
Of trade this year at the National Hunt store horse sales, Ross added: "It has been strong the whole way through. I think a lot of English buyers came here to buy from the store horse sales, because the point-to-pointers have gotten so expensive. They have come back to the grassroots, and I think that has upped the whole level of the store horse market."
The morning's top lot was a French-bred gelding from the Bleahens' Lakefield Farm. Already named New Ace, the three-year-old Roman Candle gelding was bought by point-to-point handler Matty Flynn O'Connor (Ballycrystal Stables) for €34,000.
The grey is a half-brother to It's For Me, a bumper and hurdles winner for Willie Mullins a couple of seasons ago. Owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, It's For Me was a one-time favourite for the Grade 1 Cheltenham Bumper (finished fifth) and sadly had his career cut short when fatally injured in a Leopardstown chase.
The sire Roman Candle (by Le Havre) was a Group 2 winner in France for Godolphin who handled very soft ground. Now aged 10, he has had a handful of winners on the flat and over jumps in France
Earlier Tom Keating of Glennconnor Stud spent €31,000 for a son of Maxios offered by Moyfinn Farm.
"I like Maxios, I have been lucky with them, and this is a fine-looking horse," Keating said. "He will go point-to-pointing and looks like one we can get moving on with."
Maxios is the sire of the mighty Gaelic Warrior.
Logician's stock continues to be popular. On Wednesday Rob James gave €32,000 for one of his stores and stock by the Shade Oak Stud stallion averaged €68,500 at June's Derby Sale.
By 4pm on Thursday Gary Murphy of Cudgley Stables in New Ross had bought seven horses over the two days. His haul included a €28,000 Logician gelding out of Runswick Belle (by Oscar), offered by Moyneard Stables.
Later in the day Murphy bought a gelding by the little-known stallion Doha Dream for €32,000 from Denise O'Brien's Clonbonny Stud.
By Shamardal, Doha Dream was a Group 2-winning stayer in France and his dam is a half-sister to stallions Coastal Path and Reefscape.
"I don't know much about the sire, just know that I bought the individual rather than the stallion," Murphy explained. "When he trotted up across the mat yesterday, I said he'd do me. We had to dig deep, and we'll try to turn him into a nice four-year-old somewhere along the line.
"He'll be a nice horse to present again. He's a real sales horse - a great mover, has a lovely head, and is plenty big enough. He is a good representative of the sire, and has a good dam line too."
More to follow ...