THE biting cold at the 2017 Goffs Punchestown Sale meant that onlookers were keen to get home as soon as they could. As my fingers were about to become icicles, the last lot of the 20 horse catalogue strode into the parade ring.

One of a pair of wild card entries, the Robert Tyner-trained Vision Des Flos (Balko) was being offered and agent Tom Malone quickly expressed an interest. At €200,000 he appeared to have won the battle to secure the winner of that week’s Goffs Land Rover Bumper for the O’Connor brothers Derek and Pauric on his racecourse debut.

However, as the hammer was about to fall, auctioneer Nick Nugent received a bid of €205,000 from Caroline Tisdall, accompanied by trainer David Pipe. Malone bid quickly, but in a long drawn out affair Tisdall was enticed to remain in contention for the four-year-old son of Balko (Pistolet Bleu), finally conceding defeat when Malone offered €270,000. The gelding was purchased for Ann and Alan Potts. The sale topper had been a €25,000 Goffs Land Rover Sale purchase from Norman Williamson the previous June.

Moved to join Colin Tizzard, Vision Des Flos was beaten on his first three starts, but a small wind operation seemed to work the oracle and he won a listed hurdle race at Exeter. Sixth to Samcro at Cheltenham was followed by runner-up finishes in the Grade 1 novice hurdle at Aintree to Lalor and in the Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown to Draconien.

Victory for the second time over hurdles last weekend, in the Grade 2 National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell, comes just weeks after further wind surgery and a couple of good placed efforts, including finishing second to Buveur D’Air at Sandown. Vision Des Flos is the first foal and winner for his dam Marie Royale (Turgeon) and she is a half-sister to one of the best-known runners by Vision Des Flos’ sire.

That horse is last year’s Grade 1 Ryanair Chase winner Balko Des Flos (Balko), winner the previous summer of the Galway Plate. His many placed efforts include the Lexus Chase and Punchestown Chase and he will again be among the raiding party in the Cotswolds for Henry de Bromhead in a couple of weeks’ time.

A Grade 2 winner over hurdles and fences at Auteuil, nine-time victor Balko is also known to Irish racegoers as the sire of the Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase winner Gitane Du Berlais who sold in December for €220,000 to Rathmore Stud. At the recent Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale his son Fado Des Brosses, the 15-length winner of a five-runner, four-year-old maiden at Belharbour on his debut, sold for £200,000 to Evan Williams.

Balko Des Flos is not the only blacktype winner from his winning dame Royale Marine (Garde Royale). Another is the Grade 3 Byrne Group Plate at Cheltenham scorer Salut Flo (Saint Des Saints).

Breeders, stallion masters and readers are invited to contact Leo Powell at leopowell@theirishfield.ie with news and updates for the column, and to visit our website www.theirishfield.ie for daily breeding news updates.