FRANK Dunne is believed to be the new owner of Ballymacoll Stud. The near 300-acre farm in Dunboyne, Co Meath was sold at public auction for €8.15 million this week. Dunne owns the adjoining Hamwood Stud.

Neither the auctioneers nor the solicitors acting for the purchaser have confirmed the buyer’s identity. Dunne is one of the principal shareholders in the family’s Dunnes Stores.

He has enjoyed notable successes, his colours most famously being carried to victory by his home-bred and trained Stanerra in the Japan Cup. He has also bred a number of leading winners, including the Group 1 scorers Youmzain, who landed the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, and his half-brother Creachadoir, who won the Lockinge Stakes.

Dunne has been rarely sighted on the racecourse in recent years and has not saddled a runner for over a year. His partner Ann Marshall has owned four runners in Ireland this year, trained by Joseph O’Brien and John Oxx.

Ballymacoll went on the market with a guide price of between €6-8 million. In a packed sale room in the Shelbourne Hotel, four main bidders emerged as the auction developed. Among them was Richard Brophy of Goffs Country, acting for a client, while there was intense speculation that building developers Luke and Brian Comer were also among the unsuccessful underbidders.

THREE LOTS

The property was offered in three lots. Bidding on the first lot, which consisted of the house and 265 acres, reached €5 million. Lot 2 included an isolated landbank of 29 acres which attracted a bid of €500,000 from Brendan Hayes of Kilfrush Stud.

However, all previous bids were nullified when bidding on Lot 3, the entire Ballymacoll property, surpassed the reserve price.

The auction paused while a bid of €7 million was considered by the vendors, before eventually the hammer came down at €8.15 million. The purchaser was solicitor Peter Walsh, managing partner of Orpen Franks.

Peter Reynolds, longtime manager of the stud on behalf of the Weinstock family, would not be drawn on the identity of the purchaser but was undoubtedly pleased at the news that the farm was likely to retained for bloodstock.

The stud’s foals, yearlings, racehorses and broodmares are due to be auctioned at various bloodstock sales this autumn.

ARKLE BIRTHPLACE

Steeped in racing history as the birthplace of the famous Arkle and home of nine classic winners, the 294-acre stud farm arrived on the market last year.

Founded by Henry Hamilton around the end of 18th century, the stud was bought by Dorothy Paget in April 1946. She owned the stud until her death in 1960 but during that 14-year period she never actually visited the property.

In June 1960, Michael Sobell and Arnold Weinstock bought the stud, with 130 horses, on the recommendation of Sir Gordon Richards, for £250,000.

For the last 45 years the stud has been expertly managed by Peter Reynolds who, with the late Simon Weinstock, has been responsible for the outstanding breeding record of Ballymacoll Stud.

Interestingly, the current band of 18 broodmares is descended from the original 1960 package with 12 descended from Country House (1955) and six from Sunny Golf (1951).

A total of 31 Group 1 winners of 55 Group 1 races have been produced at Ballymacoll. The roll of honour includes Golan, Troy, North Light, Sun Princess, Conduit, Spectrum, Helen Street, Pilsudski, Islington and Fiorente.

At the entrance to the magnificent farm is a great but uninhabitable old gate lodge, which leads, through the one mile beech hedge-lined drive of railed paddocks surrounded by mature trees, to the main yard.

The yard has 34 boxes, a tack room, feed room and large two storey office, together with a flat in need of renovation. Adjacent is the beautiful manager’s house, a comfortable four bedroom property.

Beyond this there are two foaling units with a total of 12 boxes, a six-horse walker and a large exercise arena. Another yearling yard with six boxes, a feed house and a hay store stands just off the front drive, where there is also a three bedroom bungalow house.

Yet another residence, known as the back lodge, stands at the second entrance to the property. There is an isolation yard sitting on its own 25 acres with six stables, a feed house and hay barn.

The land is laid out in stud railed paddocks, all with water connected. An internal road runs through the stud farm from the front to the back lodge making for easy access throughout.

The sale was handled jointly by Willie Coonan of REA Coonan in Maynooth, Co Kildare, and Knight Frank.