LUKE Comer has added to his extensive portfolio of stud farmland with the acquisition this week of Ballinteskin Stud in Co Wicklow.

The 120-acre property near Enniskerry was sold at auction on Wednesday for a fraction above the €2.5 million guide price.

According to The Irish Times, Comer was one of four main bidders for the property, which is located close to Comer’s training yard in Kilternan, Co Dublin. Formerly owned by the Durkan housebuilding family and then property developer Joe Flynn, Ballinteskin includes a six-bedroom Georgian house and 32 stables.

In recent years Luke and Brian Comer have snapped up over 5,000 acres of farmland in Dublin, Kildare and Meath. They own Palmerstown House close to Goffs and Courtown Demesne, a Georgian mansion on 400 acres in Kildare. Many of these purchases were sealed at prices well below peak market values. Ballinteskin changed hands for €7 million in 2006.

The Comers are believed to have been underbidders for Ballymacoll Stud.

Over the past 12 months Luke Comer has run into considerable trouble with the Turf Club over his racing interests. Following a series of Turf Club inspections and warnings, Comer installed Jim Gorman as manager of the training operation during the summer.

Ballinteskin has been run as a stud farm for the last 40 years and is known for breeding the National Hunt mare Analog’s Daughter. The current owner ran the farm until 2014 and it was rented out for a period but has been empty for a number of months.

DUBLIN APARTMENTS

The Comers were also in the news this week for their purchase of a landmark building close to Leopardstown Racecourse.

The 14-storey Sentinel building in Sandyford has been unfinished for 10 years and will be turned into 300 office suites with sleeping facilities, according to The Irish Times.

Dante Property, a company owned by the Comers, has been granted permission by Dun Laoghaire - Rathdown council to finish the building.

The work suites are to be designed with people who work flexible hours in mind, specifically those working a US timetable.

The Comers bought the Sentinel in 2011 for just €850,000 five years after the 11.4 acre site had been sold for €11.5 million.