THE commencement of the Irish store sales season at Goffs in little over two weeks’ time will see the preparations for the spring 2018 campaign begin, as handlers and owners who have now perfected the art of adding significant value to their young unraced stock by running them in an Irish point-to-point, continue their cycle of reinvestment in readiness of the new season. Many will be looking to the performances of a stallion’s progeny between the flags ahead of the sales season.

Heading into the final two weekends of the point-to-point season, Beneficial leads the way in a bid to become the champion point-to-point sire for the seventh time. The former Knockhouse Stud stallion, who died at the age of 23 in 2013, has sired 27 winners this season including the impressive Heroesandvillains and Mr Whipped who subsequently realized £140,000 and £160,000 respectively at the Cheltenham sales.

The 23-year-old Grange Stud stallion Oscar, a former winner of the leading sire prize in point-to-points in 2006 and 2012, has sired the winners of 25 races between the flags this season, including this year’s star graduate Finian’s Oscar, a dual Grade 1 winner this spring, following on hot on the heels of his autumn four-year-old success at Portrush. The now retired stallion has also been responsible for some impressive spring four-year-old winners including Castlebrook and Not Many Left.

The offspring of fellow Coolmore stallion Westerner have enjoyed a most successful campaign between the flags. The Castlehyde Stud resident is just one winner shy of doubling his season-ending tally from 12 months ago in such a short space of time. Last season he was responsible for the winners of 12 races from 53 individual runners, with his current running total standing at 23 winners from just an additional five runners.

Looking further down the table, a number of stallions with fewer horses on the ground have also enjoyed successful seasons, with their offspring in the point-to-point fields, which are worthy of note. The late Gold Well, who died in 2013 while his stock was very much on the rise, was responsible from 20 winners from just 36 individual runners which augers well for the consigners of his final crop of 45 lots entered in the upcoming store sales next month.

Dubai Destination and Vinnie Roe are others with an eye-catching strike-rates. The former has recorded 12 winners from 29 runners, while the Longford House Stud’s 19-year-old stallion has produced 10 winners from just 16 individual runners.

Four-year-old sires

Continued success in the four-year-old maiden division for a stallion can have a real boost to their popularity, particularly for their offspring at the store sales as point-to-point handlers look to capitalise on that success. This spring, Court Cave, Milan and Westerner have all enjoyed the greatest level of success having each sired five winners apiece.

The Boardsmill Stud-based Court Cave has recorded a number of his four-year-old winners in recent weeks and they are already having a big impact in the sales ring. Bartlemy winner Invincible Cave was sold for £210,000 at Doncaster on Wednesday, while impressive winners Desirable Court and The Holy One are catalogued in next week’s Cheltenham sale. The 16-year-old son of Sadler’s Wells is also responsible for 21 lots at the upcoming Land Rover and Derby sales.

With a mighty 49 lots entered at next month’s store sales, the Grange Stud’s Milan is sure to remain a big player between the flags for many a year to come having sired a number of this season’s big-money four-year-old winners. That includes Brewin’upastorm, who realized £250,000 at Cheltenham after his Quakerstown maiden victory, and Largy winner Senor Lombardy, who subsequently fetched €125,000 at the Punchestown sale.

The Castlehyde Stud’s Westerner has made a big impact between the flags this season with two of his four-year-old winning mares, Kupatana and Copper Gone West, both subsequently selling for six-figure sums, while recent winners within that age division, Ifyoucatchmenow and Gowiththeflow, are both due to go through the Cheltenham sales ring next week. The 18-year-old stallion also has a further 15 stores entered at the Land Rover and Derby sales next month.

WEXFORD DOMINATION

The rise of a number of Wexford powerhouses within the trainers’ division has been very striking, particularly over the past month and within the four-year-old geldings’ division. The 19 races within that category which have taken place over the past five weekends in all four corners of the country, have all been claimed by five Wexford-based handlers – namely Donnchadh Doyle, Denis Murphy, Colin Bowe, Mick Goff and James Doyle. The first three named on that list have won 17 of those races between them including all nine races in each of the last three weekends.

Competition is so intense within the four-year-old division that no success is easily attained. That ensures that the successes of these select number of handlers is all the more remarkable.

Doyle, in particular, has his string on fire at present. In 2017, the former joint-champion handler has trained the winners of 14 four-year-old maidens, including a number of high-profile horses such as Aione, Plouios and Invincible Cave. One feature which has been noticeable with Doyle and the Monbeg outfit this season has been the number of horses by new stallions which they have introduced to point-to-points.

Doyle’s Peterborough, Djarkevi and Kings Monarch all provided their sires, the group-winning trio of Fuisse, Khalkevi and Schiaparelli respectively, with their first point-to-point winners in Ireland during this 2017 campaign.

In the instance of Fuisse, the success at Curraghmore of Peterborough was a first jumps winner in Ireland or Britain for the Haras Du Quesnay-based 11-year-old.

There have also been a host of stallions whose first offspring to grace the point-to-point fields here have done so in the Monbeg Syndicate colours. Apsis, Electric Beat, Firebreak and Strategic Prince also all fall into this category. The Doyle’s are not alone in this instance.

A number of handlers and owners have introduced a number of horses by new stallions in an Irish point-to-point context, with Elusive Pimpernel and Turtle Bowl two other new stallions on racecards in recent weeks.