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THERE was no shortage of money being spent at the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze Up Sale at Fairyhouse on Friday with trade rock solid from the outset.
Over €8.5 million was spent during the session, an increase of 29% on last year's record-breaking sale.
In 2022 there were 11 horses who made €100,000 or more and that number jumped to 18 this year.
The average price came in at €43,000 (up 13%) and the median at €30,000 (up 36%).
Kildare based Danny O’Donovan showcased his talents as an up-and-coming nurturer of future racecourse talent when he sold a colt by Zelzal for €270,000 to Ross Doyle.
This is O’Donovan’s second year operating under his own banner of Donovan Bloodstock, and this sale represented a fine pinhooking success for the vendor and his investors, having been bought by Adam Potts and O’Donovan at Arqana last October for €35,000.
Speaking of the son of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Al Hamla, Ross Doyle said: “He is an absolutely outstanding physical and he did a lovely breeze, in no way did he appear to be flat out.
“I’m not big on time, I use it as tool, but what I saw visually impressed me. He was magnificently turned out and looked fantastic, the lads have done a great job. He is for a very good, established client and looks like he is going to France. The sire has been going well out there.”
Much later in the day, Ross Doyle gave €185,000 for a Profitable colt from Shane Power's Tradewinds Stud. Power bought the colt for 37,000gns at Tattersalls Somerville Sale.
Explosive start
Selling fairly exploded into action on Friday morning when the second horse into the ring sold to Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock for €240,000.
The son of Coolmore stallion Sioux Nation, whose first crop of three-year-olds have begun the season in fine form, was consigned by Katie Walsh’s Greenhills Farm. Walsh had bought the colt as a yearling in Goffs last year for €40,000 and he is a half-brother to three winners out of the Acclamation mare Omanome.
McStay had to fend off a persistent Richard Ryan to acquire the handsome dark bay and said afterwards: “Everyone says it but I thought his was clearly the best breeze I saw yesterday. He is a stand-out individual. I got him vetted before he breezed as I knew he was a lovely horse and Katie recommended him. His breeze did not disappoint and his sire is flying.
“This colt has got size and scope, he’s not just a two-year-old. He’s a powerful horse. I bought him for a relatively new client who has not yet decided on a trainer or where he is going to be based.”
McStay struck again a few hours later when adding lot 99, a filly by Calyx from Chasefield Stables that cost €155,000.
Great pinhook
Sioux Nation, whose daughter Matilda Piccotte runs in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock today, was responsible for another great pinhook when Innishannon Valley Stud sold its colt by the sire to online buyer Adam Driver’s Global Equine Group for €230,000.
Purchased for €25,000 at Tattersalls Ireland last September, the colt represented the best sale so far in the career of the farm’s Darragh Lordan.
“I did expect around €100,000 for him as I really liked him, but that was just unreal. He breezed savage and all year he has been straightforward. Everything went smoothly and he was just a very easy horse to do.”
The early momentum continued when a filly by Ten Sovereigns from Willie Browne’s Mocklershill Stables went the way of Alex Elliott for €200,000. A half-sister to dual Group 3 winner Pretty Baby, the filly will remain in Ireland to be trained but a trainer is yet to be decided.
“She was my pick and did a very good breeze,” Elliott said. “She was highly recommended by Willie Browne, and is a half-sister to Pretty Baby, who was also a very good breezer.
“This filly has a very good action, and she finished out her breeze well. She also clocked well, she looks very fast, she is bred to be fast so hopefully she is fast!”
THREE horses made six figures in the first half an hour of trade and the second one to do so was a colt by Inns Of Court bought by Stephen Thorne for €100,000. Thorne signed for the Tally-Ho Stud offered colt under his syndicate Shamrock Racing. Ado McGuinness will train this one.
The O’Callaghan family’s Tally-Ho Stud offered another by their resident stallion Inns Of Court not long after and this filly was knocked down to one of Tally-Ho’s regular breeze-up customers, Michael O’Callaghan, for €160,000.
O’Callaghan trained this filly’s half-brother King XJ to win the Tattersalls Ireland Sales race at the Curragh two years ago before selling him to Hong Kong where he races as Super King. The Tally-Ho team continued their good run when selling lot 62, a filly by Galileo Gold to Blandford Bloodstock for €125,000.
Huge touch
Young jump jockey John Shinnick landed a huge touch, along with his brother Andrew, when they sold their Make Believe filly to Nick Bell and Middleham Park Racing for €170,000.
Out of the Kodiac mare Suraat, she was bought by the Shinnicks for just €7,000 as a foal in Goffs two years ago. After she clocked the fastest time of the day on Thursday the brothers were hoping to get a decent return on their investment.
“We’re absolutely thrilled,” John Shinnick said. “It’s a huge result for us and it’s our first ever breezer so it’s amazing to get a sale like that. We prepped her ourselves and she has been great all the way through. We’re based near Grove Stud and Brendan [Holland] very kindly let us use the gallop at Grove, and it’s a top class facility.” Shinnick will continue to race-ride too.
The successful purchaser, Nick Bell, revealed the filly will be trained by Ed Dunlop.
John Bourke of Hyde Park Stud was another to enjoy a bumper pinhook when he sold his James Garfield colt for €155,000 to Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock. Bourke picked up the relation to Alamshar for only €3,000 in the same ring last year.
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