THE Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale burst into life on Tuesday when three foals sold for over €100,000 each by 7pm.

Widely expected to be a top seller, the colt by Walk In The Park and out of Posh Trish did not disappoint selling for €145,000. It is fourth highest price given for a foal at the November NH Sale, and the most since 2019. He was bought by Gerry Aherne, standing in the gangway, with underbidder Joey Logan disappointed on the balcony.

It is the second time that a colt out of the mare has topped this sale – in 2023, the full-brother was sold here for €100,000 bought by Gerry Aherne / Charles Shanahan.

The mare's 2022 colt, another full-brother, made €85,000 at this sale in 2022 (third top lot), bought by Logan. Subsequently offered at this year's Derby Sale by Ballyreddin & Busherstown, he was purchased for a sales-topping €285,000 by Ryan Mahon / Dan Skelton Racing.

Posh Trish, a six-time winner, three times at Listed class, herself was purchased at the end of her racing career at the November NH Sale for €118,000 by Oliver Loughlin, who had also bred her himself and sold her as a foal here in 2013 for just €1,200.

After the sale, Oliver, who has been suffering from the flu and did not have a voice for talking, handed speaking duties over to his son Eoghan.

"We are overwhelmed at the moment, he is a beautiful foal and has been from day one," said Loughlin Jnr. "I have been saying that he is the best foal the mare has had, and have been proved right. Best of luck goes to Gerry and the team with everything they plan on doing with him.

"I was valuing him at around €100,000 and after that everything was a bonus. He has been a pleasure to deal with, his temperament is so great, he is just a beautiful foal. The mare is the same, she has an unbelievable temperament, please God she will foal down in the spring with another great foal by the same sire.

"We work hard at it all, and it is smashing when it happens."

Aherne said: "From the minute I saw him I thought he was an exceptional animal, by an exceptional sire, from an exceptional breeder and out of a really good mare.

"We have the two-year-old at home that we are probably going to sell as a store horse. This fellow will, I think, go down a different route, the French route. I am delighted for Ollie and his family – they are great people and great supporters of us. When you produce something like that you deserve to get paid.

"The French system is where we live the dream of producing a stallion. We probably made a mistake gelding the first fellow we bought. We won't make the same mistake twice. The French system has worked well for us so far – we have a runner in a Grade 1 next week with our first attempt, so fingers crossed!

"I am delighted for everyone. Walk In The Park has had his most successful year on the track, and also in the covering shed. He is a remarkable stallion at his age and let's hope we can keep him going for a year or two yet – being able to stand one of his sons is the dream."

Just a few minutes earlier a colt by Crystal Ocean was sold by Yellowford & Drumlin for €135,000. He was bought by a partnership of Charles Shanahan and Ian Ferguson, the pair standing together in the bidders and on separate phone calls. Underbidder was Jerry McGrath, who shook his head once and then bid again to €130,000, but, when that bid was superseded, he pulled up the stumps.

The docket was signed by Charles Shanahan / Ian Ferguson.

The colt is out of Park The Jet (Walk In The Park) and from the family of seven black-type winners featuring the Grade 1 stars Jezki, winner of the Champion Hurdle (G1), Punchestown Champion Novice Hurdle winner Jered and Tipperkevin Hurdle winner Jetson.

Shanahan was nominated speaker and he said: "Myself and Ian came to the agreement that we both loved the horse so it made sense to partner up on behalf of our existing, separate clients."

"We are delighted to have bought the colt, he is more than likely be offered for resale here at the Derby Sale, that is the first plan and I would be very surprised if he is not here as a three-year-old."

He added: "The pedigree speaks for itself, and the stallion is having a lot of four-year-old winners – we think highly of him, he was such a good racehorse and I will be very surprised if he does not make it, and I really think he will. We have been so impressed by his stock.

"Frank Motherway is a very good family friend and it means all the more that we were able to buy off him because every year we try and buy a few off him and he does such a great job. We weren't expecting to have to give that, though, he is a special horse."

Of buddying up with Ferguson, he said: "This just came together earlier today, he is one of the best judges out there. This is the first time we have got together and it is a great way to kick things off. I have bought two others, it has been a great sale, and I am going to go home now!" (17:24)

Earlier in the day a a colt by the top jumps sire Walk In The Park and out of En Vedette (Astarabad), was sold by John Dwan's Ballyreddin Stud for €130,000 on behalf of breeder Louis Vambeck.

"I am delighted," said Vambeck. "We knew we were coming here with the real article. He was born on a wet February night, and he stood up half an hour later. When he did I said 'wow', we have something special.

"He has always had a lovely attitude, is a great walker, and there was never a hiccup with him since he was born. The dam is still a 'young' mare, and is seven for seven after yesterday – and I believe the best is yet to come. He has gone to the Frisbys again, which says a lot. It's a case of 'you come back to where the honey is the best'.

"John Dwan in Ballyreddin has had him for about 10 weeks. He and I have a great relationship and he treats all the foals as if they are his own. He is meticulous, with great attention to detail, just like myself. It is a high standard."

Dwan said: "It is a fabulous price, we were hoping for a big figure, he is a smashing foal, anyone who saw thought he is exceptional, and we did expect a bit. The update yesterday with the full-sister winning for Dan [Skelton] helped, but it is a lovely family, there is plenty happening. He was bred by Louis Vambeck and the mare breeds exceptional stock, and she is back in-foal to Walk In The Park."

En Vedette has a 100 per cent record with her progeny, all seven runners are winners. They are headlined by the Grade 2-placed hurdler Sabrina, a five-time winner, and Lady Adare, also the winner of five races and runner-up in the Grade 2 Rising Stars Novice Chase.

Yesterday, her four-year-old daughter Lune Brilliante, also by Walk In The Park, won a Carlisle bumper on debut for trainer Dan Skelton.

The battle for ownership of this foal developed into a two-way fight between pinookers and leading foal buyers Ian Ferguson and Richard Frisby, in the end Ferguson, who was standing in the bidders and on the phone, was the one who had to shake his head.

"We were determined to get him," said JJ Frisby. "We have the full-brother and he is a smasher [cost €92,000 here last year]. This fellow is a smasher as well and is one of the best foals in the sale, I think.

"He is by the right sire, and the full-sister won yesterday to give the pedigree another update. It has all fallen into place at the right time, but made him a bit more expensive.

"We knew he would make a six-figure sum, but he went on a bit further than I thought. We had strong opposition, and a good judge, too. He will come back for resale."

By the end of day two the Frisbys were the leading buyers at the sale, spending €355,000 on just five foals. There other purchases, also colts, were by Authorized, Poet's Word, Nirvana Du Berlais and Hurricane Lane.

Tuesday's clearance rate was 79%, well ahead of the corresponding session from a year ago (68%). The day's median price of €18,500 was just 1% up on last year.

The three top lots on Tuesday have helped push the overall average price up 23% after two days, and the median price of €15,000 is up 36%, suggesting that the National Hunt market has finally started to climb after a number of poor years.

The sale concludes on Wednesday.

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