THE biting cold at the 2017 Goffs Punchestown Sale meant that onlookers were keen to get home as soon as they could. As my fingers were about to become icicles, the last lot of the 20 horse catalogue strode into the parade ring.

One of a pair of wild card entries, the Robert Tyner-trained Vision Des Flos (Balko) was being offered and agent Tom Malone quickly expressed an interest. At €200,000 he appeared to have won the battle to secure the winner of that week’s Goffs Land Rover Bumper for the O’Connor brothers Derek and Pauric on his racecourse debut.