TRADE picked up on day two of the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale when over 65% of the foals offered were sold. As expected, the average and median prices also rose on Monday, to €12,401 and €9,000 respectively.
A Walk In The Park colt led proceedings for much of the day, but a Harzand colt from Garryrichard Stud stole top lot status towards the end, when sold to Aisling Noone and Simon Cavanagh of Drumloose Stables for €54,000.
It was love at first sight for the eventual buyers, as Noone explained: "As soon as we saw him we fell in love with him. We sold a Harzand for a client at the Derby Sale to Kevin Ross, so we have had some luck with him, and we have gone back to the well again.
“We know the family quite well as Simon is friendly with Gerald Quinn who trained this colt’s half-brother Broughshane to win his four-year-old point-to-point – he is now with Jonjo and AJ O’Neill and won over hurdles in October."
A half-brother to the twice graded-placed Bold Enough, the bay was bred by Michael Murphy, who said: "This colt has a great temperament and I loved Harzand as a racehorse. The Hickeys at Garryrichard have done a great job here."
A pair of Walk In The Park colts bought by Richard Frisby for €42,000 had earlier topped the table, his haul completed by a Blue Bresil colt for €29,000.
His first Walk In The Park colt purchase was a foal out of Dusty Park (Dr Fong) from Hillview Farm.
The mare was a two-year-old winner and is an own-sister to Spotlight, who was a Grade 2 winner in the US. This is her 11th foal, and she has bred six winners including Lunar Power, a two-time graded juvenile hurdle race winner.
J.J. Frisby said: "We have been lucky with the sire before, we have had plenty by him, and he can do no wrong, and this colt is for resale. She is an older mare and she had bred five winners and a good one, and she can bring a bit of speed to Walk In The Park, too."
The second €42,000 transaction proved another great result for Jimmy and Eileen Furlong's Thistletown Stud – the farm having sold the top-priced lot on day one.
This Walk In The Park foal is out of the unraced Piknick (Pirateer), a half-sister to the four-time Grade 1 winner Bravemansgame.
J.J. Frisby said: "The two colts are different types – the lad out of Piknik is a bigger and stronger sort. He is from a young family, but it is a great pedigree and Bravemansgame is a top horse.”
Very late in the session Tom Howley's Brook Lodge Farm paid €42,000 for a Crystal Ocean colt foal from Ivy and John Wafer's Graiguebeg Stud. The dam Run For Mary won six races.
The sale continues on Tuesday.