There was further evidence of the challenges facing the National Hunt bloodstock industry at Tattersalls Ireland on Tuesday.
Just over half of the 160 horses offered for sale found buyers. The average price of €10,639 was down 5% on last year but the median price of €7,500 was actually up 7%.
Trade was dominated by weanlings and, to no surprise, stock by Walk In The Park and Blue Bresil provided four of the top five lots.
Topping the sale was a Walk In The Park colt out of Glasgow Allen, the American Post half-sister to the 16-time winner Envoi Allen, who can boast of nine Grade 1 successes. The weanling was bought by Coolmore's Gerry Aherne for €50,000 from The Beeches Stud.
Aherne said: "The sire continues to break records and this is a very well-bred horse who comes from a great nursery. He was the one we really wanted today and we are delighted to get him.
"Plans for him are fluid, we could bring him back for resale or keep him to race, there's plenty of time for him. He was a standout on looks and pedigree today."
The Murphy family's Walshtown Stables in East Cork traditionally do well at this sale and, near the end of the day, they sold a Bue Bresil colt for €40,000 to Anthony Cahill and Martin Dowd. The colt is out of an unraced own-sister to Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere who has already bred a £100,000 point-to-point winner from two runners.
“He will come back for the Derby Sale,” said Cahill. “There are a few of us who buy together and my son was on the phone to me driving me on!”
Cahill and his fellow pinhookers sell their store horses with the Lalor’s Carrigeen Bloodstock.
Richard Rohan was the day's top buyer, spending a total of €92,750 on four weanlings, two colts and two fillies. The most expensive of them was a €38,000 Affinisea filly from Ballincurrig House Stud, owned by Rohan's brother-in-law Michael Moore. The filly is from the family of last Saturday's Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle winner Gowel Road.
Rohan, who was purchasing on behalf of his British-based client Will Smith, said: "Her future is undecided as yet, she might be kept to race or could return to be resold, but we absolutely loved her since we saw her here.
"Will has been building up a nice stock of young horses. Not only did I like this filly as an individual, but everything is hot in this pedigree with both Gowel Road and her being by Affinisea, too. I really like him as a sire, and he had a Cheltenham Grade 2 winner at the weekend.”
Tattersalls Ireland’s CEO Simon Kerins said: “We are delighted to have started the year with our newly named Winter Flat and National Hunt Sale. For the first time, we introduced flat-bred yearlings to the sale, and this is an area we plan to build upon moving forward.
“The trade today was somewhat challenging and highlights the selective nature of the National Hunt market, sustained demand for those that hit the mark and less so for those horses that didn't, a trend that has been consistent across all National Hunt sales over the past 12 months."