MANY vendors struggled to sell stock on day two of the Tattersalls Ireland July Store Sale which saw a clearance rate of 57%. Wednesday's clearance rate was 61% and the overall for the two-day sale was just over 60%.
The average price over the two days was €9,045, 33% lower than recorded at the equivalent sale a year ago. This year's median price of €6,500 was 41% lower than last year.
Point-to-point battle
Top lot on Thursday was a gelding by Order Of St George from Philip Hore's Mount Eaton Stud.
The bidding opened at €20,000 and developed into a match between point-to-point trainers Matty Flynn O'Connor and Rob James, standing on opposite sides of the sale ring.
It was Flynn O'Connor who won the battle at €65,000 and he said: "He was our pick over the two days, and it seems a lot of others thought so, too!"
After signing alongside Ger O'Connor, the Ballycrystal Stables owner commented: "He is a big, scopey stamp of a horse and he just missed his slot at an earlier store sale. I have not had any by the sire before but have three for this season. All in, I shall have about 50 or 60 pointers for the next season with around 15 for the autumn."
The gelding is out of the Shernazar mare Miss Cilla, the dam of two winners from three runners. She is a half-sister to the three-time Grade 1-winning hurdler Peddlers Cross, whose top level victories came in the Neptune Investment Novices Hurdle, the Fighting Fifth Hurdle and the Mersey Novices Hurdle.
The gelding was purchased at the November NH Sale as a foal for €21,000.
Crawford swoops
Wings Of Eagles was responsible for one of the top lots on Wednesday and he had an even better result on Thursday when Steven Crawford paid €45,000 for a gelding by the Derby winner. Bred by Jimmy Mangan, the horse had been sold for €20,000 as a foal here.
Crawford said: "The gelding is quality through and through, you would probably prefer another inch on him, but he would have been more expensive then! I like his page and we have had a bit of luck with the sire."
"This horse is athletic, he has quality and conformationally he is correct and conformation is important to us.
"I did not get everything I wanted this summer so I came into the sale with the kitty intact and I knew when I saw a horse I liked I could press on. Did I think I would have to go for €45,000 for this horse? Probably not, but in my head I was prepared to go to that before we came in. I picked up a nice Shirocco yesterday and, for me, they were the two I wanted here. Time will tell!"
That "bit of luck" with one by Wings Of Eagles came via the gelding bought at this sale last year by Ross Crawford for just €1,250. He was named Marlacoo, went on to win a Down Royal bumper and was sold at the Tattersalls Cheltenham May Sale for £85,000.
Bowe returns
You may recall that Correna Bowe and her father J.J. Bowe sold point-to-point winner Echoing Silence for £410,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale last March. J.J. was investing some of that profit on Thursday when he gave €35,000 for a Jukebox Jury filly from Burgage Stud. Bowe revealed the filly would be trained by Sam Curling, who also trained Echoing Silence.
"She's a gorgeous model and a great goer," he said. "The full-brother [McLaurey] is supposed to be very good. He won his point-to-point and J.P. [McManus] has him with Emmet Mullins. Hopefully we can go the same route."
British stallion Telescope has had some recent success in Ireland, primarily through Cheltenham winner Slade Steel, and a gelding by the Shade Oak Stud stallion fetched €38,000. He was sold by Ballincurrig Stud on behalf of pinhookers Ruth Brown and John O'Loughlin, who bought him for €14,000 as a yearling at Tattersalls Ireland.
Buyer Terence Thomas Steele from Ballynahinch in Co Down - who outbid Tom Malone - said: "He's a racehorse, I hope! We'll take him home and see how he goes. We might start in point-to-points, but I don't know. I paid more than I expected, and we will decide on a trainer later."
Charles Byrnes will train the Poet's Word gelding from Loughview Stud who was knocked down to Richard Downes for €33,000.
The gelding is a half-brother to two winners and is out of a half-sister to Line Ball, a Grade 3 winner and Grade 1-placed over fences, and Rocco, who won the Badger Ales Chase at Wincanton.
British trainers Seamus Mullins, Jeremy Scott and Jonjo O'Neill also took home some of the day's prized lots.
Mullins paid €30,000 for a Sholokhov gelding from Coolruss Stud on behalf of owners Andrew Cocks and Tara Johnson.
Mullins said: "Andrew and Tara have had horses with me for a long time, they are patient owners and will need to be with this horse as he won't be early and he will be worth the wait. He is by a good stallion, this is a good stamp of a horse, delighted to have him coming back to us."
The bay gelding is out of the Stowaway mare Marmalade Mist, a half-sister to the Punchestown Champion Bumper winner Blow By Blow.
Jeremy Scott bought one of the top lots on Wednesday and on Thursday he added a Getaway gelding for €28,000 to his haul. Jonjo O'Neill will train a filly by Shirocco who was purchased by agent Matt Coleman for €24,000.