‘YOU’RE only as good as your last winner’ is a phrase often used by those out on their luck in the fickle world of racing. The bloodstock world is just as quick to judge and forget, making consistency and resilience essential qualities for those who wish to survive.

After achieving initial success, longevity is the ultimate aim, and is something that the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale can proudly boast. When recalling the very first Derby Sale in earlier pages, Leo Powell examined the positive fortunes of the 1975 graduates and that success continued to become the sale’s hallmark.

Grade 1 glory

During the 2023/2024 season, five Derby Sale graduates won eight Grade 1 races between them. They ranged from novice hurdler Brighterdaysahead to top chaser Jonbon, while their prices varied from €40,000 for Grey Dawning to €310,000 for the aforementioned novice.

The previous season was even more impressive, with 15 Grade 1 wins secured by nine horses. Imagine that three of those graduates, Energumene, Honeysuckle and Shishkin, cost a combined €87,500 at the 2017 Derby Sale. That spend returned a total of 25 Grade 1 wins and amassed over £3.2million in earnings.

A landmark year

No matter how far you look back, or to which renewal, the Derby Sale always produced memorable results. 1989 was the first year the sale was held at the new Co Meath venue and produced the first £50,000 lot. It was also where ‘horse of a lifetime’ Jodami was sourced for £16,000, as was top chaser Barton Bank, talented 20-time winner Cab On Target and evergreen chaser Strath Royal.

Ten years later, the Derby Sale celebrated its first six-figure sale at £180,000 and produced another memorable graduate in Rhinestone Cowboy. The 1999 catalogue also featured one of Willie Mullins’ first stable stars in Rule Supreme.

Superstars at every level

Fast forward another 10 years to when the recession hit and the sale suffered its lowest turnover since 1998. The sale may have been a financial failure, but the 2009 graduates included an unbelievable array of superstars.

Among the 41% unsold were Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Lord Windermere, top novice hurdler Fingal Bay and Thyestes Chase victor My Murphy. Three-time Grade 1 winner Benefficient shared the second lowest price of the sale at €3,000, while six-time Graded scorer Dedigout didn’t fare much better at €5,000.

Moving up through the results, €52,000 seemed a sizeable spend at the time, but proved a bargain buy after Cue Card’s nine Grade 1 victories and over £1.4million in earnings.

Expensive purchases don’t always hit headlines in their subsequent careers, but three of the top four lots at the 2009 sale went on to win at Graded level, including ill-fated Grade 1 winner Lovethehigherlaw.

With the current market proving selective and unpredictable, it’s hard for vendors to be confident in their expectations, but buyers can be sure that plenty of future stars will emerge from the Derby Sale’s 50th edition.