A “FEROCIUS appetite” for young horses with form led to what Richard Pugh described as a “fierce trade” at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Festival Sale on Thursday night.
Held in the parade ring after a day of racing that was dominated by Irish-trained horses, a baker’s dozen lots sold for a total of £3 million, turnover more than doubling year on year, while the average and median both rose by in excess of 30%.
The rise in demand for fillies and mares for National Hunt racing continues apace and this time it was a member of the fairer sex who topped the trade. Maire Banrigh was most impressive when winning on her Lingstown debut by five lengths for Richard Black and she was one of two significant purchases made by Ryan Mahon for owner John Hales. She cost £320,000 and this is a new record for a National Hunt racemare.
A daughter of King’s Theatre, she is a daughter of the Grade 2-placed Supreme Leader mare La Marianne. Black bought her for £40,000 last year at the Goffs UK Spring Sale as a four-year-old for John Murphy.
The second Mahon/Hales purchase was the four-year-old The Dellercheckout and this son of Getaway is from the immediate family of the Champion Hurdle winning siblings Morley Street and Granville Again. He was sold by Cormac Doyle for £260,000, a substantial gain on the €27,000 he cost at last year’s Derby Sale. The Dellercheckout put in a faultless display of jumping on his winning debut at Lismore. The two new Hales purchases will be trained by Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls.
Denis Murphy sold two six-figure lots on the night. Best of the pair was Palmers Hill, a four-year-old Gold Well gelding from the family of Mighty Mogul and Ballynagour. Third to Flemenshill (sold in January for a record £480,000) on his debut, Palmers Hill made no mistake next time and won by 20 lengths at Tyrella. Kieran McManus was smitten enough to pay £310,000 to secure him.
Murphy also sold Mr Whipped for £160,000 to Highflyer Bloodstock. This Lingstown debut winner is a four-year-old son of Beneficial and the Grade 2 Lartigue Hurdle winner Dyrick Daybreak. He made plenty of profit as Murphy gave just €26,000 for him at the 2016 Derby Sale.
Tom Malone bought three of the six-figure lots and his most expensive buy was Slate House, a five-year-old Presenting gelding whose dam is a half-sister to the dam of four-time World Hurdle winner Big Buck’s.
Sent up from Ian Ferguson’s yard for Wilson Dennison, he cost Malone £280,000 on behalf of Colin Tizzard and was bought by his handler two years ago at the Derby Sale for €44,000.
SIX-FIGURE FILLY
Malone also struck for Shark Hanlon’s Posh Trish, one of three six-figure filly or mare sales. This four-year-old Stowaway daughter won by 14 lengths on her debut in the first maiden for her age group this year. She is from the family of The Posh Paddy. The filly sold as a foal for just €1,200!
Western Honour was another Malone buy, one of four on the night, and the Farmaclaffley maiden winner on his debut recently was handled by Stuart Crawford. Related to Black Jack Ketchum, Castlekellyleader, Fota Island and more, he sold for £120,000. The son of Westerner cost Royal Wilson, one of his vendors, €18,000 at the Goffs Land Rover Sale two years ago.
PROFITABLE
Gordon Elliott bought two lots and the dearest was the £240,000 purchase Rapid Escape, Christopher Donnelly’s four-year-old Doyen gelding who is from the family of Gold Cup winner Mr Mulligan. He won at Tinahely by 10 lengths and has been profitable every time he sold.
A €17,000 Tattersalls Ireland foal buy by Peter Molony’s Rathmore Stud, he was resold at last year’s Goffs Land Rover Sale to Cheltenham Festival winning owner Aidan O’Ryan for €46,000.
Sean Doyle sold lots for £220,000 and £111,000. Five-length Kilworth winner Speak Easy, a four-year-old Beneficial son of the good Presenting racemare For Bill joins Joseph O’Brien after his sale for the greater amount. He was bought for €40,000 at the Derby Sale last June, while the €31,000 2015 Goffs Land Rover Sale buy Monbeg Zena, a winner at Ballinaboola, cost Highflyer Bloodstock £110,000. She is a full-sister to Sizing Gold, both by Flemensfirth.
The Highflyer team was busy and went home with six lots. They numbered among them Donnchadh Doyle’s Dubai Destination four-year-old gelding Cracking Destiny, a relation to First Lieutenant.
A distance winner at Horse and Jockey on his only run, the hammer fell at £100,000, a significant advance on his £28,000 Goffs UK Spring Sale price last May.
Two English point-to-point winners sold for £150,000 each. Tom Lacey consigned Sky Pirate, a winner at Larkhill, and this four-year-old son of Midnight Legend and the blacktype Supreme Leader mare Dancingwithbubbles joins Jonjo O’Neill.
Lacey gave €34,000 for him last year at the Derby Sale. Polly Gundry sold Santini, a five-year-old Milan gelding who won at Didmartin for owner/breeder Trull House Stud to Dan Skelton.