THE Racehorse Club will be putting together an ownership opportunity for the public to become part of this year’s Randox Grand National. This follows the news that they have purchased the Grade 1 winner Balko Des Flos at Wednesday’s Goffs Online March Sale for £110,000 (€126,500). Peter Molony did the bidding on their behalf.

The 10-year-old gelding has not won since he captured the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham in 2018, and this followed his success in the previous summer’s Galway Plate. He raced for Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud and is set to remain with Henry de Bromhead. The Co Waterford handler will be hoping to add further success after a memorable Cheltenham which saw him capture the meeting’s three headline races.

Balko Des Flos has been to Aintree three times, two years ago being beaten a head by Clan Des Obeaux for second place behind the impressive winner Kemboy in the Grade 1 Betway Bowl. Currently set to carry 10st 9lb, Balko Des Flos is guaranteed a place in the field for the Aintree centrepiece which carries a winners’ prize of £375,000.

Purchased for €4,200 at the Tattersalls Ireland August Sale two years ago by Mag Mullins, Shallow Stream made an eye-catching debut recently when finishing third in a bumper at Thurles, half a length behind the runner-up, Drop The Getaway, a £200,000 buy for Cheveley Park Stud after he won his point-to-point.

On Wednesday the five-year-old son of Ocovango sold to Shane Donohue for £66,000 (€75,900) and was one of a couple of late entries for the sale. Mullins failed to sell her four-year-old Soldier Of Fortune gelding Mythical Hero who was placed on his only start in a Punchestown bumper. His reserve was not met when bidding stopped at £58,000 (€66,700).

Eight bids were recorded before the Jet Away five-year-old mare De Lady In Red sold to Gerry Hogan Bloodstock for £64,000 (€73,600). Fifth in a maiden hurdle at Navan on her debut in early March, she boosted her sale prospects significantly when she returned to the Co Meath venue and ran second to Bigbadandbeautiful in a similar contest for trainer Daryl Deacon. The mare comes from the family of Powerstation and Observe.

There were 11 bids in all before the Tipperary-based Garranlea Bloodstock purchased the seven-year-old Scorpion mare Ishkhara Lady for £37,000 (€42,550). Dead-heating in a listed bumper, one of her three successes in that sphere, she will presumably be straight off to stud as she was sold with a non-racing agreement. She has only raced four times, being beaten on her most recent start.

Ishkhara Lady is now one of four winners for her Supreme Leader dam, as her half-sister Whisky Express made a winning debut at Taunton two weeks ago and she is also trained by Harry Fry.

Despite being an eight-year-old, Buddy Rich has only made six career starts. The Paddy Aspell-owned son of Rock Of Gibraltar was third earlier this month in a maiden hurdle at Leopardstown, finishing just over two lengths in front of the Gordon Elliott-trained Champagne Sparkles. Elliott and Aidan O’Ryan combined to purchase Buddy Rich for £30,000 (€34,500) after some lively bidding.

Nic Allen paid £29,000 (€33,350) for Kalahari Queen, and this eight-year-old daughter of Kalanisi generated lots of interest, 14 bids being registered for her. A point-to-point winner, she went on to win a couple of hurdle races and a chase and was runner-up to Roksana in a Grade 2 hurdle race at Newbury.

JD Moore’s bid of £23,000 (€26,450) was enough to secure Brian Collins’ recent Fairyhouse maiden hurdle winner The Brimming Water. That effort was a huge improvement on his first two starts and the Eric McNamara-trained son of Yeats looks capable of further success.

That purchase price was matched by Emir Alkas who bought Makfi’s Nayef half-sister Jadhwah, in foal to New Approach and due shortly. The mare is dam of four winners.

Post-sale comment

Goffs group chief executive Henry Beeby said afterwards: “This was our second timed online auction, following the Doncaster January Sale which was moved online, and to see both sales topped by six figure sales - £110,000 and £300,000 respectively – is a great endorsement of the role Goffs Online now plays in our overall offering.

“This method is never the first choice, but time after time since the Covid 19 pandemic began a year ago, Goffs Online has proven to be an invaluable vehicle for our clients with over €8.6 million of business successfully conducted so far. Following the January Sale we reviewed the timed format with vendors and purchasers, and launched a number of improvements to the site prior to today’s sale.

“Since the catalogue was released, over 4,000 unique viewers visited the online catalogue, and we accepted 197 bids from buyers in Ireland, the UK and France, whilst feedback from clients was overwhelmingly positive in relation to usability and the opportunity to trade that the sale provided.

“While we acknowledge that trade was not strong at all levels, it was pleasing to see the better horses achieve very satisfactory prices.”