AS reported in last week’s thoroughbred sales pages in this paper and in a lovely video online, Galway show jumper Michael Duffy popped into the Tattersalls Ireland sales last Thursday week and he made a somewhat surprise purchase as the top bidder at €25,000 on Lot 714, a yearling colt by Alkumait, who stands at Ger O’Neill’s Capital Stud in Bennettsbridge, Co Kilkenny.

“I wasn’t really planning on it when I came in,” Duffy said afterwards. “I am at home for a few days and we called in here, I am delighted to get him, he’s a beautiful type. I hope he can race in my colours. I think I will send him to England, I’m not sure yet.”

Duffy added: “Jim Crowley is a good friend of mine, that is why I picked Alkumait. He said he was one of the most talented horses he ever rode. He told me a couple of years ago to use him, so I have an Alkumait foal as well who I bred, so when I saw the page of this one my eye was on him.”

Duffy, who was part of the silver medal-winning Irish team at the FEI European Championships in Milan 12 months ago and won his first five-star Grand Prix earlier this year in Miami, was fresh from the WBFSH World Breeding Championships in Lanaken, where he won bronze with the Ballypatrick Stables-bred BP Royalty.

“Most of my show jumpers are in Germany, but I still spend time in England and I’ve got a lot of horses in Galway,” Duffy added.