THE second and final session of the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale on Thursday produced another solid, if not spectacular, set of results.

In keeping with the opening day, the clearance rate again failed to live up to last year. After the two days of trade 80% of the offered lots changed hands, leading to a drop in the overall aggregate from €18,587,000 in 2022 to €16,075,000. The median of €43,000 and the average of €53,583 also dipped by 14% and 7.5% respectively.

The sale topper came late in the day when Timmy Hillman’s Castledillon Stud offered a handsome Kayf Tara gelding. A number of bidders made a play for the son of the three-time winner Miss Bailly, including Ian Ferguson and Matt Coleman but it was Eddie O’Leary, standing alongside Gordon Elliott, who won the battle when the hammer dropped at €265,000.

Elliott also has care of the horse’s full-brother Romeo Coolio who he bought for £420,000 at the Cheltenham Festival Sale in March after the four-year-old won a point-to-point for the Monbeg team. “I thought he was the stand-out for the sale," Elliott said. "He looks the part and he also looks a little like his brother."

It was a first sale-topper for Straffan-based Castledillon Stud and the farm’s Timmy Hillman was understandably delighted with the transaction. “We bought him privately off Will Kinsey during Covid. He was a smasher at the time. He has done nothing wrong at all and let's hope he is lucky for his new owners,” the vendor said.

Amazing pinhook

Johnny Collins must be shortlisted for pinhook of the week after he sold a Doctor Dino gelding to Ian Ferguson for €240,000. The horse has only been under the care of Collins for five months having been purchased by his Brown Island Stables for £58,000 at Goffs UK on January 24th.

The chesnut is out of the four-time winner Countess Comet who has bred one winner from two runners and who is a half-sister to the multiple flat stakes winner Air Pilot. “There was no imagination when I bought him, it was only a matter of keeping him for a few months as he was a lovely three-year-old then,” the vendor said.

“I bought him to come here. I wanted something by this stallion. I’d been trying to buy one by him in France but I couldn’t get my hands on one. He is an amazing sire and this horse is an incredible mover. He’s the same horse in January as he is now, he came from a good farm and was well prepped, I was just in the right place at the right time, so it’s a lovely result,” Collins added.

Ian Ferguson was acting on behalf of owner Wilson Dennison and said: “He will go and be broken and after that a decision will be made as to whether he goes to a trainer or down the point-to-point route. I would think it’s possible that he will go to a trainer. He is a scopey sort and is by a sire that can do no wrong at present. I loved him as an individual and thought he was the nicest horse in the sale. I’ve seen him since Monday but I didn’t think I’d have to give that sort of money for him.”

An hour before that Collins had another good result in the ring when offering a filly from the well-received first crop of French stallion and Grade 1 winning hurdler Beaumec De Houelle. The grey was the subject of a lengthy bidding battle between the Mariga family, who sold the opening day session topper, and Bobby O’Ryan.

It was O’Ryan who lasted the longest to secure the half-sister to the Paul Nicholls trained admirable chaser Yala Enki for €160,000. “She is a lovely filly, O’Ryan said. “She is for a client who is looking for a race filly and then a broodmare. No training plans have been made as yet. I’ve been very lucky with Johnny [Collins] and have bought two Royal Ascot winners from him.

"I was hoping to get her for a bit less, as I always want a bit of value. I saw her the other day, and she was the one I liked the best. I spoke to my client yesterday and he said to see what we could do.”

Johnny Collins had 11 horses catalogued over the two days and commented on the filly, already named Kisuton Enki: “I bought her privately in France as a foal. It is difficult to find fillies with pages like this, and she is a lovely filly too. She was always going to be a valuable filly as she has residual value."

Bryan Cooper buys

Doctor Dino’s nine stores offered sold for an average of €137,777 and they included a gelding offered by Ballyreddin & Busherstown. This half-brother to three winners out of Heritage River is a French bred with a rather Irish-sounding name in Sionainn. He was bought by Bryan Cooper for €170,000.

The former jockey was bidding alongside his father Tom and said: "We have waited for him all day. He is for a new owner of Dad's who has given us an order. He is going home to be trained and, hopefully, he is a racehorse. I love the Doctor Dinos. I’ve ridden the likes of State Man when in with Willie Mullins in the mornings and his stock just have a great attitude."

The gelding showed a nice return for his vendors having been bought as a yearling in France by Hamish Macauley for €46,000.

Tom Malone resumed his spending spree in conjunction with Paul Nicholls when going to €165,000 for a son of Authorized consigned by Ballincurrig House Stud. Named Authorizedetou, he has the distinction of being out of a full-sister to dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo and is the second produce out of his dam Diteou.

"He has been bought for John Hales," Malone said. "Paul saw him when he was here yesterday and this is his type of horse, a lovely big staying chaser in the making with a lovely page. Paul was very sweet on him.

"I think we’ve bought him well and we are very happy to have got him. We haven’t had too many by Authorized, but he speaks for himself. He is good stallion and he can get you a very, very good horse,” he added.

Malone was back in the hot seat soon after when purchasing a Flemensfirth gelding from Park Farm for €140,000. The bay is out of the listed hurdler En Vedette who has bred four winners including the Grade 2 placed Sabrina and is also bound for Nicholls’ Ditcheat stable.

The same price of €140,000 was reached when a son of Walk In The Park from Norman Williamson’s Oak Tree Farm was hammered down to Gerry Aherne on behalf of M.V. Magnier. This one is out of Fair Ina which makes him a half-sister to the brilliant but ill-fated Fayonagh from the close family of another brilliant racemare in Solerina.

Another for Hales

Another horse destined to carry the yellow and red silks of John Hales is a Flemensfirth gelding from Mick Fitzpatrick’s Kilminfoyle House Stud. Highflyer’s Tessa Greatrex was the last one standing when the hammer fell at €120,000 and she revealed: "He has been bought for John Hales and is going to Dan Skelton. He is a lovely sort, really light on his feet. You can't go wrong with Flemensfirth and the sire has worked with the family already.”

Dick and J.J. Frisby of Glenwood Stud enjoyed a pair of lucrative pinhooks on Thursday. First up was a filly by Walk In The Park who sold for €95,000 to Tom Malone and Paul Nicholls. The bay, who was bought as a foal by the Frisbys for €18,500, is out of the Saint Des Saints mare Blue Berlais and is a half-sister to the nine-time winner Thirtyfourstitches.

Glenwood then offered another Walk In The Park, this time a gelding and he was bought by Kevin Ross Bloodstock and Ben Case for €140,000. The son of Fairyhill, herself a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Bellshill, was a €44,000 foal purchase by the Frisbys in 2020.

The 21-year-old Walk In The Park was certainly flavour of the day and another one of his sons commanded €140,000 when bought by Aiden and Olly Murphy. From Luke Barry’s Manister House Stud, he is a half-brother to two top class horses in Might Bite and Beat That who amassed six Grade 1 victories between them.

The Doyles' Monbeg Stables was once again the leading purchaser at the two-day sale, spending almost €1.5 million on 27 horses. However, the two British-based teams of Olly and Aiden Murphy and Tom Malone and Paul Nicholls spent just as much on 12 horses when their spending is combined.

SEE ALL THE DERBY SALE RESULTS HERE