HORSES purchased for prices ranging from just €1,000 up to €70,000 feature among the 51 entries for the valuable €120,000 Irish EBF Auction Series Race Final at Naas on Sunday, October 15th.

King Cuan, a €21,000 purchase for trainer Paddy Twomey, is one of those in contention and the promising juvenile could return to Naas eyeing more big-race success at the track after winning the Goffs Sportsman’s Challenge on Thursday (see page 41).

The Red Lily Syndicate-owned King Cuan has already won over €67,000 in prize money and, with the potential to win €72,000 as first prize money in the final, it shows the incredible amount of money available to connections of two-year-olds in this area.

Noel Meade

The Irish EBF remain committed to being the largest sponsor of races in Ireland and trainer Noel Meade is hoping to snare more major honours in the series having won the final with Lady Of Inishfree in 2021.

Meade’s Caught U Looking, Kiki Roberts, Nitti and Tatum all remain in the final with Caught U Looking and Kiki Roberts already having won this year.

“It’s hard to win two-year-old races in Ireland but this series is a great initiative,” Meade said. “The races are worth good money and to have the final at the end of it, it really is great.”

Kiki Roberts was a €5,500 purchase and collected €15,000 when scoring at Navan, while Meade’s charge Caught U Looking won the same prize when winning at Leopardstown having been purchased for €27,000 last year.

“They are both fillies and they were both cheaply bought. This series gives ordinary folk a chance and people with lesser money are able to buy a horse and compete in these races.

“It is a good selling point for us,” Meade added. “It is nice to be able to say to somebody that we have these races to run in and then the final at the end. The maidens are worth €20,000 and some of them are worth €25,000 and it really is great money without running into the top sires and the very expensive two-year-olds.”

Harrington’s hopefuls

Jessica Harrington is another trainer eyeing Naas next month. Harrington saddled Panic Alarm to win the Irish EBF Auction Series Race Final at Naas last year in fine style and owners Hronis Racing may well be represented again next month by Going Remote.

Harrington is responsible for four entries with Sea The Boss booking her place in the race with victory at Tipperary and a subsequent good run at the Leopardstown during the Irish Champions Festival.

Kate Harrington commented: “Sea The Boss won down at Tipperary and she backed that up six days later at Leopardstown with a good run in the Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle Stakes. We’ve also got Going Remote who might be able to get into the series final for the same connections that won the race last year with Panic Alarm.”

Cork Racecourse will host the most valunable nursery to be run in Ireland this year, the €50,000 Irish EBF Auction Series Nursery Handicap over six furlongs. The race is one of the auction series finals, where combined prize money on offer is €170,000.

To enter you must have run or declared and balloted from at least one race in the Irish EBF Auction Series and entries close on Thursday, September 21st for the six-furlong contest.

As the yearling sales become the main focus of attention off the track for trainers, many connections will make their purchases with the 25 valuable qualifying races of the Irish EBF Auction Series and additional two lucrative final races firmly in their mind.

Joe Foley, chairman of the Irish EBF, said: “The Irish EBF Auction Series is hitting all the targets it set out to achieve when created by the Irish EBF board and HRI.

“The main purpose of the series was to give valuable race opportunities to horses bought at the middle to lower end of the auction market. Now trainers and owners are sourcing yearlings to target at the series and with a good horse you can win significant prize money, increase their value, sell them on or target one of the two finals available to them.”