The 2022 store sales season kicked off at Tattersalls Ireland on Tuesday with a solid edition of the company’s May Store Sale which produced a top lot of €50,000 and was characterised by good demand for the progeny of various emerging jumping sires.

For the first time since 2019 this one-day auction took place on its intended date having been staged in August last year when it was bolstered by strong array of supplementary entries which yielded prices of €115,000 and €72,000.

This meant that the figures from 2021 were always going to be hard to match but today’s results compared well with any previous editions of this auction.

Of the 207 horses offered 165 were sold for a clearance rate of 80% and a turnover of just over €2.7 million which represented a five point drop on last year.

The average of €16,390 and the €13,000 median fell by 6% and 13% respectively but, in all, this represented a solid day’s trade and ensured the latest round of store sales has gotten off to a satisfactory beginning.

Affinisea gelding

The top price of the day was a €50,000 gelding hailing from the second crop of the Sea The Stars horse Affinisea whose initial runners this year have made a positive impression.

The gelding in question belonged to Elizabeth Davies and he was bought by prominent point-to-point handler Denis Murphy. The latter’s purchase is out of a half-sister to the very useful On Fiddlers Green.

“He is a gorgeous horse. He was my pick of the sale,” said Murphy. “We will get him home, break him in and, please God, we will be back for a point-to-point in the spring. I have not had one by the sire yet, but they have been beating me. I also love the fact that the mare is by Jeremy.”

Bowe stocks up

Another leading point-to-point trainer to make his presence felt was Colin Bowe and the man who has previously produced the likes of Samcro and Envoi Allen stocked up on future talent throughout the day.

Bowe’s spending was headed by a €48,000 son of the Derby winner Workforce who started his stud career in Japan before relocating to Ireland.

His eldest crop in this jurisdiction are four-year-olds and a number of them have made a positive impression in recent months. That impact wasn’t lost on Bowe who saw off various challengers for this relation to the Troytown Chase winner Riverside City.

“We had a nice filly by Workforce and we've been beaten by a few as well. They have been very good in the point-to-points this year and they look like they will stay and jump. This is a big, strong horse with size and scope,” remarked Bowe.

Workforce was also the source of a gelding from Raheenduff Stables who was knocked down to Harley Dunne for €42,000.

“He is a lovely, big individual, he looks a good chasing type. We will get him home, get him broken and get him a good summer of grass and go from there. Hopefully, he will be out next year in a four-year-old point-to-point,” stated Dunne.

David Mullins active

The €42,000 mark was also reached by David Mullins when he secured a son of Well Chosen and the dual winner Grange Walk while the former jockey joined up with Matthew Flynn O’Connor to give €36,000 for a filly by Constitution Hill’s sire Blue Bresil.

Another of the day’s leading lights was a son of Buck’s Boum who is best known in these parts as the sire of the dual Gold Cup hero Al Boum Photo. This gelding was consigned by the Bleahen family’s Liss House and he was snapped up by Joey Logan for €47,000.

“He is a racey type of horse coming from a very good home and I’ve bought him for myself to bring home and get him going. I am not sure yet of long term plans, we will see if he is going to head to the track or go down the point-to-point route,” reported Logan.

Golden Lariat

The talents of the sire Golden Lariat were amply advertised at Fairyhouse last month when his son, Lord Lariat, claimed a famous win for Dermot McLoughlin in the Irish Grand National.

The only gelding on offer by the sire in this sale was in some demand before eventually falling to trainer Sandy Thompson for €35,000 and Thompson already knows the family well as he trains this three-year-old’s own-brother and 2021 Scottish National runner-up Dingo Dollar.

“We came here for him. He is for the owners of Dingo Dollar, and it made sense to buy him, they were wanting a store horse and one to eventually step into Dingo's shoes,” reported Thompson.

COMPARATIVE FIGURES

YEAR CAT OFF SOLD AGGREGATE AVERAGE MEDIAN

2022 230 207 165 €2,704,400 €16,390 €13,000

2021 262 211 164 €2,851,200 €17,385 €15,000

2020 234 170 99 €1,200,900 €12,130 €9,000

2019 230 196 145 €2,563,200 €17,677 €15,000

2018 221 196 148 €2,246,600 €15,180 €13,000