The talented racemare Robin De Carlow fetched €70,000 to hold sway at the Tattersalls Ireland February National Hunt Sale on Tuesday.

The sale returned to its traditional slot at the start of the Irish sales calendar with a heartening level of activity.

After being shelved last year due to the ongoing pandemic the one-day auction played host to an encouraging day’s trade as turnover topped €2 million for the first time in 14 years while the average of €13,064 (up 14% on 2020) was a record for the sale.

The median of €9,000 was marginally down on the €9,250 figure from 2020 while the clearance rate was 60%.

Robin De Carlow was a wildcard entry and the Willie Mullins inmate boasted a race record that was always likely to make her the leading light at this year’s sale.

As a hurdler she won at Grade 3 and listed level and she also won at Grade 3 level as a chaser with that success coming at the expense of Put The Kettle On at Tipperary in October 2019.

A number of different parties made a play for the nine-year-old daughter of Robin Des Champs before Ballincurrig House Stud’s Michael Moore carried the day with a bid of €70,000.

“She’s been bought for an English client (Simon Cox) of the farm and he plans to breed and race the progeny. She’s a lovely, quality mare with a good race record. There was lots to like about her,” stated Moore.

No Risk At All yearling

The day’s top yearling was a €62,000 son of No Risk At All and this Ballincurrig House Stud offering had plenty to recommend him on pedigree.

As well as sharing his sire with the likes of Allaho and Epatante he is a son of a quality French racemare in Princesse Kap who notched up six blacktype successes headed by a Grade 2 triumph at Auteuil.

The Yorton Farm team tried hard for this colt but at €62,000 it was Kieran Shields who struck the winning bid for this colt who will return for sale as a three-year-old.

“I bought him privately from the breeder, who is based in Normandy,” recalled Ballincurrig’s Michael Moore. “A friend happened to be in the yard and saw the foal and rang me, we bought him together.

"No Risk At All is a brilliant stallion and the dam was a good race mare. No Risk At All is very sought-after and sold well in the autumn, so we thought we'd come and chance our arm”.

Sport horse producer

It was another good day for the progeny of the in demand Walk In The Park and the Montjeu horse’s offerings were headed by a colt out of the Grade 3-placed Myztique who fetched €60,000. Wexford-based Jason Higgins, a well know producer of sport horses, signed for this colt.

“He is by a very popular sire, he is a lovely loose-moving colt and I couldn’t not fault him. We'll see how it goes, he might be resold as a store horse or we might race or point-to-point him," reported Higgins.

The point-to-point field is the ultimate destination for a €54,000 son of Milan who was knocked down to James Doyle. The latter’s purchase is out of a half-sister to the brilliant novice hurdler Appreciate It who could make his eagerly awaited return to action against Honeysuckle at Leopardstown this weekend.

“He’s a lovely horse with a bit of size and strength. He looks like he should grow into a fine three-year-old and if he came back as a store he would probably cost double. He’s from a great family that has been lucky for us in the past and I’d say he will go point-to-pointing in time,” declared Doyle.

Frisby purchase

Dick Frisby and his son J.J. were busy adding to their purchases from earlier in the winter and they forked out €50,000 for a Walk In The Park gelding who was among a handful of two-year-olds who were offered at the outset of the session.

A return to the sales ring as a three-year-old is the plan for this relation to the Pertemps Final third Not Many Left.

The Glenwood Stud team also forked out €48,000 for a Blue Bresil colt out of an own-sister to the Cheltenham bumper third Wait A Minute.

Minella Indo relative

Gearoid O’Loughlin paid €50,000 for a son of Sholokhov whose prowess as a jumping stallion has been underlined by the likes of Bob Olinger and Shishkin over the last couple of seasons. This colt was offered by the Lalor family’s Rathkenty Stud and he is out of a winning half-sister to Minella Indo.

“I thought he was a belter and he’s a very well bred horse with plenty of options. He could come back as a three-year-old or he could go down the point-to-point route but firstly he will go back to the family farm in Clare,” reported O’Loughlin.

The popularity of Crystal Ocean’s first crop was once again in evidence when Timmy Hillman forked out €45,000 for a relation to Battleoverdoyen while Ian Ferguson spent €46,000 on a Blue Bresil colt from the family of First Lieutenant.

COMPARATIVE FIGURES

YEAR CAT OFF SOLD AGGREGATE AVERAGE MEDIAN

2022 314 280 167 €2,181,750 €13,064 €9,000

2020 321 294 168 €1,928,950 €11,482 €9,250

2019 327 297 167 €1,940,600 €11,620 €7,500

2018 291 258 164 €1,882,794 €11,480 €7,500

2017 350 299 170 €1,666,900 €9,805 €7,200

2016 309 276 159 €1,472,350 €9,260 €5,800