Gordon Elliott paid €350,000 at Tattersalls Ireland on Thursday for a half-brother to his three Grade 1 winners Caldwell Potter, Mighty Potter and Brighterdaysahead.

The Doctor Dino three-year-old gelding, who was sold by Walter Connors of Sluggara Farm, topped the two-day Derby Sale by some distance and is the joint-second highest price horse ever sold at the Derby Sale.

In front of a packed sales ring, bidding kicked off at €100,000, raced through to €270,000 with trainer Emmet Mullins on the telephone and bidding, Eddie O'Leary joining in the action at €275,000.

The two traded blows, Mullins being the one to round up to €300,000, but it was the quick-bidding O'Leary, standing on the balcony and by the bid board with trainer Gordon Elliott and agent Mouse O'Ryan, who claimed the final honours at the €350,000 year's best figure. O'Leary signed the docket for Gordon Elliott Racing.

"We have had most of the family and we have been very lucky and we are looking forward to him," said Elliott. "He is a very athletic horse, he is not too unlike Mighty Potter, he looks a nice sort and is for an existing client. We will be hoping we could bring him back for 'the bumper', that is the first plan."

With the horse safely back at the stable, Connors said: "I am obviously delighted, he was always a star horse in our mind and we were not going to come if he did not match his pedigree as we point-to-point our own horses anyway. I am delighted and thrilled that Gordon is training him as he has done so well with the family, and Eddie has been very good to us over the years – he bought Don Cossack and Quito De La Roque."

The 17-year-old dam Matnie, by Laveron, has produced five Grade 1 and Grade 2 winners (including French Dynamite and Indiana Jones) - all her runners to date - and Connors updated the on her latest news.

"She has lost her foal already, but we will do our best by her, we appreciate what she has done for us, she earned her corner in the field," he said.

He added: "Izzy and Harry, two of my children, are interested and it has been a great family occasion for us. Shane and Rachel work in the yard with us and they have done a great job with him, they have managed to treat him just the same as any other horse."

Today’s second-best priced horse, a gelding by Harzand, was bought for €185,000 by Tom Malone and Paul Nicholls.

Sold by Oaks Farm Stables, the three-year-old gelding is a half-brother to Arizona Cardinal (Kayf Tara), winner of this year’s Topham Chase, and out of Mathine, a half-sister to the Gold Cup and two-time King George VI winner Long Run.

It was a highly successful pinhook result – the gelding was bought last year in France as a two-year-old by Church Farm for €80,000.

Malone said: "He is a beautiful horse, and his half-sister was the Grade 3 winner at Aintree this spring, it is just a happening pedigree."

Malone and Nicholls paid €130,000 for a No Risk At All gelding from Kieran Shield's Stone Lodge Stud.

The demand for stock by No Risk At All has been red-hot this week. On Wednesday Kirk and Mullins paid €185,000 for one of his three-year-olds and on Thursday the same buyers spent €125,000 for another gelding by the sire of Allaho, Epatante and Allegorie De Vassy.

Kilminfoyle House Stud consigned a Goliath Du Berlais gelding whp was bought by Grande Ville Racing for €160,000. He is out of the Grade 3 winner and multiple graded-placed mare Martalette (Martaline), and was pinhooked as a foal at the Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale in 2021 for €68,000 by JC Bloodstock.

Ger Morrin, who was taking instructions on the telephone ringside, outbid Gerry Hogan standing on the balcony in company with trainer Paul Nolan.

Morrin said: "We planned to come up and buy a nice horse – we loved this lad and he has a lovely pedigree. He won't take too long and should be a bumper and hurdling sort, and then can go on to jump a fence, too. The sire is very good and well-regarded.”

Over the two-day sale 25 lots sold for €100,000 or more, with the sale producing a turnover of €13,969,500 (-13%), an average price of €47,841 (-11%), a median of €38,000 (-12%) and horses sold at a clearance rate of 79%, compared to 80% last year.

Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins commented: "Once again, the Derby Sale has proven why it is held in the highest regard by National Hunt vendors and purchasers. The previous 49 editions have produced an illustrious roll of honour, and I have no doubt that our class of 2024 will produce horses competing on the biggest stage. The Derby Sale has yet again produced the highest-priced store sold anywhere in Ireland and the UK, a milestone particularly celebrated in its 50th year. This year’s sale also saw 25 lots surpassing €100,000, more than any other store sale.

"While achieving a €350,000 top price is a notable success, it's crucial to note that the market remains selective. With a clearance rate of 79% and average and median prices of €47,841 and €38,000, respectively, we observe a market that, while solid, reflects cautious buyer sentiment compared to previous years.

“Our consignors showed trust in providing us with the best Stores that Ireland and the UK had to offer. We ensured our vendors received the interest that the exceptional quality of their stock deserved, and it was reassuring to see so many Irish and UK buyers in attendance. We had the biggest names in National Hunt racing looking to add to their strings this week, and that exemplifies the regard in which the Derby Sale is held.

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