Honeysuckle silks to be displayed at Irish National Stud following six-figure sale at Goffs Punchestown

Honeysuckle's auction story came full circle in the Punchestown winner's enclosure on Thursday night as the silks carried to victory by the champion in her 13 Grade 1 triumphs were bought by the man who purchased her six years' ago, knocked down to him by the same auctioneer, Nick Nugent, who wielded the gavel when Peter Molony bought the then-four-year-old Honeysuckle for €110,000.

The symmetry was almost perfect as the silks cost just €5,000 less than the daughter of Sulamani did, but the blue and white fabric were not only signed by trainer Henry de Bromhead, jockey Rachael Blackmore, who wore them on each of those 13 occasions, and Kenny Alexander, the businessman who owns Honeysuckle and her first foal, a daughter of Walk In The Park, but they are imbued with the emotion and history the iconic mare created over the course of five spectacular seasons.

Honeysuckle's silks were donated by Alexander in support of the ChildVision Equine Centre in Drumcondra, Dublin, that is to be named in honour of Jack de Bromhead, the young son of Henry and Heather de Bromhead and brother of Georgia and Mia, who died in a pony racing accident in September 2022.

Molony, who is racing manager to Alexander, revealed the very welcome destination for the silks.

The Honeysuckle silks which will be displayed at the Irish National StudCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

"We felt that they were too important to go into a private collection and that they should be made public and be seen. So, I approached Cathal Beale from the Irish National Stud and he was delighted to get on board, so we’re delighted. 

"They’ll go to the stud now and hopefully a lot of people will enjoy them. Look, there are a lot of people who have pledged money to this and got behind it. There are too many to name, but we’re so grateful to everyone who has made this possible.”

A fundraising campaign, initiated by Killeen Glebe's Chris Jones, who has been a longstanding owner in the De Bromhead yard and with the blessing of Jack's parents helped raise the €1,000,000 required to complete the centre.

The €105,000 raised by the sale of the silks will go towards the facility's operating costs.

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