‘Nice horses don’t come cheap’ - colts by Walk In The Park and Vadamos top stormy Doncaster January Sale

Storm Isha may have wreaked travel havoc but the tempestuous conditions weren’t enough to stop Irish pinhookers descending on the Goffs UK January Sale in Doncaster on Tuesday, when top-lot honours were shared between a pair of colts who fetched £68,000 apiece. 

The first buyer to go to the session-topping sum was Tom Howley as he saw off the attentions of Peter Molony to land the Vadamos colt out of Banjaxed Girl from Little Lodge Farm. Not only did the dam win two Listed races herself but she has gone on to breed two black-type winners at paddocks in the Listed scorer Kid Commando and the high-class Le Milos, who struck in the 2022 running of the Coral Gold Cup. 

Howley operates out of Brook Lodge Farm in Galway alongside his partner Caoimhe Doherty, who produces National Hunt youngsters as well as managing Forenaghts Stud and working as co-founder of the retraining and rehoming project Treo Eile. 

“He was my pick of the sale,” said Howley. “He has a fantastic pedigree, he’s out of a very good dam and I’m a big fan of the sire. I’ve bought a couple of foals by Vadamos and I think he has a good chance of being a successful jumps sire. 

"We’ll see what he grows into before we decide where he goes. We gave a bit more than I’d planned but nice horses don’t come cheap and he stood out here. He looks like a nice type so I’m happy to get him.” 

Howley added: “We’ve bought ten or 12 foals and we’ve the same sort of number of three-year-olds for this year’s sales. We’re just trying to up the quality each year.” 

Vadamos began his stallion career at Tally-Ho Stud but switched to Coolmore’s National Hunt division at Grange Stud in 2021, meaning his oldest jumps-bred crop has just turned two. 

He has already been represented by one Grade 1 performer in Royal Bond Novice Hurdle runner-up King Of Kingsfield, while his shuttle stints mean he also has a top-flight winner on the Flat too as the New Zealand-bred La Crique won the Group 1 Arrowfield Stud Plate at Matamata.

Molony got on the scoresheet himself later in the session when he went to £68,000 for the Walk In The Park colt out of Native Sunrise, who also came from the Little Lodge draft. The April-born weanling is a three-parts brother to the Grade 2 International Hurdle winner Guard Your Dreams, who is by another son of Montjeu in Fame And Glory. 

“He’s a lovely horse by the sire everybody wants and he has a good pedigree too, so he ticked all the boxes,” said Molony. “He’ll be brought back as a three-year-old. That’s the second Walk In The Park we’ve bought. What he’s doing is freakish. Every weekend he’s having Graded winners. He’s definitely a freakish sire.” 

National Hunt pinhookers have shown an insatiable appetite for the progeny of Walk In The Park and Blue Bresil, although for his part Molony said the stock of those stallions formed only part of his overall portfolio.

Little Lodge Farm's Walk In The Park three-parts brother to Guard Your Dreams sells to Rathmore Stud for £68,000 at the Goffs January SaleCredit: Goffs

“That’s 22 foals I’ve bought now by 14 or 15 different sires,” he said. “Some of those are French sires, some of those are British sires, it’s good to have a spread. The market can change and these horses won’t be coming back for two years’ time. You have to speculate on some younger sires too, you can’t only have Walk In The Parks and Blue Bresils.” 

The acquisition of the Walk In The Park colt proved something of a triumph of perseverance as not only had Molony been outbid earlier in the day but he was among those whose journey over from Ireland was impacted by the stormy weather. 

“It was horrendous,” he said. “I flew over on Sunday and sat at Dublin airport for ten hours before taking off!”

The session generated turnover of £1,183,300, which was down 42 per cent year on year. This shift is easily accounted for as a significant number of potential lots took up a slot in last year’s British National Hunt Breeders Showcase instead, an event that grossed £1,277,500. 

However, Tuesday’s clearance rate will be of greater concern as only 81 (61 per cent) of 133 offered lots found a buyer. Those transactions generated an average price of £14,610, which is up 14 per cent, and a median of £7,000, which is identical to 2023. 

Drumlin takes a £64,000 Risk

Conor Cashman of Drumlin Bloodstock had the final say at £64,000 when Goldford Stud presented the No Risk At All colt out of Stone Light, a winning half-sister to the prolific French performer Cyrlight, whose successes include a brace of Grade 1s at Auteuil. 

“We love the sire,” said Cashman. “He doesn’t have that much stock on the ground but we thought this one was a standout today; he’s got a lovely walk, a good step, good size. We’ll probably bring him back for resale, maybe back here or the Arkle Sale, we’ll have to see how he turns out in time.” 

Goldford Stud's No Risk At All colt realises £64,000 to Drumlin Bloodstock at the Goffs January SaleCredit: Goffs

Haras de Montaigu’s No Risk At All has emerged as one of the most potent sources of National Hunt talent in recent seasons, supplying the likes of Allaho, Allegorie De Vassy, Epatante and Esprit Du Large. 

Cashman added: “We bought a mare in foal to No Risk At All so we’re looking forward to seeing what that foal’s like, but he’s an exciting sire and we’re delighted to be involved with this lad. French sires are very hot at the moment but that’s just fashion. 

"We try to do our best all the time with whatever we have. I thought I might have got him for a little bit less but the nice ones are hard to buy. There’s a syndicate of us involved so fingers crossed he’s lucky for us all.” 

As well as Cyrlight, the mare is also a half-sister to the French Listed winner Park Light, while another sibling is the dam of the classy Ballyhill. 

Goldford Stud also offered the Nathaniel colt out of French Grade 3 winner Polygona, who was knocked down to Michael Haggas at £58,000. 

Manor Farm makes its mark

Irish buyers may have dominated the top of the market but the day’s biggest spenders were Craig and Laura Buckingham of Manor Farm Bloodstock in north-east Lincolnshire, with a brace of buys fetching a combined £86,000. The pricier of the pair was the Blue Bresil colt out of the Grade 3-winning and Grade 1-placed Good Thyne Tara, who fetched £54,000. 

When asked what appealed about the Walshtown Stables-consigned youngster, Craig Buckingham said: “Well, it’s Blue Bresil! The mare was a very good racemare too, it’s a good cross, and if we can keep him sound and bring him back here [for resale] then hopefully he’ll do us proud. He’s a lovely type and we liked the way he moved, we thought he’d be a nice prospect.” 

Walshtown Stables' Blue Bresil colt out of the high-class Good Thyne Tara is knocked down to Manor Farm Bloodstock for £54,000Credit: Goffs

Just two lots later Buckingham went to £32,000 for the Maxios half-brother to Stoner’s Choice from Mill House Stud. 

“I loved him,” said the buyer. “It might be wrong to say this but I actually liked him more than the Blue Bresil. There’s just something about him that took my eye. 

"I was told a few years ago that if you’re going to buy a horse you have to fall in love with it because you’re going to have to look at it every day. I really liked him, he’s a lovely type and I think he was good value.” 

Expanding on their bloodstock interests, Buckingham added: “We’ve got a breeding programme at home with 18 mares, a mix of Flat and National Hunt, and every year we pinhook a couple of youngsters to go with the stock we have at home. 

“We’re looking for nice-quality, young horses that we can bring on and then bring back here either at next year’s two-year-old sale or as store horses. It’s early days but we have some nice stock at home and we’re looking forward to getting them on the market.”  

Richard Frisby of Glenwood Stud went to £43,000 for the daughter of Walk In The Park who claimed the title of the session’s most expensive filly. The youngster, who was offered by Harris Piece Stud on behalf of Ballykilty Farm, is the second foal out of Salsaretta, winner of the Grade 2 Dawn Run Mares Novice Chase for Willie Mullins and Rich Ricci. 

“Hopefully she’ll come back here or the Arkle Sale, one or the other, as a three-year-old,” said Frisby. “She’s a nice filly with a good pedigree and is a good solid type. Walk In The Park is the top of the pile when it comes to National Hunt stallions.”

Coleman collects broodmare section leading light

The broodmare section of the catalogue was capped by Lime Avenue at £43,000. The Walk In The Park half-sister to Rogue Angel won two races for Paul Nicholls and Highclere and is set to return to the Rathkenty Stud paddocks in which she was raised after being knocked down to agent Matt Coleman. 

“I bought her for John Lalor at Rathkenty Stud, who trades under Carrigeen Bloodstock,” said Coleman. “They actually bred her and obviously they’re top breeders with horses like Minella Indo. They’ve got a couple of very good families and she’s from one of them. They sold her as a foal and were keen to have her home to breed from.” 

Lime Avenue had been to the sales on two previous occasions, first fetching €20,000 from Liss House as a foal before Mags O’Toole and Tom Malone combined at €110,000 at the 2020 Derby Sale.  

The sale opened with a collection of horses-in-training and Ellmarie Holden’s Coolmeen Stables draft provided the bulk of the interest. 

Frisby, a six-year-old son of Flemensfirth, fetched £40,000 from trainer Patrick Neville after winning a Dromahane maiden, while Aled Evans went to the same price for the winning hurdler Karuma Grey. Although the draft was billed as a dispersal, Holden confirmed she had plenty of promising youngsters to look forward to later in the year.  

Ellmarie Holden: plenty to look forward to despite selling some stock in Doncaster on TuesdayCredit: Patrick McCann

“It’s just a case of out with the older horses so we can focus on the younger stock,” she said. “We were busy enough showing after lunch yesterday and it’s been mayhem this morning as everyone came to look at the horses all at the one time. It’s been a very busy morning but we sold everything so we’re really happy with the way the sale’s gone.” 

The Coolmeen Stables consignment saw five lots fetch a combined £147,000.

Holden is perhaps best known for having produced future Grade 1 winner Jonbon, who went from €140,000 store to a record-setting pointer at £570,000 after an impressive success at Dromahane. The brother to Douvan is long odds-on for the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday. 

“It’s a great excitement following him and, please God, everything goes to plan for Nicky [Henderson] and his team this week,” said Holden. “Hopefully we’ll have a few more like him coming through the ranks. We’ve got 35 at home and some nice four-year-olds who’ll hopefully be out in the coming weeks. There’s some nice ones for the spring too, so hopefully they can do the job on the day and we’ll be back to another few sales.” 

Holden will also be at Cheltenham on Saturday as she is selling recent Tinahely mares' maiden winner Locken Lady at the Tattersalls Cheltenham January Sale. 

She said: “She won very impressively and we think an awful lot of her so hopefully she’ll sell well.”

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