'To have the firepower to buy a horse like him is very exciting' - up-and-coming operators land highly touted Cheltenham top lot at £240,000
In three weeks’ time Prestbury Park will be consumed by the blood and thunder of the Cheltenham Festival. On Friday proceedings were altogether more businesslike at the Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale, with one leading vendor suggesting there was evidence of a market “correction” on show.
The main point of drama was provided by the highly touted Korkoran, who made a winning debut in a Ballinaboola four-year-old maiden point-to-point for Colin Bowe and owner Walter Connors. Those connections were also responsible for Envoi Allen, who won the same race six years ago.
There was a busy finish to this year's contest with only half a length separating the first three. However, the strapping Korkoran, who is still three months shy of his fourth birthday, moved to the front before three out and, despite a slight mistake at the second-last, never really looked like being headed as he saw off the attentions of Let Me Go Boys in second and Seaview Rock in third. An accurate leap at the last helped seal matters for a head victory.
Tom Malone showed a strong interest in the son of No Risk At All but eventually gave best to Ed Bailey and Harry Derham when the price reached £240,000.
“Ed’s been following him for a long time, obviously he’s back and forth to Ireland all the time,” said Derham. “He’s a beautiful model and looks like a real athlete. To have done what he’s done this early in his career, given the type of horse he is, it strikes us that he must be pretty smart.
"To be performing to that level already has to bode well, and when you look at him it’s hard not to wonder how good he’ll look in two years’ time.”
The up-and-coming trainer went on to reveal that the exciting recruit had been sourced on behalf of a new owner to the yard.
“He’s been bought for Ian Barratt, he’s new to us this season and he wants to get a really high-class team of National Hunt horses together,” continued Derham.
“He had a winner in Qatar the other day with Emaraaty Ana, who’s trained by Jamie Osborne. I actually have Jamie to thank as he recommended me, which is very nice of him. I’ve not had a runner for Ian yet but hopefully they’ll have some luck.
"He's really enthusiastic and he and his family are lovely people so hopefully they’re lucky. Obviously you want to try to fill your yard with high-class horses, and to have the firepower to come and buy a horse like him is very exciting.”
This was not the only big purchase Bailey and Derham have landed this month, as they also spent €490,000 on two lots at the Andy and Gemma Brown Dispersal, namely the €320,000 Imagine and the €170,000 Mollys Mango.
Korkoran was bred in France by Haras des Coudraies and is from a family packed with Gallic black type. His dam, the Poliglote mare Kotkieglote, won the Grade 3 Prix Morgex during her time on the track and has since bred four winners under rules. They include Okkido, winner of a Grade 3 at Auteuil, and the Listed-placed Kotkiwell. The dam is a half-sister to two black-type performers, most notably Venetia Williams’ Grade 3-winning chaser Katenko.
“Seamus Murphy bought him for me in France,” said Connors. “He’s from a wonderful family and we’d been a long time hoping to get some horses from that stud farm. He’s the first and we’ve been fond of him all along.
"No Risk At All needs no introduction and he’s a middle of May foal so we thought he might not run until April, but then he came to hand early. Colin does a great job with them and we’re lucky that he keeps a couple of boxes for us every year.”
This was Connors’ second February Sale top lot in succession having also pinhooked Jersey Des Brosses, who sold to Gordon Elliott 12 months ago. The £370,000 acquisition is set to debut in the Gigginstown House Stud colours when he lines up in the Ian Smith Memorial bumper at Fairyhouse on Saturday.
Connors has had plenty of Grade 1 talents through his hands, including Caldwell Potter, who sold to Joey Logan as a €200,000 Goffs Land Rover Sale store. The son of Martaline resold to Highflyer Bloodstock for a record-breaking €740,000 at the Andy and Gemma Brown dispersal earlier in the month.
Asked why the Sluggara Farm man hadn’t taken Korkoran to the store sales, Connors replied: “Because I thought I’d get £350,000 for him today!”
Connors struck a pragmatic tone as he continued his market assessment, saying: “I’d say we’re in a correction, there’s no doubt. But maybe that’s not a bad thing because people might have been a little bit run away with for the last few years. If this is it, we just have to adapt and cut our cloth accordingly.
"It’s a good price for him, but the others are a little more of a struggle. The clearance rate might be more of a worry than the actual top prices. If this is a reflection of where we are, then we’re old enough and long enough at it to go with it and start again. You can’t win every day.”
After a number of private transactions, the sale ended with a clearance rate of 89 per cent, with 34 selling from 38 offered. Those trades generated turnover of £2,469,500, a 43 per cent drop compared to 2023, when seven more lots changed hands. The average was down by 31 per cent to £72,630, while the median was back by 23 points at £60,000, having been £77,500 12 months ago. There were seven six-figure lots on Friday compared to 15 in 2023.
Malone engages reverse gear
Among the lots who changed hands outside of the ring was Donnchadh Doyle’s Jakar Du Moulin. The Belharbour maiden winner was led out unsold at £195,000 but was secured in a private deal by Malone and Paul Nicholls at £175,000.
The five-year-old was bounced out in front by jockey Rob James and showed tactical pace, a willing attitude and some slick jumping to see off the runner-up Better Off Alone by a length and a half.
Jakar Du Moulin debuted on the same day that Fact To File landed a Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival. The pair hail from the same branch of the Monbeg Stables academy and Jakar Du Moulin also won the same maiden that JP McManus’s Cheltenham Festival contender landed during the early stages of his upwardly mobile career.
“He’s a lovely animal and Paul has done very well with Kapgarde,” said Malone, referencing Nicholls-trained talents such as Clan Des Obeaux and Il Ridoto. “He came very highly recommended by Donnchadh Doyle, who we bought Bravemansgame off. He was adamant that this horse should go to Paul.
"He’s a nice horse and he’s done it very well in his point-to-point. He was very game, he jumps well, stays. He did a lot right and won first time out. Paul liked him, and that’s half the battle.”
Bred in France by Remi Juvin and Michel Thibault, Jakar Du Moulin is the seventh foal out of Maguy Des Plages. This makes him a half-brother to Utopia Dream, winner of the Listed Prix Journaliste at Enghien. There is plenty of depth to the pedigree as Il Est Francais appears beneath the fourth dam.
Jakar Du Moulin has made one previous visit to the sales ring having been offered by Brown Island Stables at the 2022 Derby Sale. On that occasion he was signed for by Monbeg Stables at €105,000, making him the operation’s third priciest pinhook that year.
Expanding on the sales ring strategy that led to the private transaction, Malone said: “I had a feeling that he wasn’t going to make such a big price because he's a five-year-old, and Korkoran was 16 lots later, who I was waiting on. I ended up underbidding him so I was able to go backwards and buy Jakar Du Moulin. I wasn’t going to spend it beforehand though as I was waiting for Korkoran.”
Ewart and O’Ryan go Big
The third-top lot came late in the session when wildcard entry Big Zouk was signed for by Bobby O’Ryan and James Ewart at £160,000. The well-built five-year-old made a winning debut at Oldcastle, where he showed plenty of talent as well as his inexperience as he was headed when running green on the run-in before rallying to score by a length.
The son of Milan, the first foal out of a Martaline sister to the Grade 3-winning Viconte Du Noyer, was making his third appearance on the public market. He first changed hands for €42,000 when signed for by Luke Cummins at the Goffs December Sale, before Denis Murphy’s Ballyboy Stables upgraded his price to €55,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale in 2022.
“I think he’s an old fashioned chaser and a particularly lovely horse,” said Ewart. “We liked the way he won because he got headed, looked like he was going to get beat but then found again and won going away.
"I thought it was unusual as they’d pulled away from the field, so I’m sure he’s a very nice horse. He’s the sort of horse you dream about owning, it’s as simple as that.”
Ewart could not reveal the identity of his client but explained the owner was a new investor to the industry.
“I’ve bought him for a new owner and I hope he brings him a great deal of luck, because you need a bit of luck in this game,” said the Dumfriesshire-based trainer. “But when you start with a horse like this, well, please God things will go the right way. He’s new to racing and a new owner to me.
“I can’t name him at the moment but he’s sold a business, done well for himself, and we need guys like him to invest in the sport. The brief was to find a horse that’s good enough to go south with for the spring festivals. Maybe in a year or two's time this will be that horse.
"We wanted something that was proven physically and mentally and stood up. This is a great way to buy a horse because you know they’ve gone out and done it.”
O’Ryan and Ewart also signed at £80,000 for Ballinaboola runner-up Old But Gold, who also came from Murphy’s Ballyboy Stables’ draft.
Bailey salutes for £150,000 General
Kim Bailey landed the sale’s first six-figure lot when securing Clondaw General at £150,000. The grey son of Milan made a winning debut at Cragmore for Michael Goff of Moate Stables, scoring by three and a half lengths after taking up the running before two out.
Both buyer and seller were adamant the five-year-old, who hails from the same pedigree as Grand National contender Coko Beach, was one for the future.
“I’m over the moon with that result and I think this is a very good horse,” said Goff. “I wish Kim Bailey all the best with him because I think he’ll be a Graded horse in time. He’s a proper horse and I’ve loved him all the way through. I can’t talk him up enough.
"The reason we didn’t run him at four is he’s tall and weak and we let him mature. He’s improving every day. I know he’ll have a big future.”
Clondaw General was another taking his third turn through the sales, and this was by far his most fruitful visit to the ring having cost Brown Island Stables €40,000 as a foal before Joe Roberts signed at €48,000 as a store.
“He won't run again this spring, we will ride him around the farm for a couple of weeks and then we’ll turn him away,” said Bailey. “He’s for an existing owner in the yard. He looks like a lovely horse, his video is very good and he’s an eyecatching horse.
"This sort of horse does not grow on trees, and I like the sire too. That was my last bid, though, and was probably one more than I'd planned, but luckily the owner was on the end of the phone.”
Goff also sold the £105,000 Karma Police, who came home six lengths to the good when debuting in a four-year-old maiden at Kirkistown. He was knocked down to agent Jerry McGrath. Karma Police is out of a Lavrico half-sister to Mysoko, a Grade 3 winner at Auteuil who also finished runner-up to Cyrlight in the Grade 1 Prix Maurice Gillois and the Prix Ferdinand Dufaure.
He is also a son of It’s Gino, meaning he shares his sire with the likes of Datsalrightgino, Lalor and odds-on JCB Triumph Hurdle favourite Sir Gino, who was also sourced by McGrath.
The same agent also teamed up with Ben Pauling to land three lots for a combined £292,000, a spend that made the pair the sale’s leading buyers. Their priciest acquisition was The Jukebox Kid, who cost £130,000 when presented by Cormac Doyle’s branch of Monbeg Stables.
The Jukebox Kid ran out an easy winner of his first start between the flags, with the margin of victory at Tinahely no less than 16 lengths. That eyecatching performance is backed up by a pedigree that received a notable update just 24 hours before The Jukebox Kid broke his maiden.
He is a half-brother to the Gavin Cromwell-trained Yeah Man, who landed the Grade 3 Grand National Trial at Haydock the day before the Tinahely meeting.
The Jukebox Kid was purchased by Monbeg Stables from the 2022 Derby Sale, where he fetched €31,000 when offered by Brandon View Stud.
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