Butchers tops the bill for €100,000 Tattersalls Ireland George Mernagh Memorial Sales Bumper

Butchers Bill

Tattersalls Ireland George Mernagh Memorial Sales Bumper (5.30 Fairyhouse, Sunday)

What's the story?

Last year's most expensive store makes his racecourse debut in a bumper confined to graduates of Tattersalls Ireland store sales and Butchers Bill, the €265,000 topper of the company's flagship Derby Sale, represents the powerful Gordon Elliott and Gigginstown House Stud alliance.

How is he bred?

A son of Kayf Tara, who was the best National Hunt stallion based in the UK, Butchers Bill is the younger full-brother of Champion Bumper runner-up Romeo Coolio. Trained by Gordon Elliott for KTDA Racing having made £420,000 at last year's Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale, Romeo Coolio made a winning track debut at Fairyhouse in January and won his four-year-old maiden at Belclare for Donnchadh Doyle.

Both geldings were bred by Will Kinsey out of the Kapgarde mare Miss Bailly, while Butchers Bill was bought privately as a foal by Timmy Hillman of Castledillon Stud. 

Miss Bailly's first two foals are both winners; Ascending Lark, her six-year-old daughter of Great Pretender, made a winning debut over hurdles on her first start for Harry Derham at Haydock earlier this month. Miss Bailly also has a three-year-old daughter by Crystal Ocean who was bought by Gearoid O'Loughlin and JD Moore for €28,000 as a foal at the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt sale from Kinsey's Peel Bloodstock. She is also the dam of a two-year-old son by Passing Glance, a €20,000 foal purchase by Stroud Coleman, while her Gentlewave colt made €53,000 to Hillman at Tattersalls Ireland back in November.

A triple winner over hurdles in France, Miss Bailly is a Kapgarde full-sister to Cap Soleil, a Listed bumper and hurdle winner who was second to Laurina in the Grade 2 Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham for Fergal O'Brien and Sally Noott, the breeder of Constitution Hill.

Romeo Coolio: the full-brother to Butchers Bill was second in the Champion BumperCredit: Patrick McCann

She is also a half-sister to Auteuil Listed winner Prince Picard and Summer, the second dam of Grade 3 Prix Sytaj Chase winner Astadame.

Second dam Move Again is a winning daughter of Noir Et Or and a half-sister to Group 3 Prix de la Jonchere winner Boxing Day and to the dam of Grade 2 Leopardstown juvenile hurdle and Punchestown Grade A novice handicap chase winner Blood Cotil.

Further back the family includes Grade 1 Anniversary Four-Year-Old Hurdle and Future Champions Finale Juvenile Hurdle winner We Have A Dream.

Who does he face?

The €100,000 contest has attracted a field of 15 including a couple of English-trained contenders. We're Red And Blue made a winning debut at Hereford last month for Jonjo O'Neill and the son of Blue Bresil was an €87,000 purchase by Stroud Coleman at the Derby Sale.

Clap Of Thunder has been placed on two of his three starts for Nigel Twiston-Davies and the son of Mount Nelson was one of the less expensive Derby Sale lots, making €30,000 from Coolmara Stables. He is out of Side Saddle, a winning King's Theatre full-sister to Hatton's Grace heroine Voler La Vedette, and a half-sister to Labarynth, dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Shishkin.

Of the unraced horses, Moonshine Ranger is a Soldier Of Fortune half-brother to Grade 1 Savills Chase winner Galvin. Bred by Gabriel O'Gara, he was also sold by Timmy Hillman's operation at the Derby Sale where he was picked up by trainer Ciaran Murphy for €44,000. Murphy trained his Yeats half-sister Innisfree Beauty to win two hurdles in 2022.

Grade 2 and Grade 3 chase winner Camelia De Cotte topped the breeding stock section of the 2019 Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale when purchased by Treasa O'Keeffe from the Willie Mullins yard for €140,000. 

The Australia foal she was carrying at the time was bought by Harold Kirk and Mullins for €62,000 at the Derby Sale from Marie Harding's Glen Stables. Named La Note Verte, she makes her debut on Sunday in the double green silks of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.

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