Buyers go wild for Walk In The Park at Tattersalls Ireland

Trade stepped up several notches at Tattersalls Ireland, as anticipated, for the second foal session of the November National Hunt Sale, where the quality increased exponentially and the prices rose in tandem.

As is customary by now, the progeny of Coolmore's Walk In The Park proliferate amongst the upper echelons and the Montjeu sire dominated once again as the sire of eight of the foals who broke through the €50,000 barrier during a busy day in Fairyhouse on Monday.

They were led by a bay colt out of Posh Trish, a Listed bumper and hurdle winner for Paul Nicholls and Highclere Thoroughbred Racing. Her first foal went the way of Joey Logan, who was pushed to the limit at €85,000 by rivals including Aiden Murphy.

"I was all out at that," Logan remarked, after signing the docket. "It is a lot of money for a foal but everyone knows how good a sire Walk In The Park is and hopefully he is very lucky for us."

Plans for the foal are fluid, with Logan not short of options for the grandson of Stowaway. Those options include keeping him to go point-to-pointing or returning for a flagship store sale.

"He is one of the nicest Walk In The Park foals here and he is out of a very good mare, which I like a lot," he added.

Logan was one of the busiest buyers on Monday, when his purchases included a €72,000 Crystal Ocean colt from the same vendor as the top lot. Out of the Yeats mare Hour Before Dawn, his year older full-brother made €80,000 to Aiden Murphy at this sale last year.

He also struck at €40,000 for an Affinisea colt that is unmistakably a Whytemount Stud product as he is out of the Stowaway mare Hurricane Linda, a full-sister to the multiple Grade 2 winner and Grade 1-placed hurdler and chaser Hidden Cyclone.

Posh Trish returns in triumph

The Walk In The Park foal that Logan purchased out of Posh Trish made a significantly higher price than his dam did when Oliver Loughlin sent her through the ring here as a foal in 2013, when she sold for just €1,200.

The Crystal Ocean colt sold by Oliver Loughlin to Joey LoganCredit: Tattersalls Ireland

Loughlin had to dig considerably deeper to buy her back as a broodmare prospect when she sold for €118,000 through WH Bloodstock at the 2020 November National Hunt Sale, but, as his son Eoghan commented, they were determined to bring Posh Trish home.

"We had budgeted €80,000 or €90,000 for Posh Trish here two years ago but she was coming home and that was that!" he stated. "We loved her. This is her first foal and he has been a lovely foal from day one, he came up here and did everything well. It is a great price for him."

Loughlin remarked on how similar the late January foal is to his dam, who won six times in her 12-race career, which included four Listed successes.

"Posh Trish is the quietest mare ever, her temperament is brilliant and her foal's temperament is very good too," he said. "She is back in foal to Walk In The Park and due in February."

Loughlin father and son also sold another Walk In The Park colt who brought a healthy return on his covering fee. Alan Harte bought their half-brother to Presence Of Mind, a Presenting gelding who won the Appleton Hurdle at Far Hills, for €57,000.

They are out of Alleygrove Lass, who is an Alderbrook half-sister to Jonjo O'Neill's dual Ryanair Chase winner Albertas Run.

Success runs in the family

The Motherway family's Yellowford Farm is another operation to have enjoyed big paydays in the sales ring with their Walk In The Park progeny, most recently on Sunday, but they topped that 24 hours later when Sabrina Harty went to €72,000 for the third foal out of Lackaneen Leader.

Successful in the Grade 3 Shannon Spray Mares' Novice Hurdle for Gordon Elliott, the Oscar mare was runner-up to Laurina in the Grade 1 Irish EBF Mares' Novice Hurdle Final at Fairyhouse's Easter festival, just over the road from the sales complex.

Lackaneen Leader's Walk In The Park colt foal strikes a poseCredit: Tattersalls Ireland

Lackaneen Leader is a half-sister to Don't Touch It, who won the Grade 1 Herald Champion Novice Hurdle for Jessica Harrington and JP McManus.

"He has been bought on behalf of a client to come back for resale as a store, hopefully at the Derby sale," said Harty. "He has everything you want; he is a good size, is lovely and correct, by a popular sire and from a great family."

With all those attributes Harty, who is best known as the trainer of Grade 1 Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle winner Won In The Dark, also placed on numerous occasions at the highest level over hurdles, and her client anticipated having to give such a sum to secure their prize.

"The way the market is gone, if you want to have a good chance at coming back for the top store sales and making a profit, then you have to buy the cream of the crop," added Harty.

The family is a fine National Hunt one, with black-type winners under the second, third and fourth dams, including the Triumph Hurdle heroine Snow Drop, who is also the dam of Auteuil Grade 1 winner Lina Drop. Triple Grade 1 winner L'Ami Serge is also on the page as his Listed-winning dam La Zingarella is a half-sister to Snow Drop.

Later in the evening Brendan Bashford Bloodstock gave €76,000 for a Walk In The Park colt from Ballykineally Stables. He is the first foal out of Whoopsey, who was placed in a bumper at four and is a Presenting full-sister to Angel Of Harlem, third in the Listed Bud Booth Mares' Novices' Chase at Market Rasen for Olly Murphy. Their dam is Whoops A Daisy, who won a Listed mares' hurdle at Kempton for her co-breeder and trainer Nicky Henderson.

Michael Fitzpatrick bought the second-top lot on day three of the November NH SaleCredit: Tattersalls Ireland

There was a celebratory atmosphere around Barn C as the Barry family recorded their best ever sales result.

John Barry, who along with brothers Tom and Mossy runs the family operation, said: “We bought Whoopsey privately from trainer Henry Daly last year. It is a fantastic pedigree and is only going to get better – there is her half-brother Go Dante, who is just a six-year-old, Nicky Henderson has a three-year-old half-sister by Kapgarde, and Olly Murphy also has an unraced four-year-old half-sister by Kayf Tara named Little Miss Dante."

Barry added: “Hopefully he will be lucky for Norman [Williamson, who signed for Brendan Bashford Bloodstock], who is familiar with the pedigree because he bought Go Dante here as a foal and sold him as a store at the Derby Sale for €170,000.

"We are over the moon with this result and the mare is back in foal to Walk In The Park."

A deeper shade of Blue

The Fenton family of Hillview Stud in Cork enjoyed a wonderful result with their colt foal, the second generation of his family to be bred by them at their Fermoy farm.

David Fenton with his Blue Bresil colt out of Chill TimeCredit: Tattersalls Ireland

By Blue Bresil, another sire whose offspring are regularly found among the highest-priced lots at a sale, the February-born foal was knocked down to Michael Fitzpatrick of JC Bloodstock for €82,000.

He is the third foal out of Chill Time, an unraced Fame And Glory three-parts sister to the Listed Henrietta Knight Bumper winner and Grade 2 Yorkshire Rose Mares' Hurdle second Timetochill. She is also a half-sister to Geordie Des Champs, who was third in the Grade 3 Alder Hey Children's Charity Handicap Hurdle in the JP McManus silks.

It was an emotional sale for the family, with mother Kathleen shedding tears, and it was left to son Kenneth, who formerly worked at Tattersalls Ireland but returned to HRI in February, where he is an integral member of the racing department, to field media inquiries as his father David took care of the foal for the final time.

"We are delighted with that," he remarked. "He is a fine big foal and has gone to a shrewd judge in Michael Fitzpatrick, and we wish them all the very best of luck with him."

His father purchased second dam Kilcoleman Lady as a foal in this ring 20 years ago from Rathbarry Stud, from where her sire Presenting had an excellent career, and the connections with the Cashman family remain very strong.

Fenton said: "Dad would have been a big supporter of Rathbarry all along and when Blue Bresil came to stand there, he went to see him and really liked the horse. He thought he would suit this mare.

"We have bred everything out of Kilcoleman Lady, and we retained Chill Time to breed from too. Her first foal is a three-year-old daughter of Robin Des Champs and she is in training with Willie Mullins. Chill Time has a yearling full-sister to this foal [who made €26,000 to Stroud Coleman at this sale in 2021]."

Aiden Murphy was forced to concede defeat to Joey Logan on the top lot earlier in the day but teamed up with Flash Conroy of Glenvale Stud to land a Blue Bresil colt later on Monday evening.

Ballintry Stud consigned the half-brother to two winners out of Wattle Bridge, a King's Theatre daughter of Thyestes Chase winner Be My Belle, and he was knocked down to the duo at €70,000.

The colt has a mighty strong National Hunt pedigree with Be My Belle a Be My Native half-sister to Tempest Belle, the dam of Grade 1-winning chaser Monalee, and to the Grade 2 Lismullen Hurdle winner Rose Of Inchiquin, who is the dam of Empire Of Dirt and Panther Claw.

Limini a winner in the sale ring

Three years ago at this sale Will Kinsey's Peel Bloodstock, along with Future Bloodstock, purchased the Grade 2 Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle winner Limini for €75,000 from Willie Mullins and Rich Ricci.

This son of Nathaniel looks a lot like his classy dam LiminiCredit: Tattersalls Ireland

The winner of eight races and placed in four Grade 1 contests, including the David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle and the Top Novices' Hurdle, she was offered in foal to Australia. She gave birth to a filly by the Derby winner and her second foal, a colt by the sire of this season's Derby winner Desert Crown, graced the Fairyhouse sales ring on Monday.

Bidding for the son of Nathaniel, consigned by Peel Hall Stables, opened at €20,000 and closed when Tom Whitehead brought the hammer down at €75,000. Signing as Altenbach Bloodstock, the idea is to offer the chestnut for resale as a store.

It was a quick recouping of their initial outlay with Limini's first offspring to be offered for sale, as her Australia filly has been retained to race in the Future Bloodstock colours.

Kinsey had a productive morning with the first three foals from the Peel Hall Stables consignment at this year's sale to go through the ring. Jimmy Murphy went to €36,000 for a Gentlewave colt out of a half-sister to Massini's Maguire and the dam of last season's dual Grade 1-winning novice hurdler The Nice Guy and the delighted, and modest consignor, reflected on a successful start.

"These have been the busiest foals we've ever had at the sale, Limini's colt never got to put his head down as he was so popular," Kinsey commented.

"We never expect to get prices like this as we try to be realistic and let people judge for themselves what they are worth. We are delighted he has sold so well. We bought the mare for €75,000 carrying her first foal who is now two and we have retained her."

Nathaniel stands at Newsells Park Stud for £15,000 and, in addition to his six individual Group 1 winners on the Flat, he is the sire of 2020 Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle heroine Burning Victory and the Grade 2 winners and Grade 1-placed Concertista and Zanahiyr.

"Limini is back in foal to Nathaniel," Kinsey confirmed. "He's looking like being a very good stallion over jumps as well and, although it is a fairly substantial fee, you don't mind paying that much when you get prices like this for your foals."

The Nathaniel colt out of Via Delle VolteCredit: Tattersalls Ireland

Their draft on Tuesday also includes a colt by Galileo's King George-winning son out of Whenskiesareblue, a Presenting half-sister to the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle winner Verdana Blue, by Getaway.

"We have another colt by Nathaniel selling and he is a really lovely foal," smiled Kinsey. "Now we have to start showing the three foals for tomorrow."

Earlier in the morning, Timmy Hillman of Castledillon Stud went to €45,000 for Molland Ridge Stud's Nathaniel colt out of the Grade 3 and Listed-placed juvenile hurdler Via Delle Volte, by Motivator.

Hillman said of his purchase: "He is fine foal, and by a top-class stallion in Nathaniel, who has also got some good National Hunt runners. There are not many opportunities here this week to buy a colt by him."

Facts and Figures

Despite the high-octane trade at the top end of the market, the statistics at close of play on Monday were slightly disappointing, with the clearance rate dropping from 84 per cent last year to 72 per cent.

That contributed to a decline of 25 per cent in the aggregate for the day's trade, which went from €5,173,600 for 216 sold in 2021 to €3,867,350 for 171 sold on Monday.

Consequently, the average price dropped by six points to €22,616 from last year's figure of €23,952, while the median fell from €20,000 to €18,000, a decline of ten per cent.

The sale continues on Tuesday with the third foal session, which begins at 10am.

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Brothers to jumping royalty on offer at Tattersalls Ireland