Henrietta Knight on buyers' leaderboard on a sales trip with added poignancy

When your aunt is Henrietta Knight and you wish to have some horses in training, then you know exactly which family member to call upon.

Family ties brought the legendary trainer to Fairyhouse on Sunday, the opening day of the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale, where she purchased a pair of yearlings on behalf of her nephews William and Arthur Vestey.

The most expensive of the pair was an Order Of St George gelding from Limekiln Stud’s deep Grade 1 family of Park Delight. He is the fourth foal of an unraced Flemensfirth half-sister to the dual Cheltenham Festival winner Yorkhill. Their dam Lightning Breeze is a Saddlers’ Hall half-sister to quadruple Grade 1 winner The Listener and to Offshore Account, winner of the Grade 1 novice chase at the Punchestown festival.

Knight said of her €52,000 purchase: “He’s a lovely horse from the first crop of his sire and I think he’s a horse with quality and a great walk. He comes from a really nice jumping family too.”

The Gold Cup and Champion Chase-winning trainer also purchased Moyfinn Stud’s gelding from the final crop of Mount Nelson for her nephews, for €20,000, and explained that this buying trip to Fairyhouse was a poignant occasion for her.

“My sister Celia died last year and these horses are for her sons, so it is quite moving,” she said. “William already has some Flat horses, but both he and Arthur are keen supporters of National Hunt racing and their late father was chairman of Cheltenham for many years.”

Knight’s Irish connections run deep, whether in Clifden, where she has judged and shown champion Connemara ponies, Clare, where her triple Gold Cup hero Best Mate was trained by Tom Costello, or Cork, where Michael Moore, who assisted Knight and her late husband Terry Biddlecombe in the purchase of their champion, runs Ballincurrig House Stud - and it is to Moore’s leading nursery where her nephews’ horses will go.

“Terry and I always supported Michael, and he always supported us,” she said. “I think the Irish grass and climate is so good for young horses. William and Arthur already have a two-year-old filly with Michael, and now they have two geldings as well!”

Walshtown Stables' Walk In The Park gelding is knocked down to Park Farm for €85,000Credit: Pat Healy

Walk In The Park’s first Irish-bred crop is just four but their exploits have gone some way to proving there is substance to the buzz generated by the Derby runner-up’s progeny in sales rings for the last four years.

Invariably another well-bred offering by the star of Coolmore’s National Hunt division is mentioned prior to any horse going under the hammer as a potential session topper, and it was no different at Fairyhouse, where word was very strong for lot 166.

Edmond Coleman’s gelding is the fourth foal out of Windermere Sky, an unraced Oscar full-sister to Gold Cup and RSA Chase winner Lord Windermere, and a half-sister to the Grade 2 winner and Grade 1-placed Sub Lieutenant.

Offered by Walshtown Stables, the May-born bay, who is inbred 3x3 to Sadler’s Wells, was knocked down to Adrian Costello for a session-topping €85,000.

“It’s all about Walk In The Park, he’s the top one around at the moment,” said Costello of his purchase, bought to be offered for resale as a store.

“This horse has a top pedigree; he’s definitely the finest yearling here today. He’s a bit special, a lovely big horse and an athlete all day long.”

Tony O’Callaghan of Tally-Ho Stud is one of the best judges of a horse around; just take a peek at the success of the stallions he stands at the family farm in Westmeath and the success they have enjoyed as breeders, most recently with Friday's Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf runner-up Malavath - so when the man who spotted the potential in Kodiac and Mehmas likes a young horse, it is time to pay attention.

O’Callaghan purchased a Soldier Of Fortune gelding out of a half-sister to Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Native River for €68,000. Consigned by Railstown Stud, he is the third foal out of Mo Bury, who is also a half-sister to Orpheus Valley.

“He’s a lovely sort by a good sire and out of a well-bred mare,” said O’Callaghan, who indicated that the gelding will return for the store sales.

Railstown Stud's Soldier Of Fortune gelding sells to Tally-Ho Stud for €68,000Credit: Pat Healy

lan Harte struck for a pair of well-bred yearlings by exciting young French sires, both consigned as successive lots by Ballincurrig House Stud.

The pleased purchaser said: “They are both beautiful horses and I loved them. I am delighted to get them, they will come back to the farm in Kildare and hopefully be back here for the Derby Sale in June 2023.”

First up was Krocodile Rock, a colt by Haras de Cercy’s young sire Jeu St Eloi, a son of the brilliant Saint Des Saints, and a relative of Balko. From his first crop he has sired Auteuil Listed winner Hucello, while his second crop has produced the Group 3 winner Idefixe du Moulin.

Krocodile Rock is out of Auteuil Listed winner Joly Nelsa and cost Harte €60,000.

Harte had to give an extra €5,000 for the following horse, a son of Haras de Montaigu’s No Risk At All, the sire of Grade 1 winners Allaho, Epatante and Esprit Du Large. Named Cinammon Roll he is the first foal out of the five-time winner Lunaya.

The yearling session bounced back from last year’s Covid-affected renewal, which saw just 28 yearlings offered for sale. Sunday’s average grew by an impressive 41 per cent to €12,974, the median jumped a whopping 136 per cent to €8,500, while the clearance rate was 68 per cent. The aggregate of €1,543,580 was the highest total for the yearling session of the sale since 2015.

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