Irish football ace hoping to strike with Altior's half-brother at Goffs

A Camelot half-brother to the outstanding Altior, who acquired a six-figure price tag when sold as a foal, is the brightest star in a stellar catalogue for the Goffs Land Rover Sale.

The June-born son of the Classic winner and sire, was bought by former Irish international striker Kevin Doyle for €155,000 as foal from Mark Dreeling and Barbara Fonzo's Coole House Farm, which consigned him on behalf of his breeder Paddy Behan.

Doyle, who starred for Reading and Wolves in the Premier League, runs Slaney River Stud with his father Paddy, breeder of Mildmay Novices' Chase winner Holywell, in his native Wexford following his retirement from professional football and the man with an eye for goals has also demonstrated an eye for a good broodmare, with Grade 1 winners Augusta Gold and La Bague Au Roi joining the broodmare band on the banks of the Slaney.

Leading consignor Peter Nolan, a friend and neighbour of the striker who earned 62 caps for the Republic of Ireland, consigns the gelding as part of a draft of almost 50 stores across Parts 1 and 2 of the three-day sale in June.

Altior himself is one of the most successful graduates of Goffs' flagship National Hunt Sale. The High Chaparral gelding, who notched up an incredible 21 career victories with ten of them in Grade 1 contests, made €60,000 to Highflyer Bloodstock at the 2013 Land Rover sale where he was offered by Kilmoney Cottage Stud.

See the Goffs Land Rover catalogue here

His dam Monte Solaro has produced five winners from seven runners so far with her daughter Princess Leya, successful in a Grade 2 handicap hurdle, foaling the Listed bumper winner Top Dog. Monte Solaro, herself the winner of a Grade 3 handicap hurdle, has a yearling colt by Mastercraftsman.

Undoubtedly, such an expensive and well-bred store as Altior's half-brother is the headline act but Goffs has assembled a catalogue heavy on quality for the sale, which will take place over three days from Tuesday, 7 June.

The Parkhill family's Castletown Quarry Stud supplied a Grade 1 winner for the fourth Cheltenham Festival in a row and the Meath operation offers a select trio of homebred geldings for the 2022 sale, headed by a Jukebox Jury half-brother to last season's Grade 1 Fort Leney Novice Chase winner Mildmay Novices' Chase runner-up Fury Road.

Burgage Stud's son of Montjeu is also the sire of the half-brother to triple Grade 1-winning chaser Don Poli, consigned by the Fowlers' Rahinston Stud.

Other siblings to Grade 1 stars in the catalogue include Graiguebeg Stud's Milan half-sister to Road To Respect out of a half-sister to another Grade 1 winner in Road To Riches.

Goldford Stud offers a Walk In The Park half-brother to Henry de Bromhead's Grade 1-winning novice chaser Monalee. He is also a full brother to the gelding who achieved the second highest price, of €220,000 at last year's Land Rover Sale.

A sibling of Land Rover graduate Vanillier is also in the catalogueCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

Grade 1 Spa Novices' Hurdle winner Vanillier is himself a graduate of the Land Rover Sale, having been purchased for €40,000 by Peter and Ross Doyle from Ballincurrig House in 2018 and Gibberpatrick Stud consigns his Brave Mansonnien half-brother this year.

Henry Beeby, Goffs group chief executive, said: “Goffs Land Rover Sale and Cheltenham are indelibly linked and we are proud to present another outstanding selection of the best National Hunt stores with undoubtedly some future festival stars amongst them.

“More and more leading vendors are increasingly choosing Goffs Land Rover Sale for their top three-year-olds, and the brother to Altior, himself a Land Rover graduate, is a wonderful endorsement of the Goffs National Hunt service.

"On behalf of the Goffs team, in particular our inspectors led by Gerry Hogan, Neil Walsh, Peter Molony and Kevin Ross, we are truly indebted for our vendors’ support of the 'new best' in Irish store sales and can’t wait to present this superb group of future stars to buyers."

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