Strong Land Rover Sale draws to a close as Brassil lands back-to-back top lots

Prices dropped down a gear during the second, less select session of the Goffs Land Rover Sale on Wednesday, but the strong trade witnessed on day one was very much in evidence again.

Last year's part two was topped by geldings by Elusive Pimpernel and Jeremy who fetched €70,000 apiece, but it took just two lots for that price to be bested on Wednesday as a son of Beat Hollow brought €90,000 from Martin Brassil.

The three-year-old, offered by Glen Stables on behalf of breeder Philip O'Connor, is out of Saoirse's Sister, a daughter of Hubbly Bubbly who has produced two winners, namely the Listed-placed Masons Daughter and the taking debut scorer Roseys Hollow.

View full Goffs Land Rover Sale results and stats

"He's from a young family that looks like it's going to be progressive," said Brassil, who also secured Tuesday's session-topping Yeats gelding at €185,000.

"The full-sister, Roseys Hollow, is good, she looked very impressive when she won her bumper at Cork. He's by a good sire as well so he's a horse to look forward to."

Martin Brassil signs the docket for Tuesday's top lot, the €185,000 Yeats geldingCredit: Patrick McCann

The youngster, who shares his page with Champion Chaser Big Zeb, made his second visit to the sales ring more fruitful than his first, having been led out unsold at €14,500 when offered as a foal at the 2016 Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale.

Double the appeal for Kirk

Some seven lots later 2018's top price was beaten for a second time, as Harold Kirk, the Irish talent scout for Willie Mullins' all conquering yard, parted with €75,000 for a son of Sea The Moon offered by Busherstown.

Despite being sourced from a jumps sale, Kirk said the three-year-old also made considerable appeal as a Flat prospect, being out of a winning daughter of Galileo.

Kirk said: "I bought him because I think he'll make a very good dual purpose horse. He's got a fantastic Flat pedigree and I'm a big fan of the stallion – I think Sea The Moon is going to be a very good sire.

"He's a gorgeous horse and hopefully he'll be able to do two jobs for us: jump a hurdle and make up into a staying horse on the Flat."

Harold Kirk in the Goffs auditoriumCredit: Patrick McCann

The strapping chestnut was making his second visit to the Goffs ring, having been signed for by Markus Jooste's Mayfair Speculators and Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock at €100,000 at the 2017 Orby Sale.

The German-bred youngster, already named Supermond, is out of Sopran Gallow, whose two winners include the Listed-placed Flat performer Soprana, a daughter of Cadeaux Genereux.

Sopran Gallow is a sibling to the Italian Listed winners Sopran Woodbird and Sopran Woog, while Grade 3-winning Italian jumper Meo also brings a dash of dual purpose appeal to the pedigree.

Sea The Moon, the German Derby-winning son of Sea The Stars, has made a promising start to his second career, with his three Group 3 winners led by Prix du Lys victor Quest The Moon.

Sea The Moon stood his fifth consecutive season at Lanwades Stud at a fee of £15,000 in 2019.

Patience pays off for Mouse

The session's third-highest price came with just five lots to go, and it was Aidan 'Mouse' O'Ryan's perseverance that was rewarded when he landed the Elusive Pimpernel gelding out of Rhythm Nation with a bid of €70,000.

"We've been waiting a long time for him!" said O'Ryan. "He's going to Gordon's for existing owners of the yard."

The three-year-old is the second foal out of his dam, a Jeremy half-sister to the Grade 1-placed Tamweel. The youngster, offered by Peter Nolan Bloodstock, was another lot to produce a tidy bit of pinhooking profit, having been signed for by Five Star Bloodstock at just €4,000 at the Goffs November Foal Sale.

"He's a lovely horse, he's one of the picks of the week, without question," enthused O'Ryan. "We've been lucky with the sire before having bought Coeur Sublime and he's out of a Jeremy mare too, which I liked. He's a proper horse and if he'd have been in yesterday's session he'd have probably made more."

Reflecting on a buoyant renewal of the Land Rover Sale, O'Ryan, who made three acquisitions with Elliott for total receipts of €123,000 during Wednesday's session, said: "Trade has been very strong and deservedly so. There was loads of nice horses and that's spilled into today."

Flying figures

A strong edition of the two-day Land Rover Sale concluded with increases across the board. The sessions produced a combined clearance rate of 86 per cent – up from 79 per cent in 2018 – as 419 of 488 offered lots changed hands.

Turnover stood at €15,312,000 – a year-on-year increase of 13 per cent, the average rose by six per cent to €36,545 and the median, often thought of as the most accurate measure of market health, rose by 20 per cent to €30,000, up from €25,000 in 2018.

While day two's prices may have been below those witnessed on day one, trade proved almost equally as robust, with a clearance rate of 80 per cent as 177 of 221 lots found a buyer.

In turn the aggregate was up by 16 per cent to €3,602,500, the average was up by 15 per cent to €20,353 and the median rose to €17,000, up from €15,000 12 months ago.

In his close of sale address, Goffs group chief executive Henry Beeby said: "Tuesday's amazing Land Rover Part 1, which returned an unmatched median price of €45,000 and a stunning 91 per cent clearance rate, was always going to be a hard act to follow as we moved to Part 2 of the Land Rover Sale.

"However we have enjoyed another lively day of trade with an improved clearance rate of 80 per cent and double-digit advances in both the average and median prices. Indeed the last two days have really cemented the Land Rover Sale's position as a genuine first choice for so many vendors and purchasers with growth in every area.

"Once again we would like to pay tribute to our vendors who have supported us with so many of their best three-year-olds over the two days and thank our huge group of buyers, so many of whom travelled across from the UK including several new high-profile faces.

"Their attendance was prompted by another superb season on the track for Land Rover graduates with ten Grade 1 winners and a sixth successive year of being the most successful store sale at the Cheltenham Festival whilst our graduates also led the way at Aintree and Punchestown.

"The competition from start to finish was a tribute to the horses supplied by our vendors and the supreme efforts of the Goffs team working in tandem with Irish Thoroughbred Marketing.

"For the third year in a row Highflyer proved to be the leading buyer and we extend our thanks to David Minton, Anthony Bromley, Tessa Greatrex and their huge band of clients. At this juncture I know that Anthony and Tessa will not mind me making special mention of Minty who is in his 50th year as an agent and did not leave his usual spot in the sales ring for the entire 11 hours yesterday; a simply amazing feat as he strives to find the next Altior!

"The Land Rover Sale is one of the true success stories of recent years and we look forward to shouting home this year's graduates at the Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown festivals of 2020 and beyond. For now we just say to all participants - buyers, sellers, grooms and our own team: thank you!"

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