Crystal Ocean all the rage at the Goffs Arkle Sale

Part 1 of the Goffs Arkle Sale was a coronation for Crystal Ocean as the heir to Walk In The Park’s throne and the emerging force in National Hunt breeding.

The Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner sired the joint-sale topper who was one of just three horses to make €200,000 during at times frenzied trading over two days.

Crystal Ocean sired three of the seven horses to make in excess of €160,000 with four of his progeny attaining six-figure sums and demand for his three-year-olds made him the second highest-grossing stallion in the sale with his 31 lots generating receipts of €2,153,000.

The average price for progeny from his second crop was €69,452. 

“He’s had an incredible sale,” said Coolmore’s Gerry Aherne. “I suppose it is not a surprise after the spring he’s had and he’s a horse that we thought had the potential to do what he’s doing and it’s great to see it happening.”

“Everyone wants one and long may it last. It really is incredible and trade has been so good.”

Crystal Ocean’s first crop contains seven Irish point-to-point winners and the Listed Auteuil hurdle winner Saint Crystal. One of the four-year-old maiden winners is Cristal D’Estruval who topped the Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale at £400,000 making him the most expensive four-year-old point-to-pointer sold this year.

“Walk In The Park is Walk In The Park,” said Aherne, about an hour before spending €230,000 on a two-year-old by the stallion who was three-parts brother to Grade 1 winner Stage Star to make him the most expensive horse of the entire sale.

“He’s the champion sire but it is lovely for us to see a young stallion coming through because it is hard for stallions to succeed. Every stallion has to start at zero and last year before he even had a runner, there were some lads saying this and that about Crystal Ocean but now they all love him because he is a good sire.”

Gerry Aherne: 'Crystal Ocean's had an incredible sale'Credit: Sophie Webber Photography

A half-brother to Group 1 winner and National Hunt sire Hillstar, Crystal Ocean was rated the equal of Winx and Cracksman in 2018 and that allied to some stirring battles with the likes of Enable, Cracksman, Poet’s Word and Japan ensured his purchase by Coolmore as a National Hunt stallion attracted plenty of attention and, more importantly, the best mares.

“They can jump, they are sound, very clean-winded and very genuine," Aherne said. "He was a very high-profile horse when he retired which helped him because he got a lot of nice mares from the best breeders in the country and when a stallion gets a start like that it is a big help. 

Naturally Coolmore have got behind Crystal Ocean and have been strong supporters of a stallion who doesn’t make life simple for Robert McCarthy and the team at his Waterford farm.

“We have a lot of them at home by him and Robert. His crew have done an incredible job with him because he is not the easiest horse to handle on a day-to-day basis, but they are doing brilliantly.

Anthony Bromley was another high-profile buyer who invested heavily in Crystal Ocean and unlike some others he has always been a believer in the half-brother to Hillstar.

Anthony Bromley purchased a gelding by Crystal Ocean for €110,000Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

He was also relieved that Crystal Ocean has delivered on his expectations considering Coolmore plastered his praise of their young sire all over their promotional material.

“Crystal Ocean can’t do any wrong. I was a big promoter of the sire before he had runners last year, and I kept covering my eyes a little all through the winter when Coolmore were advertising him with my words, hoping his first runners would do what I thought. They did, so I’m relieved and pleased,” although with Bromley’s outstanding track record, Coolmore would have known they were on solid ground using his quotes.

When asked about why he was so gung-ho about Crystal Ocean’s prospects before any of his progeny jumped a fence in public, Bromley offered this explanation.

“They looked like real racehorses last year. I think the sire’s offspring might take after the dams a little bit, as they’re all different colours and different sizes, but the one thing they have in common is that they’re athletic and seem to have good minds. The point-to-point men have enjoyed them, and the sire is having a good sale because of that.”

Goffs Arkle Sale

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