Exciting relation to Grand National hope brings £320,000 from Nicholls at the Goffs Aintree Sale

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Some inspiring performances on the track during day one of the Randox Grand National meeting had plenty of National Hunt buyers dreaming of a piece of the action in future years during the post-race Goffs Aintree Sale.

Fresh from dominating last month's post-race action at Cheltenham, the Doyle brothers from Monbeg Stables were back for more in Liverpool, selling the promising Wordfromhome to Paul Nicholls and Highflyer’s Anthony Bromley for a sale-topping £320,000. 

It had been a combination of Cormac and Sean Doyle who had broken the Tattersalls Cheltenham record with the £530,000 Monster Truck at the Festival Sale as an incredible return for their €90,000 investment.

Wordfromhome, in the care of Sean Doyle, had the profile of another well-bought individual having been signed up for €65,000 at the Derby Sale.

Nine months later he was ready for a racecourse appearance at Monksgrange, where he beat Road To Destiny by a length with the pair a mile clear of the remainder.

Nicholls and Bromley’s success when buying off the Doyles has come to the fore recently. They purchased Stick To The Board off the team for £215,000 at last year’s Tattersalls Cheltenham November Sale and he repaid their faith when winning on his first start for his new connections in a Chepstow bumper last month. 

Anthony Bromley: 'He was our favourite horse in the sale'Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

Meanwhile, their other Monbeg Stables purchase was Order On Time, a £200,000 buy at the Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale and he looks set for a bright future, having landed his bumper at the same track last week by a dominant ten lengths.

Bromley said: "We bought two horses off Sean Doyle this winter and they both won bumpers very impressively in the last couple of weeks and as soon as this horse won, Sean even sent the video that afternoon saying, 'I've got your next one.' 

"He was our favourite horse in the sale. This horse has size and scope, we were really taken with him. Paul loved him when he saw him today. He's going to a partnership headed up by Ged Mason."

Wordfromhome is a son of Poet's Word, whose early crops from Boardsmill Stud are beginning to make an impact on the racecourse, and is out of a bumper-placed half-sister to Johnnywho, last month's Ultima winner who goes for Grand National glory on Saturday for Jonjo and AJ O'Neill.

Sean Doyle said: "We're very lucky to have a good bunch of horses. I think this is a very good horse and hopefully we'll see the best of him next year. He's out of a sister to Johnnywho who won at Cheltenham this year, so the pedigree got a good update."

Malone sees the Potential

Max Potential was an early session highlight when selling to Tom Malone Bloodstock for £280,000. 

Offered by Brian Lawless, the son of Maxios was bought by the Ballydonagh Syndicate for €37,000 at last year’s Tattersalls Ireland Derby sale. He looked to have his Castlelands point on March 8 at his mercy only to fall at the last fence. 

Despite not being able to muster up a clear round of jumping, Malone said he was happy to take a chance on the gelding. 

Tom Malone (left) purchased Max Potential for £280,000Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

“He's a lovely animal, a Maxios with a beautiful pedigree,” he said. “I bought another one from Brian earlier in the year by Chanducoq who looks a bit special and this one worked with him. 

“He looked like he'd win before he fell in his point-to-point, ran a good speed figure, and I was happy to take a chance on him.”

Max Potential is out of the unraced Leading Light mare My Josephine, a half-sister to nine-time Grade 1 winner Cue Card.

Bowe’s arrows make an impression

A fair bit was expected of the two-strong draft offered by Colin Bowe and Royal Response delivered a strong result for Ireland’s 13-time champion point-to-point trainer when she sold to Nicky Henderson and Jerry McGrath for £290,000.  

A €29,000 Arkle sale purchase, the daughter of Getaway finished second on her first start between the flags at Borris House at the beginning of March, before producing a commanding performance to win by eight and a half lengths at Monksgrange on March 29. 

"I just loved the way she quickened up the straight at Monksgrange and Ben Hill, who owns Monksgrange, owns the filly with Colin Bowe and his family owned Dawn Run,” McGrath said.

“She took a nice step forward and has a great pedigree, the dam was a proper filly. She's going to Nicky [Henderson] who has a bit of an affinity with Getaway with Verdana Blue being a Grade 1 winner, so hopefully she's lucky now."

Gerry Hogan: 'Colin Bowe was very complimentary, he's a great vendor and I'm delighted to get him'Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

Out of the Grade 3-winning chasing Royal Choice, Royal Response is half-sister to the Listed-placed winner Rioga Choice and hails from the same family as multiple Grade 1 winner Special Tiara. 

Earlier on in the session, Bowe’s Jurys Verdict set the pace when he was snapped up by Gerry Hogan Bloodstock for £260,000. 

The gelding is by the late and lamented Jukebox Jury, sire of Queen Mother Champion Chase scorer Il Etait Temps and surprise Albert Bartlett winner Johnny's Jury. Jurys Verdict was bought for €50,000 at the Arkle store sale and sent to Ballynoe in County Cork for his debut last month where he picked up nicely on the run-in to finish three and a half lengths clear of what looked a strong field.

Hogan said: "I was at the point-to-point where he won, he ran green but jumped lovely. He finished off really well, if you look at the video afterwards it took maybe three or four furlongs to pull him up. 

"Colin Bowe was very complimentary, he's a great vendor and I'm delighted to get him. He's got a way with horses, they're very well brought up. He's been bought for a client and will go back to Ireland."

Murphys snap up exciting Prince

Lou Prince arrived on the back of one of the most eye-catching performances to be registered in the catalogue when getting off the mark at Kirkistown in late March and he duly delivered in the ring when bringing £240,000 from Aiden and Olly Murphy.

Representing the leading Northern Irish team of Antrim-based Ger Quinn's Caherty Stables and owner Philip McBurney, the gelding had wrapped up his four-year-old maiden in such smooth style that jockey Noel McParlan was already looking over his shoulder for dangers jumping the last.

Olly Murphy: 'He's got loads of quality and is by a fantastic sire. He's a horse to kick on with now'Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

"I absolutely loved his performance, I don't think he's an out-and-out three miler, I think he's a horse who'll want to come back in trip,” said Olly Murphy. “I bought him on spec, so he's there to be sold. He's got loads of quality and is by a fantastic sire. He's a horse to kick on with now.

"I'm chuffed to get him, I thought he was one of the better horses in the sale. He came highly recommended."

Lou Prince also boasted one of the most fashionable pages, being a son of Haras du Mesnil sensation Doctor Dino, the sire of recent big-race winners such as Madara and Dinoblue.

He is out of the Listed-winning hurdler Lou Princess and from the close family of top-class two-mile chaser Politologue, who beat Min in a gripping Melling Chase at Aintree eight years ago.

The Goffs team were celebrating records across the board at the end of play with 26 of the 30 horses on offered selling for a new high at the sale of £3,873,000, a 8.5 per cent increase year-on-year. The average improved 16 per cent to a record £148,962, while the median lifted 21 points to £127,500, which was also a new benchmark for the sale. 

Eight of the horses made £200,000 or more, with Ed Bailey and Harry Derham combining for £240,000 for Final Verdict, a runner-up at Monksgrange who is set to carry the colours of Ceri Fell.

Denis Murphy's Murphy's Stromy Wind had gone into the notebooks of a few shrewdies when running for the first time at Ballyknock on April 1 and was knocked down to Mags O'Toole for £230,000. The Nicholls and Bromley axis completed a busy evening with Mark Scallan's Road To Destiny for £200,000.

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