'I was amazed by his attitude' - Walk In The Park juvenile delivers late top price of €230,000 at Goffs Arkle Sale

Miles of column inches have been filled and enough hot air to power the national grid generated about the merits of selling two-year-old stores ahead of Ireland's new three-year-old hurdle programme.

At Goffs on Wednesday evening the naysayers and doom-mongers received a loud riposte when the first select two-year-old section of the sale delivered the most expensive horse sold all week; a €230,000 Walk In The Park three-parts brother to Grade 1 winner Stage Star who was bought by Gerry Aherne of Coolmore

Kilkenny father and son Dick and JJ Frisby have been staunch supporters of the reigning champion National Hunt sire and have never been afraid to put their hard-earned cash into brave pinhooks - this colt was the perfect example of that.

Just 18 months’ ago they forked out €110,000 for the striking bay gelding at the Goffs December National Hunt Sale where he was sold as a foal by Baroda Stud.

Making the decision to keep him entire was another bold choice and the relief at seeing the courage of your convictions rewarded was writ large on the face of an emotional JJ Frisby. 

“We didn't need much persuading to come to the sale. He was the right horse for the sale: he had the pedigree, the looks, everything,” he said. 

Aherne added: “He's a beautiful individual by the best jumps sire we’ve probably seen in my lifetime, with the pedigree to match. He made a lot of sense for our job. I'm not really sure what the plan is, we just wanted to get him first. He's a colt so a lot of avenues are open."

Coolmore have sent a number of Walk In The Park colts to France in a bid to secure a jumping son of his as a stallion prospect and that could be the path they choose to take with the sale-topper. 

Gerry Aherne: 'He's a beautiful individual by the best jumps sire we’ve probably seen in my lifetime'Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

The first results of the project are encouraging with Wild Bill Hickok landing the Listed Prix Go Ahead at Auteuil in late-April for Amanda Zetterholm and Noel George.

Aherne said: “He's a possibility for France, a possibility for Ireland, everything’s on the table. We’ll get him home and make sure he’s okay first. I was amazed by his attitude. He was like a half-bred walking around, the quietest horse I’ve seen.

“He shows he’s got a good attitude and that means a lot to us. If he came up here and didn’t behave well he mightn't suit our programme. The big job was to get him and we did that.”

However with the Academy Series of three-year-old hurdles set to launch in October, there is the chance that the colt may remain on his native Irish soil as Coolmore are strongly in favour of the programme and have earmarked horses to participate in the inaugural set of races.

“We have a different batch who’ll run in the Irish three-year-old races here in the autumn and we’ll continue the French programme until the racing here catches up, Aherne remarked.

“We’re here to try and help everybody, and getting horses sold and racing earlier helps breeders and stallion men, and the people buying the foals as they don’t have to keep them for so long. If we can get the wheel turning we’ll get there eventually.”

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The newest recruits to the Coolmore stallion ranks are all horses capable of producing top-class early runners.

Aherne added: “We’ve got the likes of Luxembourg and Hurricane Lane and all those high-end horses coming through, and they're all going to be able to produce early three-year-olds, we have to be seen to help get it going and to be seen to support it.”

Wednesday saw 23 two-year-olds come under the hammer at Goffs with 16 of them changing hands for a total of €838,500 at an average of €52,407, while the three-year-old section produced an average of €53,731 for 349 sold.

“I’ve been beating that drum for a while now [starting horses younger], I think it’s massive,” said Aherne. “It’ll probably take a bit of time to get people into it and understand it, and for the race programme to pick up. 

“Our greatest wish would be to race those three-year-olds we've had in France in Ireland instead. We’re not going to France for the love of France, with the greatest of respect to our French friends, we are going there because we have to go there.”

The two-year-old section recorded a median of €39,000 and in addition to the sale-topping Walk In The Park saw an excellent sale for Rathmore Stud’s No Risk At All gelding who made €82,000 to Ryan Mahon and Dan Skelton.

Ballincurrig House Stud sold a Goliath Du Berlais gelding for €65,000 to Ed Bailey and Harry Derham, who also went to €80,000 for Evergreen Stud’s Poet’s Word half-brother to Listed bumper winner Sober Glory. Aherne said that initial nervousness and wariness of the unknown was to be anticipated ahead of the two-year-old section of the sale. 

“I was chatting to people and they didn't know what to expect, but you'll never know unless you start,” he said. “From what I’ve seen the initial reaction is good, people were buying the two-year-olds from all over. 

“We've got two-year-olds selling again at Fairyhouse in two weeks' time and maybe these sessions could be increased a little next year. It's a step in the right direction. I’m a big believer.”

Henry Beeby, Goffs group chief executive, was a little more tentative in his reaction but it was clear that on first glance, the sale had exceeded expectations.

“Today’s inaugural two-year-old section was a toe in the water and will be assessed and reviewed both internally and with the wider industry, but initial reaction is that it was a great success for a first effort,” he said. “As ever Goffs is never shy to innovate, evolve and progress, and this may be the way forward. If that’s the case, you can rely on us to lead it.”

2YO sale statistics

Goffs Arkle Sale

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