‘It’s such a stressful game’ - high emotion for Longways Stables as Blue Point colt brings €800,000

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“I’m so glad I wasn’t leading him through the ring as I’d have lost my marbles!” said an emotional Sarah O’Connell in the aftermath of Longways Stables selling its Blue Point colt to Blandford Bloodstock for €800,000.

Things got even better just three lots later when the outfit’s Showcasing filly fetched €625,000 from the same buyer.

“It’s life-changing money, not that we want to change our life because we’re very happy,” said O’Connell’s husband, Mick Murphy. “Sarah and the kids give out to me about being a workaholic and I know it’s stressful here now, but I just love it.”

Although it ended with a personal best for the Ardmore-based operation, the couple explained the outpouring of emotion was underpinned by a rollercoaster 24-hour build up into the sale.

“Footfall yesterday was insane, there were new faces, lots of vettings. But then the market was very quiet this morning,” said O’Connell, before Murphy added: “Last night we felt really confident because everything was going so well, but when the sale started today we weren’t so sure. I didn’t think it would be as tough early on.

“Going in, we were thinking we’d be lucky if the Blue Point made three or four [hundred thousand], genuinely.”

Although pinhooking profit was far from easily attained on Saturday, the Blue Point colt left plenty for the Longways team. He was shrewdly bought at 98,000gns at Tattersalls Book 2 last October.

“I couldn’t believe it when I bought the colt,” Murphy said. “I thought he was a weapon as a yearling and I actually thought I was wasting my time following him in.”

Longways finished the sale as the second-highest grossing vendor and with the best average amongst those with three or more lots sold. They traded four horses for a combined €1,740,000 with an average price of €435,000.

The Showcasing filly, who clocked the fastest presale workout, also left a tidy dividend, having been picked up for 140,000gns. The couple revealed her sale was a source of slightly more mixed emotions.

“We owned the filly in partnership with Sheikh Fahad, and I’m sure he’ll be delighted,” O’Connell said, before Murphy picked up the thread, continuing: “Coming over here we’d spoken about buying Sheikh Fahad out because we loved her, but she didn’t read the script when she bust the clock! We thought she’d make a lovely broodmare in time and we’ve had great luck with the family before.”

Longways Stables boasts an illustrious roll of honour that includes the likes of Al Raya, Flora Of Bermuda and Le Brivido. However, the couple’s headline act is undoubtedly Gewan, whose star-crossed career culminated with victory in last year’s Dewhurst Stakes.

Although his €80,000 transfer to Billy Jackson-Stops 12 months ago wasn’t a financial success, the couple said the reputational benefits of producing a Group 1 star have proved priceless.

“We didn’t make any money out of Gewan but he’s been very good to us in the long run,” said Murphy, who pinhooked the son of Night Of Thunder for 100,000gns.

“He’s been a big flagbearer for us and money can’t buy that. He’s the gift that keeps on giving. There’s a big poster of him there in the ring and when we went in there to sell the Blue Point I gave him a pat and said ‘We need a bit of help here, boy.’ He didn't let us down.”

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Having said that her overriding emotion was “wanting to fall down in a heap” after the big money brace, O’Connell expanded on the pressures involved of plying your trade in the breeze-up market.

“With the breezers you don’t have them for very long, but it all comes down to those 22 seconds of breezing,” she said. “That’s all your work gets judged on. It’s such a stressful game and so much can go wrong, it’s surely the hardest area of the industry, I think.”

O’Connell has previously spoken candidly about being treated for cancer in 2023, and explained “a sh*t couple of years” had continued with the loss of her father, Donal O’Connell, late last year.

“I’m an only child and was very close to my Dad, and when I first started working with the horses in Coolmore I think that was probably one of the proudest days of his life,” she said with tears in her eyes. “He would’ve got some kick out of this.”

Having endured those personal misfortunes away from the sales ring, no one was more deserving of a good day in Deauville.

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