Kirk and Mullins pounce for fillies by No Risk At All and Zarak on the first day of the Goffs Arkle Sale

Sean Mulryan may be a man of immense wealth with his Ballymore Group responsible for developing some of London’s most famous landmarks but the founder of the property development company understands the value of money and the importance of sticking to a budget.

Twice Ger Morrin of Pier House Stud had to be content with the role of underbidder when geldings by No Risk At All and Crystal Ocean exceeded the valuation that Morrin and Mulryan had placed on them. However, proving that patience is a virtue, Morrin finally landed a big one – Ballincurrig House Stud’s No Risk At All full-brother to the Grade 1 Future Champions’ Novice Hurdle third Keskonrisk at €160,000.

Ironically the figure matched the final bids that Morrin placed in his earlier attempts to add to Mulryan’s string which is headed by the multiple Grade 1-winning chaser Fastorslow.

In addition to the star-crossed Keskonrisk this bay who, as is custom in France has already been named - Historisk. He is a half-brother to another ill-fated blacktype performer in Grand Sancy, who was a Grade 2 winner and Grade 1-placed for Paul Nicholls.

Willie Mullins trains their Kapgarde half-sister Fleur Au Fusil who won the Grade 2 mares’ bumper at the 2023 Dublin Racing Festival.

The gelding’s sire No Risk At All was red-hot at Goffs on Tuesday with three of his progeny occupying the top five places in the market, accounting for 50 per cent of the ten most expensive lots on the day. 

Both the most expensive gelding and filly of the day were by Haras De Montaigu’s leading light, who commands a fee of €20,000.

Eight stores by the sire, whose progeny includes Epatante, Allaho and Kopek Des Bordes, came under the hammer at Goffs on Tuesday and they all sold with the average just failing by €750 to make the six-figure mark.

A filly by No Risk At All, offered by Peter Nolan Bloodstock, sold for €145,000Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

Willie Mullins trains Kopek Des Bordes and steered the career of Allaho, who remains the best runner by No Risk At All with a peak official rating of 176 and a Racing Post Rating of 180.

Mullins’ eyes and ears at the sales, point-to-point fields and French tracks is Harold Kirk and the agent signed for the session’s highest-priced No Risk At All filly.

The multiple champion trainer has enjoyed spectacular success with fillies – with his cohort headed by Annie Power, Quevega, Vroum Vroum Mag, Benie Des Dieux and Lossiemouth – so it was no surprise to see Kirk in the thick of battle for the best fillies offered on the opening day of the sale.

The agent twice engaged in combat for the fillies who would become the day’s most expensive and twice he emerged with the spoils.

He was pushed to €145,000 for Altesse Du Luy, a No Risk At All filly out of the winning Kapgarde mare Kapline, who was offered by Peter Nolan Bloodstock.

A delighted Kirk said: “She is a gorgeous filly, a big, strapping type who looks like she'll be a chaser one day. Hopefully she is good; she is by a very good sire. It is hard to get a filly of that size and substance. Being out of a Kapgarde mare - she ticks a lot of boxes. She's got size - like a gelding.”

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Three lots later Kirk and Mullins pounced for Baroda Stud’s Zarak filly, the only store by the sire offered in the first part of the Arkle Sale.

At €110,000 Kirk pointed out that she is not much more expensive than her sire’s current covering fee at the Aga Khan Studs’ French base of Haras de Bonneval.

“He is a collectors’ item, Zarak. He is an €85,000 covering fee now, his progeny are winning Group 1 flat races, and I actually think his fillies are as good as his colts. Very, very rarely now are you going to find a Zarak out of a jumping pedigree because he is too good of a stallion. 

“She is gorgeous, and we bought her on spec to try and win the bumper. She looks quick, she has a good pedigree and she is for sale. We were not going to leave her behind and we will hopefully sell her to someone. Interested parties, get in touch!” Kirk concluded.

Harold Kirk: 'Very, very rarely now are you going to find a Zarak out of a jumping pedigree because he is too good of a stallion'Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

While Kirk and Mullins purchased just three lots on Tuesday, all three came with a six-figure price attached which pushed the duo to the head of the purchasers’ table, finishing the day having spent at €430,000, with a recorded average of €143,333.

Leading the pack on total outlay were the Doyles of Monbeg Stables with the behemoths of the point-to-point scene spending €826,000 on 18 horses. 

Next up were Jonjo and AJ O’Neill who bought eight horses for an aggregate of €587,000. Their spend included three six-figure lots – a Walk In The Park brother to Labaik for €140,000, a €110,000 No Risk At All gelding and a son of Masked Marvel from Lakefield Farm for €140,000.

Two of their big money buys were from the nurseries of the Bleahen brothers – John and Niall – with John’s Lakefield Farm consigning the Masked Marvel gelding and Liss House, run by Niall, listed as the vendor of the Walk In The Park.

Liss House led the way on Tuesday with receipts of €587,000 for seven sold and their average of €83,857 was the second-best of any vendor with more than three horses sold.

Caoimhe Doherty and Tom Howley’s Brook Lodge Farm returned the best average in the category at €84,667 for three sold.

A third Bleahen brother, Hugh, who consigns under the Clifton Farm banner, and his operation was fourth-best on aggregate with €435,000 of sales.

Lakefield Farm made its presence felt in the consignors’ charts as their total of €365,000 for five sold was the seventh-highest recorded on Tuesday.

Only half of the sale is complete, but last year’s total of six-figure lots has already been bettered with 15 horses making at least €100,000 on Tuesday compared with 13 on day one of the 2024 edition sale.

Day 1 sale statistics

Goffs Arkle Sale

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