The next Brighterdaysahead? Gordon Elliott goes to €240,000 for No Risk At All filly who ‘has everything’
Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources or find out more here
Gordon Elliott will be hoping he has unearthed the next Brighterdaysahead after bidding €240,000 for a blue-blooded No Risk At All filly midway through day two of the Goffs Arkle Sale.
“It’s the best young family you can possibly get into,” said auctioneer Nick Nugent as the striking three-year-old took her first turn around the ring.
Agent Dan Astbury, tucked away in the bidders’ area at the base of the rostrum, cut out much of the running, but ultimately had to concede defeat to the Elliott camp, who were positioned directly opposite the auctioneer. Eddie O’Leary signed the docket in Elliott’s name before delegating press duties to the filly’s new trainer.
“She’s a lovely filly and as soon as we saw her we liked her,” Elliott said. “We always come here looking for a filly that looks a bit like a gelding, and that’s her. She moves very well, she has everything. We’ve been lucky buying a filly off this vendor before so hopefully we will be again.”
The youngster was offered by Niall Bleahen’s Liss House, which was also home to the five-time Grade 1 winner Brighterdaysahead before her €310,000 transfer to the Elliott yard.
“She’s got a great pedigree, it’s a proper pedigree, so we’re delighted to have her,” Elliott continued. “You’ve got to keep restocking and hopefully we’ve got a few nice horses out of this sale. Please God there’ll be a few more to come.”
Asked if he looks forward to hunting for talent at the store sales, the trainer said: “I enjoy it, or I enjoy it when we get them anyway.”
The filly, already named Noosa Sport, was added to the Bleahen brothers’ portfolio at the Arqana Autumn Sale in 2024 at a cost of €40,000. Plenty has happened in the pedigree since.
Her half-brother Leader Sport was listed as unraced when the Bleahens secured the filly in Deauville, but he has now won five times, most notably last year’s Grade 1 Prix Maurice Gillois. The son of Nirvana Du Berlais is co-owned by renowned pinhooker Walter Connors, who was also among the vendors enjoying a productive day at Goffs.
The filly is also a sister to Geelong Sport, winner of the Grade 3 Prix Romati, while Willie Mullins and Harold Kirk recently spent £400,000 on her Goliath Du Berlais half-brother Monzon Sport, who won a Borris House maiden by 20 lengths for Pat Doyle.
“All along, since the form came into the family, you knew all the stars were starting to align,” said Bleahen. “It’s all right talking about it though, but it’s a different story until it happens.
“When you go to buy your youngstock, you’re always aiming to find something that’ll suit those top people. They’re perfectionists when you put the horse in front of them so you have to rear them properly and pick them well. It takes a lot of time and mileage to get there.”
He continued: “It’s brilliant that Gordon and the O’Learys have put their faith in us again. They’ve had great luck with Brighterdaysahead and hopefully this one can be somewhere near as good. They know that, we know that, now we’re just wishing for it to happen. Hopefully it does. It’s all about repeat custom and keeping people happy so they can have trust in the business.”
Niall works closely alongside his brothers John and Hugh, who operate under the banners of Lakefield Farm and Clifton Farm respectively. Between them the siblings have produced the likes of Dancing City, Jango Baie and Sizing John.
John’s son Luke is also involved in the business, and his early forays into the Flat market have yielded the classy Wareeth, a 510,000gns son of Sea The Stars who has won novice events at Newcastle and Salisbury for Archie Watson.
Niall added: “The family are all involved so it’s vital that it’s kept right. You don’t feel it’s been hard work when you’re doing what you like.”
Remarkably buoyant trade across the two sessions resulted in what Goffs believed to be unprecedented figures for any store sale in history.
Turnover across the two days hit a huge €25,127,500, a 28 per cent rise on the comparable metric 12 months ago. The average price was up 22 per cent at €65,100, while the median rose to €55,000, also a 22 per cent increase.
The clearance rate was a rock solid 88 per cent as 441 stores were offered and 386 found a buyer.
Reflecting on events in the ring, Goffs group chief executive Henry Beeby said: "As I said at the start of the week, this is the best bunch of National Hunt horses ever assembled at Goffs and happily the market agreed with huge rises in all the metrics once again and no less than nine lots hitting the €200,000 mark, up from three last year along with 63 realising six figures compared to 29 in 2025. That’s some progress, and the other big numbers are the turnover, the average, and the median all of which are by our reckoning the highest of any store sale in history."
Mullins and Kirk kick on
Elliott’s great rival Willie Mullins continued his own recruitment drive with three more headline purchases. The most notable addition to the Closutton squad was the son of Cokoriko from Treannahow Stables who fetched €210,000. Not for the first time this week, Paul Holden was consigned to the role of frustrated underbidder.
The French-bred youngster, already named Okekoko, was pinhooked for €36,000 in Deauville in 2023. The sire has already worked in this family as Gigginstown House Stud’s classy Coko Beach is among the eye-catching names beneath the second dam.
“It was hard work, I didn’t think he’d make that,” said Kirk. “Cokoriko is another sire that’s been very lucky for us. We’ve had Kitzbuhel win two Grade 1s last season and we’ve had several others. This is the most gorgeous horse; a fantastic mover, a very good pedigree. He comes from the vendor of King Rasko Grey too.
“I loved him, and Willie loved him, the first time we saw him. We love the sire too. He’s as nice an individual as I’ve seen by the sire.”
Asked for his perspective on trade, Kirk said: “It’s the strongest sale I’ve ever been at. I didn’t expect it to be this strong, but Doncaster was strong and when the first sale is strong it usually carries on. It feels like €100,000 is the new €60,000. That’s supply and demand, nobody is setting that.
“It makes it difficult for everybody [buying] because you’re having to give more than you think, but if you don’t buy them you don’t have them. You have to restock every year the best you can, from stores to form horses.”
Earlier in the day Kirk signed at €200,000 for a son of No Risk At All out of a half-sister to Solness and Solway from Walter Connors’ Sluggara Farm. On that occasion Kirk left Charles Shanahan, standing with his father, Paul, and fellow Coolmore man Gerry Aherne, to fill the runner-up spot.
“We have them for three years and we get kind of attached to them, so it’s always a great pleasure when you see leading owners and trainers fighting it out for one of yours,” said Connors. “This is important to us but the next stage is the really important bit, and we get as much enjoyment from watching someone else owning them. Hopefully this is the start of the second leg of the journey for this horse.”
Reflecting on the Arkle Sale market, Connors said: “It’s been excellent. Horses are amazing, aren’t they? There seems to be a resurgence among the British trainers and the cycle is maybe turning. The diversity of buyers is important for us.
“With some of the randomness of National Hunt, it’s important it stays that way because then everybody has a bit of a chance. It’s not necessarily the case here that if you have the most money, you get the best horse.”
The renowned vet and pinhooker added: “We’re all looking for the bit that none of us can. We think we can, but it’s a good job we can’t because there’d be no racing!”
Kirk dipped into the Sluggara draft for a second time later in the session when bidding €200,000 for the Moises Has gelding out of Kapgarde mare Divine Prestige.
The Kirk-Mullins axis secured seven new recruits across the two days for a combined spend of €1,360,000 and at an average of €194,285.
Only JP McManus, bidding through his long-serving racing manager Frank Berry, spent more. The leading owner invested €1.715m on a 14-strong haul.
Reflecting on McManus’s recruitment drive, Berry said: “We came here with an open mind and there’s been some nice horses. We’ve got a few and I hope they’re lucky. They’ll all be broken in and we’ll see how they’re going and give them out to the trainers after that. There’s some lovely horses here and I’d say trade’s been very strong.”
Cromwell keeps up Walk In The Park connection
Gavin Cromwell got among the buyers when going to €185,000 for the Walk In The Park gelding out of the Listed-winning Jeremy mare Ard Abhain. The youngster, an €80,000 pinhook, was offered by Chris Jones’ Killeen Glebe operation.
“He’s a smashing horse who comes from a good hotel,” said Cromwell. “We’ve seen him a few times and he was a great pullout every time. It’s a lovely pedigree and he looks exciting. That’s only the second horse we’ve bought, it’s been very hard work. It’s been great trade and there’s some lovely horses here.”
The trainer knows plenty about the talent Walk In The Park can impart having saddled the sire’s Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Inothewayurthinkin.
“This horse has everything,” he said. “He’s got size, scope and a great step to him for a big horse. I don’t have to say too much more about Walk In The Park, he’s rock solid. His stock are tough and have plenty of class about them. He’s been bought for a current owner in the yard.”
More from Goffs:
Published on inSales reports
Last updated
CopyClick here to add us to your Google preferred sources or find out more here
- ‘If he can run to the same level as he has for a master trainer, we’ll be lucky with him’ - Sea Force tops July Sale day three at 170,000gns
- ‘We’re always trying to upgrade’ - smart filly sells for 240,000gns as online action continues and a new buyer emerges
- ‘Renaissance Lady really is something of a collector’s item’ - up-and-coming bloodstock operation buys into a dynasty at 500,000gns
- Fleu Du Glaye headed to Henry Daly after Ed Bailey goes to £20,000 on Goffs Go July Sale
- ‘I wanted to stamp my authority!’ - bold-bidding owner stares down Swan and Mullins as heavyweights outgunned at €340,000
- ‘If he can run to the same level as he has for a master trainer, we’ll be lucky with him’ - Sea Force tops July Sale day three at 170,000gns
- ‘We’re always trying to upgrade’ - smart filly sells for 240,000gns as online action continues and a new buyer emerges
- ‘Renaissance Lady really is something of a collector’s item’ - up-and-coming bloodstock operation buys into a dynasty at 500,000gns
- Fleu Du Glaye headed to Henry Daly after Ed Bailey goes to £20,000 on Goffs Go July Sale
- ‘I wanted to stamp my authority!’ - bold-bidding owner stares down Swan and Mullins as heavyweights outgunned at €340,000