Bright Blue skies over Fairyhouse as Rathbarry sire dominates

I'm All You Need was the dam of one of the most expensive foals sold at Tattersalls Ireland on Tuesday, but it could also be the sales pitch for Blue Bresil, as Rathbarry Stud's sire dominated the upper echelons of the market during the February National Hunt Sale.

Demand for progeny of the 18-year-old was unabated, with nine of his 2022 crop selling for an average of €28,222, which was more than double the foal average. Tellingly, the median for Blue Bresil's foals was €27,000, and four of the seven who made €40,000 or more were by the bay, who was Group/Grade 2-placed on the Flat and over hurdles. The son of Smadoun was also the sire of the day's most expensive filly foal, Clonmult Farm's daughter of four-time Grade 1 winner Asian Maze.

A half-sister to Cup Final, who won a Grade 3 handicap hurdle at the Punchestown festival for Nicky Henderson and JP McManus, she was bought by Gareth Barry of Dromoland Farm for €41,000.

The successful bidder is familiar with the family, and said: "They’re always good-looking stock and we love her. She comes off the ground very well. Her mother was a wonderful racemare."

Asian Maze was trained by Tom Mullins and her Grade 1 victories were all against geldings, including over Hardy Eustace in the Aintree Hurdle. The daughter of Anshan is also a full-sister to Quantitativeasing, who also sported the green and gold silks and won a Grade 3 chase at the Cheltenham Festival and was second in the Galway Plate.

The future for her Blue Bresil daughter is undecided.

Barry added: "She’s a fine-walking filly and has been bought with two options in mind. We might offer her for resale as a store but we could retain her to race and breed. We’ll decide what to do as we go on.”

Clonmult Farm also consigned a Nathaniel colt out of Aisance, a Saint Des Saints full-sister to Champion Bumper third Wait For Me, who was bought for €35,000 by Richard Rohan. The mare's Blue Bresil colt was one of the more expensive foals at last year's February Sale, when he was bought for €48,000 by Richard Frisby.

Kieran Shields purchased the most expensive colt by Blue Bresil on Tuesday, a half-brother to last year's sale-topper Robin De Carlow, for €45,000 from Ballincurrig House Stud.

Offered on behalf of breeder Sean Cahill, the April-born colt's older half-sister won the Grade 3 Shannon Spray Novice Hurdle and Like-A-Butterfly Novice Chase, defeating no less a rival than Put The Kettle On.

They are out of the Presenting mare La Reine De Riogh, who is a daughter of Grade 1 Finale Junior Hurdle winner Nas Na Riogh.

"Hopefully we’ll be back here with him for the Derby Sale," said Shields after signing the docket. "I've a couple by the sire already and I like them."

He will be part of a strong line-up of Blue Bresil three-year-olds when the store sales of 2025 roll around, with the colt bought by Kevin Ross for €44,000 another destined for resale.

Consigned by Borris House, he is out of the aforementioned I'm All You Need, who was second in the Listed Opera Hat Mares' Novice Chase for Paul Nolan and Philip Byrne. Bred on the same Blue Bresil - King's Theatre cross as Constitution Hill and exciting bumper winner Sao Carlos, he is a half-brother to Park Of Kings, who was placed on his debut in a Fairyhouse bumper before Christmas for Nolan.

They come from the brilliant family of the Anniversary Novices’ Hurdle and Adonis Juvenile Hurdle winner Bilboa and her half-sister Makounji, who won the Pendil Novices’ Chase.

King's Theatre features in the pedigree of the Blue Bresil colt bought by Abbeylands Farm for €40,000, but as the sire of his second dam Sesenta.

Consigned by Shanaville Stables, the late May foal is the third offspring out of Carrigmoorna Fame, an unraced Fame And Glory half-sister to the Listed Mucklemeg Mares Bumper second Hi Stranger.

Tom Malone: "The colt was the standout here"Credit: Harry Trump

Her first foal, the Sea Moon gelding Carrigmoorna Rowan, won a five-year-old maiden for Declan Queally at Dromahane last April and was sold for £85,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale. He has subsequently become part of the growing force that is the Noel Fehily Racing Syndicate.

Tom Malone was bidding on behalf of the Abbeylands team and said: "He’s a lovely colt and by a sire who is very fashionable at the moment, but Blue Bresil has the stock on the ground and the trends are all working.

“The colt was the standout here, with a lovely pedigree as well. He’ll be offered for resale as a three-year-old.”

With Facile Vega and Fascile Mode limbering up for the Dublin Racing Festival, their sire Walk In The Park continues to be the hottest property on the National Hunt sales circuit and the Derby runner-up was responsible for yet another sale-topping youngster in Fairyhouse.

The Murphy family of Walshtown Stables consigned the colt on behalf of his breeder Liam Flavin and the June foal will join a powerful pride of Walk In The Park foals purchased by Frisby, who went to €49,000 to secure him.

"I bought 15 by Walk In The Park during the autumn," said the noted pinhooker, "and this colt is very typical of his stock. He is a very good walker and will be back for resale."

His dam, Be Mine Tonight, has an unblemished record with her first three runners all winners. The unraced Carroll House mare is a half-sister to the Grade 3 Joe Mac Novice Hurdle and Kilbegnet Novice Chase winner Master Ofthe Chase and to the Listed Imperial Call Chase winner Badgerlaw, who was second in the Midlands National for Jessica Harrington.

It is also the family of Noel Meade's Grade 1 Fort Leney Novice Chase winner Casey Jones, by Oscar.

Henrietta Knight was in action early in proceedings and the Gold Cup-winning trainer snapped up a son of Getaway for €42,000 to join the growing group of young horses she has bought for her nephews William and Arthur Vestey.

Bred by David O'Brennan and consigned by Dunahall Stables, the May-born colt is from the family of Harbour Pilot, who was third to Best Mate in his record-equalling third Gold Cup triumph.

"I am still a great fan of Getaway," smiled Knight, who added that the colt will spend his formative years in the care of Michael Moore and his team at Ballincurrig House Stud, where her other purchases for her nephews reside.

"He has a lovely way of going about him with a real presence and he is a lovely mover but he has a pedigree too."

That pedigree is replete with black type; his dam The Sailors Bonnet is an unraced Robin Des Pres half-sister to Get Me Out Of Here, a Grade 2 and Grade 3 winner over hurdles who was second in the Supreme Novices'. Their Flemensfirth half-sister, Rock On The Moor, was also runner-up in a Grade 1 at the festival, in her case the David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle behind Vroom Vroom Mag.

Both those horses were bred by the O'Brennan family, as was Harbour Pilot, a half-brother to Home At Last, who is the dam of Get Me Out Of Here and Rock On The Moor. Trained by Noel Meade, Harbour Pilot won the Drinmore and Dr PJ Moriarty Novice Chases and is a half-brother to the dams of Living Next Door, River Wylde and Glamorgan Duke.

A smaller number of horses offered for sale ensured slight reductions in both the average and median figures. The average dipped by four per cent to €12,451 from €12,973, while the median fell back six points to €8,500 from €9,000 last year. In all, 132 of the 247 lots on offer changed hands, a clearance rate of 53 per cent, for turnover of €1,643,500 - a drop of 20 per cent on 12 months ago.

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