Colin Tizzard swoops for record-breaking The Big Breakaway

A new record for the Goffs Punchestown Sale was set on Thursday evening after racing as Ross Doyle signed for the smartly bred The Big Breakaway for €360,000 on behalf of trainer Colin Tizzard.

The Getaway four-year-old (lot 12), a winner of a point-to-point at Quakerstown on Easter Sunday, had been the subject of most of the positive rumours in advance of the auction and six-figure bids were soon whirring around the paddock.

The Big Breakaway is from the family of Grand National third Rathvinden and a half-brother to Kildisart, who showed a huge amount of promise in his first season over fences for Ben Pauling, finishing fourth in the JLT at Cheltenham and rounding his season off with a terrific performance by beating Mister Malarkey by five lengths in the Betway Handicap Chase at the Grand National meeting.

His price eclipses the previous mark of €320,000 set last year by Lecale's Article.

Flanked by Joe Tizzard, whose family bought last season’s Welsh National hero Elegant Escape from this sale in 2016, Doyle said: "He’s an unbelievable athlete and he’s going to Colin Tizzard for an established client.

"He’s a lovely big horse and he comes from a good home (Donnchadh Doyle’s Monbeg Stables). I’m a big fan of the sire and he was the pick of the sale. He’d be the pick of any sale, I suppose."

Connell restocks with two purchases

Ross Doyle and Joe Tizzard combined for the purchase of The Big BreakawayCredit: Peter Mooney

Gerry Hogan was responsible for the second and joint-third top lots, picking up both on behalf of prominent Irish owner Barry Connell.

Connell had apparently been particularly smitten with Noreen Bawn (6), a Jeremy-sired mare who was first past the post at Dromahane last Sunday before being demoted and has the high-class chaser Simply Dashing in her family tree. She reached €220,000 before Hogan turned his attention to Unbreakable Bond (9) for just €10,000 less.

View Goffs Punchestown Sale results here

He had also caught the eye of quite a few buyers at the inspection and had also showed ability when second to Grangeclare Native in a point at Curraghmore last month.

Although his page was not hugely extensive, he is the first runner for Caheronaun, a useful Milan mare when in the care of Dessie Hughes and who performed with credit over hurdles and fences.

"The filly was really nice, Barry had been to see her in the yard before and loved her," Hogan said.

"Hopefully she’s something to look forward to. The gelding was a nice horse by a good stallion in Shirocco. They’ll both go into training with Alan Fleming."

More Buck's for Stewart

There was a familiar buyer of Barbados Buck’s (11), who preceded The Big Breakaway into the ring and made what was eventually the joint-third largest sum of the evening at €210,000.

Offered by Richard Black, he had caught the eye as recently as last Sunday with second in a competitive four-year-old maiden at Dromahane. The gelding is out of Buck’s Blue, a half-sister to the undisputed champion stayer of modern times in Big Buck’s and from a family of many other fine horses carrying the unusual spelling including Buck's Boum, the sire of this year's Gold Cup hero Al Boum Photo and Arkle scorer Duc Des Genievres.

Black had bought him for €60,000 as a store from Mount Eaton Stud as recently as last June in the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale and his half-brother, More Buck’s, was in a rich vein of form for Peter Bowen last summer, snaring valuable chases at Perth and Market Rasen.

Successful agent Tom Malone had been on the telephone to Andy Stewart, Big Buck’s owner, who was directing proceedings from Barbados.

"He’s for the Stewart family, obviously they know the family very well, so he was an easy sell," Malone smiled.

Figures up again

The fireworks gave the eventual figures a pretty healthy look. One fewer lot was offered than last year but the aggregate was up year-on-year, reaching €1,877,000 compared with €1,752,000.

The average was up to €144,385 from €125,143, with the median also pushed up to €115,000 from €110,000. Only four of the 17 lots were not sold, notably Fiona McStay's Glens Finale, a closely related brother to the top-class mare Glens Melody, who was led away when the bidding ceased at €190,000.

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