€370,000 Goffs Punchestown sale-topper Absolute Notions set for hurdles bow

Absolute Notions, a €370,000 buy and the top lot from the Goffs Punchestown Sale in April, is set to make his debut over hurdles for Gordon Elliott and Robcour in the extended 2m3f maiden hurdle at Punchestown on Saturday.

Bred by Brian and Bronagh Lawler, the son of Milan had sold to Evergreen Bloodstock for €29,000 as a foal from the 2018 Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale and then made €60,000 to Aidan O'Ryan from the Goffs Land Rover Sale in June 2021.

Having run out an impressive six-and-a-half-length winner of the valuable Goffs Land Rover Bumper at the Punchestown festival in April, Absolute Notions then topped the Goffs Punchestown Sale two days later when selling to Mags O'Toole.

The four-year-old is the second foal out of the unraced Beneficial mare Colleen Donnoige, a full-sister to dual chase scorer Tiger Sam and a half-sister to Grade 1 Sefton Novices' Hurdle winner Chief Dan George, also a winner of a brace of Grade 2 novice hurdles and the Grade 3 William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Colleen Donnoige is also a half-sibling to Grade 2 Martell Cup Chase scorer Macgeorge.

Absolute Notions faces 21 rivals on his hurdles bow, most notably the Henry de Bromhead-trained Deep Cave, a £235,000 purchase from the Goffs UK Aintree Sale in April having struck in his sole point-to-point by six lengths at Belclare for Ciaran Murphy.

Out of the winning Presenting mare Lady Knightess, the son of Court Cave is a half-brother to the useful hurdler JPR One, last seen running in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle behind Constitution Hill.

Another interesting rival is the Joseph O'Brien-trained Joshua Des Flos, a son of Joshua Tree who will sport the colours of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede. Second in a Leopardstown bumper for Stuart Crawford, he is a half-brother to 2018 Ryanair Chase winner and 2021 Grand National runner-up Balko Des Flos and Grade 3 Plate scorer Salut Flo.

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