Clash of the ash at Tattersalls Ireland as Kilkenny and Galway field star foals

Galway and Kilkenny have enthralled and entertained with epic hurling encounters on the hallowed turf of Croke Park down through the years, but it's a different ball game this week as brothers to a pair of horses who have captured the hearts and imaginations of the racing public come under the hammer during the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale.

The sale, which has been expanded to six days to cater for the demand for places, begins on Saturday at 11am with a session dedicated to yearlings, but the overwhelming majority of the sale is given over to National Hunt foals and it is on Monday and Tuesday when those with the best pedigrees take centre stage in Fairyhouse.

Representing the maroon and white of the Tribesmen is lot 778, a full-brother to Flooring Porter who has triumphed in the most recent two runnings of theGrade 1 Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Bred by Flooring Porter's breeder Sean Murphy of Ryehill Stables, he is offered through another Galway enterprise in Frank O'Meara's Sheridan House Stables.

The story of the triple Grade 1 winner and his full-brother reaches back almost a quarter of century, to a time before the internet transformed everything and newspaper adverts were the most high-tech method of selling.

The Flooring Porter Syndicate on the best day of Sean Murphy's racing lifeCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Murphy's father spotted an ad in the Irish Farmers Journal for two thoroughbred fillies for sale in Clare and travelled to the neighbouring county to inspect them. Upon his return he divulged to his son that he felt the breeder was anxious to sell both, so a second visit, this time with the box in tow, resulted in the purchase of the pair for IR£1,000.

Broken in by Murphy, they were sent into training and eventually one - Lady Jemurco - won a 7f maiden at Roscommon, which hadn't been in the plans for her.

Miles Apart's best effort came in a bumper at the now-defunct Tralee racecourse, where she was runner-up, but the Roselier mare earned herself a second career as a broodmare.

Her visit to Revoque resulted in Lillymile, who was trained by the Murphys to win her point-to-point, before travelling the 15 miles or so to Pauline Gavin's yard in Craughwell. Lillymile won two of her 12 starts over hurdles, both successes coming at the Mayo track of Ballinrobe.

She returned to Ryehill and a career as a broodmare, with her first foal by Milan. It was to another Coolmore National Hunt sire that she produced her famous son.

"I went to see Yeats down in Castlehyde before I covered the mare and I loved him," says Murphy. "He was a stayer but he had a kick, and I thought he would suit her. She's not a very big mare."

However, when the bay colt who would go on to be Flooring Porter arrived, he wasn't quite what Murphy, nor his partner Chris, were expecting.

Murphy makes no bones about his feelings on first seeing the colt foal.

The legendary Yeats in his paddockCredit: Colin J Kenny Photography

He says: "I was a bit disappointed when he was on the ground, he wasn't very big, though he was all there and very strong. He was very grumpy too."

That cantankerous nature inspired Chris to nickname the foal Roy after the former Republic of Ireland and Manchester United captain, and Sunderland and Ipswich Town manager, Roy Keane. It's a moniker that has stood the test of time with the tenacious Flooring Porter now one of the best hurdlers in training.

"The best day of my life so far with horses was the Thursday of Cheltenham 2022," says Murphy. "It was unbelievable. It might not happen again, though I hope it does."

They share the same DNA but this colt is most definitely not an equine Roy Keane.

"I had to go back to Yeats after Flooring Porter won his first Stayers' Hurdle and I wouldn't have minded a filly foal as she would now be a full-sister to a three-time Grade 1 winner," says Murphy.

However, he got another colt.

"I'm so happy with this colt; he's a totally different horse and will be a bigger and scopier horse than Flooring Porter," he says.

"He has a different personality too. He's easy to work with, leads all the foals out and will do anything you ask him to do. If he has any part of Flooring Porter, then I'm sure he'll make a lovely racehorse."

In the black and amber of Kilkenny is breeder Jim Davis's Affinisea colt who is bound to attract plenty of attention when he arrives at Fairyhouse on Saturday. Baroda Stud consigns the colt who was born in March before his sibling's remarkable run to the top.

Lot 502 is a half-brother to the equine celebrity Hewick, who may or may not have floored any porter when visiting The Pint Depot near his trainer Shark Hanlon's yard outside Bagenalstown last Monday, as part of the homecoming celebrations after his American Grand National triumph.

Hewick with Paddy Hanlon at Fennis Court StablesCredit: Patrick McCann

While Hewick is probably the most famous horse in Ireland and a viral sensation, that does not detract from the seven-year-old's achievements where it counts - on the racecourse.

His Far Hills odyssey was on the back of victories in the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown and the Galway Plate, and but for an unfortunate final-fence unseat in the Kerry National at Listowel, for which the son of Virtual carried top weight, he would possess an even more impressive record over fences.

The story of how Hanlon has transformed his €850 purchase into the winner of close to €500,000 and counting has been the subject of many column inches, but it was only when Hewick went chasing in June of last year that his talent became apparent.

Successful on his debut by six lengths in a beginners' chase at Clonmel, he has risen through the ranks to win the Durham National last December on the way to his current status as the eighth-best chaser in training in Ireland.

Officially rated 167 over fences, only A Plus Tard, Allaho, Energumene, Chacun Pour Soi, Galopin Des Champs, Minella Indo and Conflated are ranked better than Hewick.

Padraic Gahan, Baroda Stud's bloodstock and consigning executive, will be overseeing the farm's draft of nine youngsters and mares at Tattersalls Ireland.

"He looks a solid colt with good bone and scope, and obviously he's had another update on the page," Gahan says of the Affinisea colt.

"The mare has produced Hewick as her only runner so far, and if she can get a horse like him by Virtual then you would have to be hopeful this colt can go on to do well."

Hewick in full flight at ListowelCredit: Patrick McCann

Hewick is the only runner so far out of Ballyburn Rose, who has a five-year-old full-sister to the hero of the hour named Blond Virtual. She was sold to race in Poland but has yet to grace the track. Ballyburn Rose has a six-year-old daughter by Arakan, a two-year-old son by Shirocco and was covered by Jet Away last spring.

Davis sent Ballyburn Rose to Affinisea, who once more was the busiest stallion in Europe this year, covering 384 mares, almost 60 more than he did in 2021, when he was also the most popular sire at stud in Europe.

It's an eye-popping number and approximately 50 foals by Whytemount Stud's three-parts brother to Soldier Of Fortune were catalogued to sell at Tattersalls Ireland, before withdrawals.

While Hewick is the undoubted draw for this colt, his page is not without further merit and consideration, as Gahan explains, saying: "It might have skipped a generation but further back, under the third and fourth dams, it's a very nice National Hunt family.

"He shares his third dam, Gold Label, with Martello Tower, who won the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle for Mags Mullins, and Gold Label is a full-sister to Deep Bramble. He was a high-class chaser whose wins included the Ericsson [now Savills Chase] and is a half-brother to Mandarin Chase winner Polyfemus."

Affinisea and Ronnie O'Neill at Whytemount StudCredit: Patrick McCann

Sire power is increasingly driving the sales of National Hunt horses and in Affinisea, and his broodmare sire Oscar, this colt isn't deficient in either department.

"Affinisea's first crop of four-year-olds have started well and he had a good bumper winner at Punchestown last month for Andrew Slattery in But What," says Gahan.

"He's also the sire of Noel Meade's Affordale Fury, who won a bumper and a maiden hurdle at Galway's October meetings. Oscar is the broodmare sire of Grade 1 winners including Fury Road, Darver Star, Master McShee and Sporting John."

Those credentials add substance to the celebrity attached to the colt whose half-brother was off to another rousing reception at a homecoming event on Friday evening at Kilkenny's greyhound track, where he was parading with Irish Greyhound Derby winner Born Warrior, who is part-owned by Hanlon's brother Willie.

There may be Affinisea offspring with better pedigrees or physiques than this colt in the sale, but there will be no foal whose family is as well known as this one.

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