Daughter of Milan is a local hero for Hannon at Tattersalls Ireland

Local knowledge and the intuition that a pedigree was just waiting for the right spark to reignite its flame ensured that Ger Hannon's long journey from Newmarket-on-Fergus to Fairyhouse for the Tattersalls Ireland July Store Sale was well worth the trek.

Hannon, who operates Ralahine Stud alongside his duties as a point-to-point commentator, auctioneer and farmer, bought the Milan filly out of the Grade 3 Lombardstown Mares' Novice Chase runner-up Perfect Woman privately from his neighbours, and her breeders, the MacMahon family and sold her to Nicky Richards for €40,000.

"It's a family we have being trying to buy into all our lives and when I saw her as a foal, I was lucky enough to be able to buy her from the MacMahons privately," Hannon explained.

That pedigree is one the MacMahons have nurtured for several generations. Her dam Perfect Woman won three times over hurdles and once over fences when trained by Mick Winters and was bred by James MacMahon. Perfect Woman is a Blueprint half-sister to Merry Queen, the dam of Merry King, whose best efforts included placings in the Ladbrokes Trophy and Peter Marsh Chase.

Second dam Garrisker is a King's Ride full-sister to Rendlesham Hurdle winner Merry Masquerade and to Over The Bar, who was victorious in a pair of Grade 3 novice hurdles at Navan. Garrisker is also a half-sister to Grade 3 handicap chase winner Merry People and under the fourth dam, Merry Memories, can be found the Grade 1 winners Identity Thief and Topofthegame.

As well as that strong page, the Milan filly, who is the first foal produced by Perfect Woman, had the requisite athleticism to command one of the session's higher prices.

Ger Hannon enjoyed a successful July SaleCredit: Healy Racing/Tattersalls Ireland

Hannon said: "She was the best mover in the sale, just a brilliant walker with great movement. She has a gorgeous head and ears, just the most honest horse and I hope she will go on and be lucky for Nicky Richards."

So impressed was the pinhooker by the Milan filly that he returned to the same source in 2020 and purchased her Wings Of Eagles half-brother privately.

Her new trainer had travelled over with a number of potential purchases in mind and was suitably impressed by Hannon's filly when inspecting her, declaring her to be one of the day's star lots.

"She was the standout of the sale for me," said Richards. "The fact that there is a good programme of races for fillies and mares now means that fillies like this are very attractive.

"If she can win some black type then she will be a lovely broodmare prospect as she has the looks, pedigree and walk."

Yakaleo worth the wait for Richards

Richards delayed his evening meal, as he was determined to land the only gelding in the sale by Haras d'Enki's Buck's Boum, who was one of the final lots through the ring on Wednesday night.

Offered by Niall Bleahen's Liss House and named Yakaleo, he is the second foal out of Implora. Successful on the Flat and over jumps in her native France, she is an Early March full-sister to the Grade 2 and Grade 3-placed hurdler Desinvolte.

Her Buck's Boum gelding's burnished dapples gleamed in the late evening sun and, with his size and scope, ensured that bidders remained close to the ring as the clock ticked towards 9pm.

Joey Logan was among those to make a serious play for the late May-born gelding but it was Richards who had the deeper pockets and when he struck a bid of €65,000 his rivals could not counter.

The Cumbrian trainer was delighted that his patience and perseverance paid off.

"He is a beautiful horse, a really lovely loose mover and he was worth waiting for," Richards remarked.

"I don't think he is one that I will have to wait that long on, looking at him, he seems quite forward and I don't think he'll be a five-year-old before he gets on the track."

Richards didn't splash out on behalf of a specific client but is certain he will have no shortage of owners who will want the new resident of Greystoke Stables to carry their colours.

"I think the first person who sees him will buy him, it's not going to be difficult to find an owner for him," added the trainer.

Precision timing for Blue Bresil

The emergence of Constitution Hill last season as not only a brilliant novice hurdler but an outstanding prospect when he steps into senior company could not have been timed with more precision for the Cashman family had it been engineered by Rolex.

Nicky Henderson's unbeaten gelding is a son of Blue Bresil, who moved to Glenview Stud ahead of the 2020 breeding season, and his progeny are probably the most sought-after National Hunt youngsters in these lands.

Lot 1A; Blue Bresil gelding made €65,000 to Tom Malone and Paul NichollsCredit: Healy Racing/Tattersalls Ireland

The Cashmans' Rathbarry Stud offered a gelding from the sire's stint at Yorton Farm very early in proceedings and, along with the identity of his sire, the March foal, who was the second horse into the ring, had plenty to recommend him to Tom Malone and Paul Nicholls, who bought him for €65,000.

He is the first foal out of the Milan mare Jessber's Dream, who occupied a stable at Nicholls' Ditcheat yard for part of her career. The initial stages of her racing career were overseen by Harry Fry, for whom she won the Grade 2 Jane Seymour Mares' Novices' Hurdle at Sandown and was second in Fairyhouse's Grade 1 mares' novice hurdle.

Malone said: "He's a lovely animal and should have been sold in an earlier sale but had a small mishap. The mare is a West Country one that I knew quite well and I am very happy to get him for Paul."

Malone dances a highland reel

Highland Reel's first crop has been making waves in the handful of juvenile hurdles to have been run early in the new season, with a 1-2-3 in Tipperary's contest of that nature on June 30 augmented by Free Chakarte's win and two placed efforts in his three starts for David Pipe this summer.

There were just two progeny in the catalogue from the first crop of the globetrotting star, whose seven Group 1 victories included the King George, Breeders' Cup Turf and two runnings of the Hong Kong Vase.

Lot 169: the first-crop Highland Reel filly bought by Tom MaloneCredit: Healy Racing/Tattersalls Ireland

Clononeen Stud offered the solitary filly by Highland Reel in the sale, on behalf of Boleyn Bloodstock, and it was Malone, this time acting for himself, who snapped up the chestnut with an outstanding page for €42,000.

Malone said: "She is a fine, big filly and I fell in love with her when I saw her yesterday. I've been involved in a few Highland Reels so far and I really like them. He seems to have started really well with his first hurdlers too."

The agent will take her back to his farm to be broken and pre-trained while he finds a buyer for her.

The March-born filly boasts sufficient residual value that Malone will have no problem selling her. She is the third foal out of Verchinina, an unraced Authorized half-sister to leading stayer Big Orange, who won the Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup and Princess of Wales's Stakes, the latter two contests twice, for Michael Bell and the Gredleys.

Her second dam, Miss Brown To You, is a Fasliyev half-sister to the Hong Kong and Singapore Group 1 winner Military Attack and to Almaty, who was successful in the Molecomb Stakes, Curragh Stakes and Achilles Stakes and was third in the King's Stand. She is also a half-sister to the dam of the popular Hong Kong Vase and Yorkshire Cup winner Red Cadeaux, out of a half-sister to champion three-year-old Haafhd.

A descendant of the great Al Bahathri, her fourth dam, the filly was purchased as a foal by Nick Brown and the pinhooker and syndicate manager expressed his delight with how well the venture had matured.

"We have been royally rewarded, she's a gorgeous filly, we bought her as a foal and we have always loved her and we are delighted with that result," he said.

"There was plenty of interest in her and it has all worked out well, and a big filly like her benefited from having the extra time for this sale."

A walk on the sunny side

Walk In The Park continued his reign as the most popular stallion at the store sales with the sire of Ginto, Jonbon, Douvan and Min recording the highest average price during Part One of the Tattersalls Ireland July Store Sale.

The Derby runner-up had 11 sell for an average of €25,091, which was 68 per cent higher than the session average.

His most expensive offspring on Wednesday was Railstown Stud's half-brother to Goodnightngodbless, twice a winner over hurdles for JP McManus and James Motherway.

He is the third foal out of La Sarrazine, who won twice over hurdles in McManus' instantly recognisable green and gold silks, and was fourth in the Top Novices' Hurdle at Aintree when trained by James Fanshawe.

Lot 14 has his attention taken by onlookers as he poses after his €55,000 saleCredit: Healy Racing/Tattersalls Ireland

La Sarrazine's pedigree isn't automatically a National Hunt one, although her sire Medicean is also the sire of the idiosyncratic but talented Melon. She is out of the Pivotal mare Fulcrum, who is also the second dam of the Group 3 Prix Daphnis and Listed Grosser Dresden Herbstpreis winner Superplex. The family traces back to Highclere and the Group 1 winners Fly To The Stars and Fallen For You sneak on to the page.

However, this Walk In The Park gelding won't be contesting the Lockinge or Coronation Stakes, like that pair, and instead will be aimed at a point-to-point maiden by Sam Curling, who went to €55,000 to secure him.

"He is a lovely horse by a very fashionable sire and I was very keen to buy him," Curling commented.

Sam Curling was busy recruiting for the new point-to-point season at Tattersalls IrelandCredit: Healy Racing/Tattersalls Ireland

It was the bay's second time in the Tattersalls Ireland sale ring having been bought back for €20,000 by vendor Tom Coughlan at the 2019 November National Hunt Sale.

Hurley can Sea clearly

Affinisea is at a very different stage in his career from Walk In The Park but the early signs are promising for Whytemount Stud's son of Sea The Stars. The three-parts brother to Irish Derby and Coronation Cup winner Soldier Of Fortune is the sire of four winners from 14 first-crop runners, with the runners coming on the track and between the flags and the winners in point-to-points.

Three geldings from his second crop changed hands at Tattersalls Ireland on Wednesday, where his average of €25,000 was the second best for any stallion with at least two offspring sold.

The trio was headed by the €46,000 gelding from one of the most recognisable families in National Hunt breeding. Consigned by his breeder Ken Parkhill's Castletown Quarry Stud, the gelding is a half-brother to Tasiteasai, who won a Tramore bumper on his debut for Willie Mullins last season and is scheduled to make her first start over hurdles at Killarney on Friday.

They are out of Tasitiocht, who was twice victorious in bumpers and over hurdles for Mullins. She is an Oscar full-sister to Molly Duffy, the unraced dam of last season's Grade 1 Fort Leney Novice Chase winner Fury Road. That pair's Court Cave half-brother is Grade 1 Neptune Investments Novices' Hurdle winner City Island.

Inspections in the sunshine at Tattersalls IrelandCredit: Healy Racing/Tattersalls Ireland

The Cheltenham and Grade 1 winners don't end there as this gelding's second dam Victorine is an unraced Un Desperado half-sister to the Champion Hurdle winners Morley Street and Granville Again.

Victorine is also a half-sister to Deep Line, dam of Grade 1 Ascot Chase winner Hand Inn Hand, and to Markiza, who is the dam of star-crossed Punchestown Champion Bumper winner Lovethehigherlaw. Another of Victorine's half-sisters is the second dam of Champion Bumper and Christmas Novice Chase winner, the very exciting Ferny Hollow.

Johnny Hurley is hoping that his July Store Sale purchase has inherited at least a modicum of his family's prodigious talent.

"I saw him yesterday and I thought he was a cracker, he was the one we wanted to buy today," enthused the Middleton-based handler. "He is a lovely horse; for me he is the nicest horse here and the pedigree is great so hopefully he can be lucky."

Facts and figures

Tattersalls Ireland was rewarded for staging a marathon Part One session of the July Store Sale with growth figures that were significantly greater than the increase in the catalogue size.

Last year's inaugural sale, which took place over a single session, saw 209 three-year-olds offered with 143 of them changing hands, giving a clearance rate of 68 per cent. During Part One on Wednesday, that figure rose to 70 per cent, with 190 horses out of the 270 offered selling.

The larger selection didn't sate purchasers' desire for stores, with the average leaping an impressive 43 points from €10,433 in 2021 to €14,953. The median figure grew by an even greater margin, up 47 per cent from €8,000 to €11,750.

Part One recorded turnover of €2,841,100, which represented an astonishing 90 per cent year-on-year increase, which far exceeded the 29 per cent growth in numbers offered.

Read more

Aisling Crowe gets the latest from Noel and Valerie Moran at Bective Stud

Records fall again at JRHA Select Sale as £2.75m Maurice colt leads the way

'For her to do what she did is the cherry on top and is why we're doing it'