O'Toole wins battle for Absolute Notions at €370,000 as sale returns with a bang

The Goffs Punchestown sale came roaring back with a blockbuster edition that saw a new record price for the boutique point-to-point sale and five lots make €200,000 or more.

Absolute Notions had hosed up in Tuesday's Land Rover Bumper, earning his vendor Micheal Conaghan the keys to a Land Rover Discovery, and auctioneer Nick Nugent quipped that the young breeder and pinhooker would have plenty of diesel money to fill the tank of his new conveyance at the end of a protracted duel between Frank Berry and Margaret O'Toole in the winner's enclosure as dusk fell.

O'Toole was standing to the right of the podium, while Berry, in a group that included Jonjo O'Neill and Charlie Swan, was positioned to the left and slightly behind Nugent, who listed the exploits of previous Land Rover Bumper winners including Champion Chase winner Newmill and Commander Of Fleet, victorious at this year's Cheltenham Festival.

Bidding for the four-year-old Milan gelding opened at €100,000 but seemingly stalled at the €150,000 mark. That was a minor blip, however, and the pace of bidding picked up, with O'Toole decisive in response to Berry's parries, and her quick assent to Nugent's request for €370,000 finally broke her opponent's resistance.

"There have been some fantastic winners of the Land Rover Bumper over the years," said the successful purchaser, "and let's hope he is another one. All we need now is luck."

Gordon Elliott trained Absolute Notions to perfection for his winning debut this week, and the esteem the trainer holds him in was very obvious as he bought the runner-up Miss Agusta for €235,000.

Gordon Elliott: signed for Miss Agusta at €235,000Credit: Goffs

Margaret Mullins picked up the daughter of Well Chosen for €21,000 and prepared her to make an impressive debut behind Absolute Notions, finishing five and a half lengths clear of the rest in a classy contest.

Elliott said: "She is a lovely mare, we think an awful lot of the winner and she ran a hell of a race on Tuesday. We are delighted to get her and she is for an existing client."

Nicholls Wyse to mare's potential

The last mare to sell at this venue as lot 14 was Honeysuckle, so Jenny Wyse has some enormous hoofprints to fill. The Flemensfirth four-year-old, however, appears to have the world at those hooves following her brilliant debut victory at Monksgrange last Sunday for Colin Bowe.

Tom Malone and Paul Nicholls certainly think so, with Malone determined to secure the daughter of Morning Edition, an unraced King's Theatre full-sister to the dual Grade 3-winning hurdler Morning Run. He was forced to go all the way to €360,000 for the beautiful relation to Morning Supreme and Dancing On My Own.

"She is a lovely filly and came highly recommend by Colin Bowe," said Malone. "She could not have been more impressive in her win and she is for an existing client with Paul."

Busy agent snaps up future stars

Malone was one of the busier buyers in front of a crowd of interested and enthusiastic racegoers, who remained behind after the bumper to watch the drama unfold.

Tom Malone: in the thick of the action at PunchestownCredit: Goffs

He bought Castleward for €120,000 from Colin Bowe, a Notnowcato gelding who had won his maiden at Dromahane this month, and also purchased Heads Or Harps, a five-year-old Flemensfirth gelding out of a half-sister to none other than Harchibald, on behalf of Michael Scudamore.

Consigned by Declan Queally, Heads Or Harps had won at Dromahane on Sunday and realised €135,000.

Malone returned to the same source for another six-figure buy, this time for Jamie Snowden. Bill Jack was second to The Gooner on his debut at Curraghmore this month and fetched €100,000 in the ring.

The Gooner himself made the early running for sale-topping honours as Jonjo O'Neill went to €280,000 for Matthew Flynn O'Connor's four-year-old by Flemensfirth out of a Milan half-sister to Dont Tell No One.

"He is a grand horse and I loved him, he has started off well so hopefully we can keep him going that way," said the trainer, who bought him for an existing client.

The Gooner: Jonjo O'Neill took a shine to the tune of €280,000Credit: Goffs

Minton hoping for good fortune with Soldier

David Minton was a welcome sight in the Punchestown winner's enclosure and the renowned judge wasted no time in returning to the bidding fray, picking up successive lots by Soldier Of Fortune for a combined figure of €260,000.

First up was Liam Kenny's Oldcastle four-year-old geldings' maiden winner Fortunate Soldier. The son of Soldier Of Fortune is inbred 3x3 to Sadler's Wells as he is out of the Grade 3-placed hurdler Ma Belle Amie, by Oscar.

His second dam Lisa Du Chenet is a Garde Royale sister to Sandown Grade 3 handicap hurdle winner Iris Royal and a half-sister to Grade 1 winners Saint Du Chenet and Tanais Du Chenet, who is the dam of Grade 2 winner Hotesse Du Chenet. Minton went to €200,000 for the chestnut, who he described as "not your typical Soldier Of Fortune".

He added: "As a type, I loved him, and he was as good an individual as there was in this sale."

The very next lot into the ring was Warren Ewing's Soldier Of Fortune filly First Venture, who had won a Fairyhouse maiden on her debut last Sunday.

Minton bought her on behalf of Simon Davies, who purchased Champion Chase heroine Put The Kettle On at Goffs UK's Aintree Sale three weeks ago, and the breeder, who stands Planteur, Bangkok and Walzertakt at Chapel Stud, had news of his famous acquisition.

"Put The Kettle On was covered by Planteur and is being scanned at the weekend," he revealed.

First Venture's residual broodmare value was another positive for the bay, whose second dam My Native Gesture is a Be My Native sister to Aintree Hurdle winner Rhinestone Cowboy and a half-sister to Wichita Lineman, successful in the Challow Novices' Hurdle, and Mills Gesture, who is the dam of Drinmore Novice Chase winner Coney Island.

Record-breaking return to Punchestown

Given such high prices, it was no shock that the sale returned excellent results. It had been three years since the last sale in the Punchestown winner's enclosure and the comparisons with 2019 would have made for very happy reading for the Goffs team.

From 20 lots offered, a total of 18 were sold, which made for a clearance rate of 90 per cent. The aggregate of €2,885,000 was a massive 53 per cent increase on the 2019 figure, while the other key indicators all returned more sedate levels of improvement.

Thursday night's average of €160,278 represented growth of 11 points from 2019, and the median of €135,000 was an increase of 17 per cent on the equivalent figure from three years ago.

Henry Beeby: delighted with the sale at PunchestownCredit: Edward Whitaker

A delighted Goffs chief executive Henry Beeby said: “The original Festival Sale made a spectacular return at Punchestown this evening and we are simply overjoyed with the record-breaking results. As ever it was all about the horses and we are indebted to those vendors who chose Goffs Punchestown Sale for 20 really classy individuals.

"The top price was particularly special given the backstory, and to see the unbridled joy on Michael Conaghan’s face for the second time in three days when his Goffs Land Rover Bumper winner Absolute Notions topped the sale was heart-warming to say the least."

He added: "We now look ahead to the Land Rover Sale at Kildare Paddocks in June. We have compiled a top-class catalogue of stores, and the catalogue will be published online tomorrow.”

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