Blue Bresil and Walk In The Park dominate Tattersalls Ireland proceedings

Success as a seller of National Hunt foals is simple, it would appear. All you need to do is bring the offspring of Blue Bresil or Walk In The Park to market and watch the bids come flying in.

That was certainly how it seemed at Tattersalls Ireland on Monday as the second session of the November National Hunt Sale was dominated by the progeny of the sires who stand for Rathbarry and Grange Studs respectively.

A hegemony not seen this side of Spanish football, where Barcelona and Real Madrid fight for the La Liga crown more or less season after season, with barely a look in for their rivals.

The dominance of the pair was total. Nine of the ten most expensive foals were by one or the other, with the same applying to the 16 foals who made €50,000 at a minimum. In that category the scoreline stood at eight for Walk In The Park with Blue Bresil on seven.

Even further down the order, taking the top 20 foals into account they were responsible for 16, with just three other stallions getting a look in  – Affinisea, Santiago and Golden Horn. 

Blue Bresil's average for the session was running at €37,289 for 19 sold, with the session average holding at €20,258. For Walk In The Park the figures were €40,417 and 18 sold.

Blue Bresil, the sire of Constitution Hill and Blue Lord, among six Grade 1 winners, was responsible for the sale-topper and joint-second most expensive foal on the day and both colts were Cork-bred through and through.

Cathy and Kieran Mariga signing for the session-topping Blue Bresil coltCredit: www.healyracing.ie

Ballykineally Stables' colt came so close to being the first six-figure foal of the sale when knocked down to Kieran Mariga of Coolmara Stables for €97,000.

The successful buyer said: "He was a neighbour's foal and we saw him in the summer. He is one of the best foals here. He is for resale to come back hopefully to the Derby Sale."

The February-born dark bay is out of Beautiful War, an unraced Presenting half-sister to Glamorgan Duke, who was second in the Grade A Leopardstown Handicap Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival for Paul Gilligan last season.

She is also a half-sister to the Listed bumper second Alfie's Princess, and their Saddlers' Hall dam Dunahall Queen is a half-sister to the Grade 1 Drinmore and Dr PJ Moriarty Novice Chase winner Harbour Pilot and to the dams of River Wylde, Get Me Out Of Here and Living Next Door.

It was a celebratory day for the Barry family who bred and sold the session's most expensive foal, and for father and son Maurice 'Mossy' and John.

"There is a lot happening in the pedigree and he has been a dream of a foal from day one, he's really straightforward. He had about 150 shows and from eight in the morning he was out of his box all day long. He never once put a foot wrong," smiled a delighted John, who was conducting interviews while overseeing the preparations of their Walk In The Park filly still to sell.

The Barrys sourced Beautiful War in England and sent her to Milan to be covered, resulting in the five-year-old gelding Tinklers Hill, who made €28,000 at this sale five years ago to Kilmoney Cottage Stud. He was second in an Exeter bumper towards the end of last season for Paul Nicholls.

She has a four-year-old Westerner gelding, a three-year-old by Milan and a Getaway yearling colt. Beautiful War is back in foal to the Rathbarry sire.

"Blue Bresil is doing it on the track and is one of the best sires around. It's our best ever price; we got €76,000 for a Walk In The Park last year and that was the best before today," said Barry, who paid tribute to his wife Karen and the whole family team involved in the operation.

The colt won't be travelling far from the place of his birth, with Coolmara Stables his home for the next couple of years and the breeders are thrilled.

Barry added: "We are delighted he has been bought by the Mariga family, who are neighbours of ours and they are top class at their job. I wish them the best "of luck with him and I hope he's lucky for him. He's just a lovely foal."

More than sire power in common

There were quite a few similarities between that foal and the €80,000 colt purchased by Paul and Alanna Cowley of Vanquish Bloodstock.

Both were bred by Cork fathers and sons, by Blue Bresil and out of unraced Presenting mares who are siblings to black-type performers.

"He has been bought for resale," said Paul Cowley of the brown colt. "We loved his movement, he is full of quality, the stallion is hot and as an individual he is correct. We try to buy around four foals each year and so we have made a start; there are some nice foals here."

Clontenty Farm's Blue Bresil colt out of Dreamers Daughter continues an excellent day for his sire at Tattersalls IrelandCredit: www.healyracing.ie

For Stephen Flynn who, along with his father John, bred the colt, it was the Presenting factor that made all the difference to this colt.

"He has been an exceptional foal since the day he was born and the sire is on fire but the main thing is his dam is by Presenting, that's the big factor," stated a delighted Flynn.

He and his father also bred the colt's dam Dreamers Daughter at their Fermoy farm along with her full-brother Doctor Harper, a Grade 3 handicap hurdle winner at the Grand National meeting for David Pipe. The Flynns also bred their Shirocco half-brother Highway One O Two, who won the Grade 2 Dovecote Novices' Hurdle and was third in the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle last December to Constitution Hill for Chris Gordon.

It's an excellent return for the duo, who breed from between ten and 14 mares.

"We sell our stock as foals and when you get a nice foal like this one, then you hope it all works out and you get paid for it," said Flynn.

Dreamers Daughter is in foal to Affinisea and has a four-year-old Sholokhov filly named Miercoles who was bought by Hugo Merienne at the 2022 July Store Sale. She also has a three-year-old Getaway gelding and a yearling daughter of Order Of St George.

Park life

If it's not Blue Bresil then it's Walk In The Park and four lots from the end, Peria Stud sold the session's most expensive foal by the sire of six Grade 1 winners including Facile Vega, Jonbon, Min and Douvan.

A close sibling of the Grade 3 Betfair Handicap Hurdle winner and Christmas Hurdle runner-up Glory And Fortune, and out of a half-sister to the dam of the Cheveley Park Stud-owned Royal Bond winner Ballyadam, he was bought for €80,000 by Gerry Aherne and Charles Shanahan.

Options are open for the half-brother to three winners, who could be seen at a store sale or kept and sent into training.

"He is a stunning colt and from great breeders," remarked Aherne on media duties. "He has a top-class pedigree, with Ballyadam, Mass Appeal and Commercial Artist all on there and the dam has already produced a good horse by a son of Montjeu, so it all made perfect sense. Obviously Walk In The Park is a very successful sire and we're delighted to get this colt by him."

Ballincurrig House Stud's Walk In The Park colt out of Zariyna made €65,000 to A M G Bloodstock at Tattersalls Ireland Credit: www.healyracing.ie

For much of the day, the top-priced Walk In The Park foal was Ballincurrig House Stud's colt from a familiarly successful Aga Khan line.

The March-born bay was knocked down to AMG Bloodstock for €65,000 and is a half-brother to Gordon Elliott's Grade 2 WKD Hurdle and Leopardstown Juvenile Hurdle winner Zanahiyr. That son of Nathaniel has been placed six times in the best company, including in the Champion Hurdle, Irish Champion Hurdle and Aintree Hurdle.

Their winning Marju dam Zariyna was purchased from the Aga Khan Studs for €50,000 in foal to Phoenix Of Spain but, with the emergence of Zanahiyr, has had a change of direction and been mated exclusively with Walk In The Park since then.

Santiago muscles in on the big two

If Blue Bresil and Walk In The Park were Barcelona and Real Madrid, then the Atletico Madrid of the day was a new name on the list; Castlehyde Stud's Santiago who was the only stallion to prevent a total shut out of the top ten by the pair.

If ever a horse possessed the pedigree to excel at stud it is the son of Authorized, who won the Irish Derby and Queen's Vase. His Derby and Juddmonte International-winning sire has been represented over jumps by Grade 1 winners including the legendary Tiger Roll, Nichols Canyon, Echoes In Rain and Let Me Love.

Santiago's female line is the best in the world, with Galileo, Sea The Stars and Adlerflug all emanating from it. His branch of the Allegretta family tree descends from Allez Les Trois, the Group 2 Prix de Flore winner by Riverman and a half-sister to Urban Sea. 

It includes the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat and Prix Jacques le Marois winner and sire Tamayuz, and Facteur Cheval, who was placed four times at the highest level this year including when runner-up to Big Rock in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes last month.

Kilbarry Lodge Stud's Santiago colt out of Alighting in action at Tattersalls IrelandCredit: www.healyracing.ie

His two-year-old Galileo half-brother Grosvenor Square won the Group 3 Eyrefield Stakes last time out for Aidan O'Brien and holds an entry in next year's Irish Derby.

The most expensive member of his first crop was Kilbarry Lodge Stud's colt out of the Listed Quevega Mares' Hurdle third Alighting, who has a beautiful page. His dam is a Kayf Tara half-sister to Don Poli, who won the Grade 1 Lexus Chase, Fort Leney Novice Chase and RSA Chase for Willie Mullins and Gigginstown House Stud. Alighting is also a full-sister to Debece, who was third in the Grade 1 Sefton Novices' Hurdle and Lorna Fowler's Grade 3 Carvills Hill Chase third Politesse.

Second dam Dalamine is a Sillery full-sister to Auteuil Grade 2 Prix Georges de Talhouet-Roy Hurdle winner Multipass and a half-sister to the dam of Auteuil Grade 2 winner and Grade 1 Grand Prix d'Automne third Dulce Leo.

Charles Shanahan, who would later team up with Aherne for the €80,000 Walk In The Park colt, bought this Santiago foal with Flash Conroy of Glenvale Stud for €65,000. He explained how the family connection to Santiago made them determined to get the very best from his first crop.

"He's a lovely colt, we are really happy to get him," remarked Shanahan. "My father [Paul] bred Santiago so we were very keen to get one and I think we found the right one in this colt. The plan would be to come back here for the Derby Sale hopefully."

Conroy's Glenvale Stud was also listed as the purchaser of a €30,000 Santiago colt consigned by Ballymarkham Stud. The bay is the second foal out of Cool Fortune, an unraced Soldier Of Fortune half-sister to Grade 2 Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle winner Up For Review, who was also third in the Thyestes for Willie Mullins.

Con O'Keeffe of Kilbarry Lodge Stud, home to stallions Success Days, Diamond Boy, Pillar Coral and the dual Derby winner Harzand, bred the two most expensive Santiago foals and explained how he came to acquire Alighting and to breed the foals in question.

"Alighting caught my eye when she came to Kilbarry to be covered by Diamond Boy and we bought her afterwards," he said. "She is a lovely big scopey mare and has a great pedigree."

Flash Conroy in action at Tattersalls IrelandCredit: www.healyracing.ie

Glenmore Farm went to €48,000 to secure O'Keeffe's Santiago colt out of Kilbarry Lilly, a homebred daughter of Classic Cliche who was fourth in the Grade B Easter Handicap Hurdle at Cork. She is a half-sister to Kilbarry Classic, who is the dam of Embittered, winner of the Grade 3 Buck House Chase for Gigginstown House Stud and Joseph O'Brien.

Kilbarry Lilly is out of Tropical Lilly, a winning Saddlers' Hall half-sister to the Scottish Champion Hurdle winner Milkwood and to the multiple Group winner Tropical Lady, dam of Group 3 Park Stakes winner Ellthea, and to Wilamina, who was successful in the Group 3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes.

O'Keeffe added: "We have 25 mares of our own so we try to split them between the stallions at the farm, but to have a little bit of a mix we always send a couple of our mares to outside stallions every year. Last year we decided to send a couple of our mares to Santiago as he was new and a son of Authorized."

The resulting foals helped Santiago achieve a session average of €23,409 for 11 sold from the 14 offered.

A total of 173 foals from the 239 that were offered sold, to produce a clearance rate of 72 per cent and turnover of €3,464,200. The session recorded an average of €20,258, with the median coming in at €16,000.

The sale resumes at 10am on Tuesday morning with the third session of foals.

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