Buyers do the hard yards to secure Walk In The Park colts

Just as sons and daughters of Grange Stud sire Walk In The Park proved a hit among buyers at the Tattersalls Ireland November Sale on Monday, with five lots selling for a total of €129,500 and average of €25,900, the same fervour to acquire his offspring was evident during an enthralling second foal session on Tuesday.

A trio of colts by the sire related to Grade 1 stars were offered in rapid succession by Yellowford Farm as the atmosphere in the sales auditorium became serious, with Richard Botterill calling for a €100,000 bid to start with for the three-parts brother to legendary hurdler Hurricane Fly out of Scandisk.

Eventually he had to start the ball rolling at €20,000, with the bidding rising rapidly in increments of €5,000 until stalling at the €90,000 mark. Two further bids of €2,000 brought the colt's price up to €94,000, but it was not enough as the auctioneer said: "Very nearly but not sold."

"He's a very young foal but has an illustrious pedigree," said Frank Motherway of Yellowford Farm of the June-foaled colt on Tuesday morning. "We said we'd put our toe in the water and see how it goes. We'd be prepared to bring him home if he doesn't make a reasonable figure."

View sales results and buyers

Preceding the Scandisk colt into the ring was a May-foaled half-brother to Coney Island, a likely contender for all the big chase contests this season, offered by Yellowford on behalf of GCE Farm.

A fierce tussle ensued among the buyers, with Aiden Murphy eventually emerging on top from his secluded position by the holding ring.

"He's a good, strong foal and is probably the best foal the mare has bred," said the colt's breeder Pat Tobin of GCE Farm on Tuesday morning. "Her Getaway half-sister, Seaton Carew, trained by Jonjo O'Neill, was a close fifth on her bumper debut at Warwick on Friday and has a lot of potential."

Yellowford also sold the most expensive foal at this sale in 2013, a Yeats son of Scandisk, who was purchased by Ben Case for €120,000.

Aiden Murphy also stretched to €72,000 for a May-foaled Walk In The Park colt offered by Woodhouse Stud early in the piece, which surpassed the €63,000 paid for a Soldier Of Fortune colt the previous day as the highest price up until that point.

"He's a lovely horse, a good mover and has a strong pedigree," said Murphy. "He'll be offered for resale as a three-year-old."

Described by auctioneer Alastair Pim as hailing from "one of the best families in the book", the colt is out of Eireann Rose, an unraced sister to Grade 3-winning chaser Emily Gray and the Grade 3-placed novice hurdler Pride Ofthe Parish.

They descend from the Cheltenham Stayers Hurdle heroine Rose Ravine, noted as the dam of the Sefton Novices' Hurdle scorer Cardinal Red.

The mare also has a two-year-old Robin Des Champs filly and a yearling Walk In The Park colt. The agent returned to his favourite spot when going to €68,000 to secure a Soldier Of Fortune colt from the family of Fayonagh and Solerina later in the day.

Murphy's son Olly posted his first Cheltenham winner last month with the upwardly mobile Thomas Darby, a son of Beneficial sourced by Aiden for €160,000 at last year's Derby Sale and who is entered for the Grade 2 Supreme Trial Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham on Sunday.

- whose oldest Irish-bred runners are now yearlings - had 11 colts and five fillies sell on Tuesday for a total of €520,500 and average of €32,531.

Three of the colts were acquired by Aiden Murphy and as well as the aforementioned pair, he signed a €32,000 docket for a colt out of an unraced half-sister to Grade 2 bumper scorer Seven Is My Number.

Completing the Yellowford trio was a colt out of a half-sister to the Punchestown Gold Cup scorer Bellshill who realised €65,000 to the buying partnership of Ben Case and Kevin Ross.

Buyers crowd around the ring as the €72,000 Walk In The Park colt is led aroundCredit: Pat Healy / Tattersalls Ireland

On the case

Case and Ross teamed up effectively throughout the day, combining on three purchases which amounted to €200,000 at an average spend of €66,667.

Their second purchase was a Shantou colt out of a daughter of high-class hurdler Bilboa, from the further family of leading jumps sire Mansonnien.

"He was our pick of the foals on offer today," said Anna Ross. "He will return as a store for an English client and and he had a lovely pedigree."

Blue blooded

Mill House Stud saw a March-foaled colt become the most expensive foal ever sold at public auction when knocked down for €65,000 to Case and Kevin Ross.

Auctioneer Simon Kerins was quick to note how there was "lots happening on the page" and described the bay as a "beautifully balanced, well-made colt".

Bred by Mill House Stud and Alan King Racing, the colt is a half-brother to the Paul Nicholls-trained Warriors Tale, who was only narrowly defeated by Wakanda in the Listed Sky Bet Handicap Chase at Doncaster in January, and bumper scorer Samarquand.

"He'll come back for resale for an English client," said Anna Ross. "Samarquand also looks a nice horse for Harry Fry."

Blue Bresil arrived at Yorton Farm in 2016 and his fee rose to £4,500 this year following the on-track exploits of his progeny, with Mick Jazz becoming his first Grade 1 winner and Le Prezien powering clear to win the concluding Grand Annual Handicap Chase at this year's Cheltenham Festival.

Aiden Murphy: major supporter of Walk In The Park's progenyCredit: Pat Healy / Tattersalls Ireland

Frisby fights it out

The last of three Martaline foals to be offered this week was introduced by Richard Botterill as a "real stamp of a horse who really fills the eye" as the brown colt was led into the ring.

The bids quickly flew in from all sides of the ring, with Richard Frisby fending off all comers with a final bid of €70,000, from his position beside the rostrum.

"He's was a quality colt by a top-class sire and had a very strong pedigree," said Richard's son Frisby. "And he'll come back as a store."

Bred by Goldford Stud, the imposing colt is out of the Grade 2-placed hurdler Theatre Girl, a daughter of King's Theatre who also produced the Grade 2 Aintree bumper scorer Petticoat Tails.

Grade 1 winner in waiting

Footpad's final fence exit in the Grade 3 Poplar Square Chase at Naas on Sunday may have played into the hands of the winner Saint Calvados, who bolstered his claims for the King George at Kempton in December, but the winner looked to have the upper hand and appears a top-class chaser for the season ahead.

A colt by his sire Saint Des Saints - also the progenitor of Djakadam and damsire of Douvan - realised €70,000 on Tuesday, with Stroud Coleman Bloodstock securing the brother to Burrows Saint, who was described by Alastair Pim as "surely a Grade 1 winner in time".

"He's been bought to race for Clive Boultbee Brooks," said Matt Coleman. "I thought he was the best foal today, a very good-looking and athletic whose full brother is a smart horse for Willie Mullins. The sire continues to produce top-class performers like Saint Calvados and Djakadam."

Property developer Clive Boultbee Brooks has seen his colours carried to victory by the likes of Swinley Chase scorer Tenor Nivernais and exciting hurdling prospect Sebastopol.

Saint Des Saints' €15,000 fee made him the joint-most expensive advertised jumps sire this year along with Flemensfirth.

En vogue

Buyer Ian Ferguson secured the third most expensive yearling at last year's sale when going to at €44,000 for a Kapgarde brother to Hammersly Lake from Ballyreddin Stud.

The same buyer had to stretch to €57,000 for the sole foal on offer by the same sire on Tuesday, also consigned by Ballyreddin.

Ollie Fowlston described the March-born colt as "full of quality" with Ferguson emerging on top from his position on the buyers' bench.

"He's a nice colt by a very fashionable sire," said Ferguson. "He had the pedigree to back him up and he might not be seen in a sales ring again."

The progeny of posted strong results at this year's Aintree festival, when he sired the repeat Topham Chase winner Ultragold and Aintree Bowl third Clan Des Obeaux, while his son Speredek found only Un De Sceaux too good in the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase at Ascot in January.

The Haras de la Hetraie resident stood at a career-high fee of €8,500 this spring.

Future prospect

One of the star attractions at this year's sale was the brother to last year's seven-length RSA Insurance Novices' Chase hero Presenting Percy, offered by agent Mill House Stud on behalf of his breeder Preston Lodge Stud.

"He could be a brother to a Gold Cup winner next year," urged Richard Botterill in trying to elicit another bid once the board flashed up with €48,000, but ultimately the colt had to be led out unsold at that price.

There was a twist in the tale though, with Gerry McGarry stepping in to buy the March-foaled colt for €50,000 in a private sale.

Figures

Robust trade and headline prices helped contribute to healthy end-of-day figures with total receipts rising by four per cent to €4,287,000, with 195 of the 259 lots on offer finding new homes for a clearance rate of 75 per cent.

The average rose slightly from €21,798 to €21,985, while the median improved 13 points from €16,000 to €18,000.

More from the Tattersalls Ireland November Sale:

Soldier Of Fortune marches on as buyers battle it out for offspring

Gelding from second-last crop of Fame And Glory proves popular

Five superb November Sale graduates who continue to make headlines