Familiar feeling for Elliott as trainer leads Goffs Punchestown Sale with €870,000 splurge

Gordon Elliott met those twin imposters of triumph and disaster during Thursday afternoon at Punchestown, where the trainer experienced the highs of a treble, with Teahupoo becoming the first horse in 25 years to completed the Cheltenham-Punchestown stayers' hurdle double, but in the next breath was faced with the loss of a former champion as Sire Du Berlais lost his life in the same race.

There was no time for Elliott to dwell on either of the hands dealt by fate as he was in the thick of the action at the Goffs Punchestown Sale which followed racing, involved in the purchase of three of the four most expensive horses in the boutique auction for point-to-pointers and horses-in-training, for a total of €870,000.

He was immediately into the fray when, along with agent Mouse O'Ryan, he went to €310,000 for Familiar Dreams.

"She looks as if she has been getting better with every start and is a filly with a big engine," said her new trainer of the four-time winner. "She has been purchased for an existing owner in the yard. We’ll look to go novice hurdling next season with her all going well."

Her now former owners, the All Four Counties Syndicate, were on familiar territory but in unfamiliar circumstances in the Punchestown winner's enclosure on Thursday night as Familiar Dreams sold for a six-figure sum when she was the opening lot in the sale.

Grade 3 winner Familiar Dreams was back in familiar surroundings at PunchestownCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

A little over 24 hours on from the Postponed mare's victory in the Grade 3 Weatherbys GSB Irish EBF Mares' Bumper at the track, she came up trumps for her owners once again, although the trip around the sales ring was less heart-stopping than the final furlong of Wednesday's defeat of Mozzies Sister and Aurora Vega.

Trained by Anthony McCann, the five-year-old daughter of Postponed, who switched from Darley's Dalham Hall Stud to the Futter family's Yorton Stud this year, had previously won the Listed Total Enjoyment Mares' Bumper at the Fairyhouse Easter festival.

The strength of Familiar Dreams' form had been reiterated at Punchestown on Tuesday, when Sixandahalf, who she defeated in a mares' bumper at Naas, won the four-year-old bumper by 11 lengths.

Bred by Meon Valley Stud out of the Nayef mare Familliarity, who was third in the Listed Pontefract Castle Stakes, she was picked up for just 4,000gns as a three-year-old by McCann. Familiar Dreams descends from one of Meon Valley's great foundation mares; the Queen Elizabeth II and Coronation Stakes winner Milligram.

Familliarity is out of Millistar, a daughter of Milligram and a half-sister to Millennium Dash, second dam of the Group 1 winners Anapurna and Speedy Boarding.

Pointing to success at Cullentra

Elliott added: "We also purchased two winning point-to-pointers, so we’ve been busy but happy with the business  we’ve done. We feel we have made some good additions to the team, so we’ll get them home and see how they fit in. Hopefully they’re lucky for their new owners."

Elliott, this time as Gordon Elliott Racing, matched that €310,000 figure for last Sunday's Dromahane four-year-old geldings' maiden winner Ma Jacks Hill.

The son of Famous Name was making his second start for Ciaran Fennessy, having unseated his rider when making his debut at Quakerstown on Easter Sunday.

It was a triumphant success for the handler, who spotted Ma Jacks Hill as a store last May when he was sold by Eoin McDonagh's Shanaville Stables for only €13,000.

Ma Jacks Hill has two older half-sisters by Jeremy who have both won on the track: Jemima P was successful four times over fences for Emma Lavelle and Boghlone Honey is a dual winning hurdler, trained by Liam Cusack.

They are out of Peig Alainn, by Milan, who is out of The Shan Gang, an unraced Anshan half-sister to Noel Meade's Grade 1 Drinmore Novice Chase winner and Paddy Power Chase and Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase second Watson Lake.

Ma Jacks Hill sold for €310,000 from Ciaran Fennessy at Goffs PunchestownCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

It's not the first time a member of the family has made headlines at the Punchestown festival as 12 months ago Feronily won the Grade 1 Champion Novice Chase for Emmet Mullins and Paul Byrne. The Getaway gelding is out of Vickeeto, an Old Vic half-sister to Watson Lake and The Shan Gang.

Elliott sourced King Of Kingsfield, fourth to Mystical Power in Tuesday's Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle and placed three times at the highest level including in last season's Punchestown Champion Bumper, from Patrick Turley. 

He returned to that source, going to €250,000 for Koktail Brut, a Cokoriko half-brother to Gevrey who won this season's Munster National for Elliott and was runner-up to I Am Maximus in last year's Irish Grand National. 

Gevrey is one of five track winners produced so far by Skarina, who is a daughter of the Anshan sire Dark Moondancer. Further down the page is Grade 1 Jack de Bromhead Christmas Hurdle winner Irish Point, also trained by Elliott.

Second to State Man in the Champion Hurdle, Irish Point renews rivalry with his Cheltenham conqueror in the Grade 1 Punchestown Champion Hurdle on Friday (6.00).

Davis delights Murphy

Irish Point carries the white, pink and black silks of Robcour, as does Thursday's Grade 1 winner Teahupoo, and the sale-topping mare Swing Davis could join them in the team following her €320,000 purchase by Mags O'Toole on Thursday night.

The beautiful four-year-old No Risk At All mare impressed when winning her maiden at Loughanmore for Denis Murphy last Saturday, having fallen on her debut at Tattersalls earlier in April, in a race that was won by Jonathan Fogarty's Flamingo Grove, who subsequently sold for £150,000 to Matt Coleman and Jonjo O'Neill at the Goffs Aintree Sale.

Swing Davis was acquired by Murphy for €57,000 from the Bleahen brothers at the Goffs Arkle Sale so was returning an almost six-fold profit on her purchase price in less than a year.

Swing Davis: €320,000 daughter of No Risk At All topped the Goffs Punchestown SaleCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

"We’re delighted," said the successful vendor, who last year sold the €450,000 Histrionic in the same ring; the most expensive gelding to emerge from the sale.

"She is a well-made filly with size and scope, and she vetted very well. She moves well and, before she ran, all of her homework was very good. She was still travelling very strongly when she fell at Tattersalls Farm. It was a good filly that won it in the end [Flamingo Grove] and this one fell a long way from home, but she was going easily at the time.

"I thought she ran out a good winner the last day, so, all in all, I think she made a lot of sense. The sire is a big help too as he is a very good sire. Gordon Elliott actually trains her half-brother who runs in the bumper on Friday [Masterboy Davis, 7.40 Punchestown] and had told me he likes him a lot. I hope she is very lucky for her new owners."

No Risk for McGrath

Two of the five horses who made at least €200,000 on the night were by Haras de Montaigu's No Risk At All, with Jerry McGrath going to that exact amount for Jim O'Neill's debut Curraghmore four-year-old maiden winner El Cairos.

A half-brother to Wasdell Dundalk, who recorded a Perth hat-trick in the autumn for Lisa Harrison, El Cairos was unsold at €58,000 from Richard Frisby's Glenwood Stud at last year's Goffs Arkle Sale.

Their dam, Linda Queen, was a winning juvenile on the Flat in France and is a Linda's Lad half-sister to Hinterland. That Poliglote gelding, trained by Paul Nicholls, holds the distinction of winning the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices' Chase having finished runner-up in the Sandown contest a year previously.

Mags O'Toole and Brian Acheson inspecting horses prior to the saleCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

Hinterland is a full-brother to Lofte Place, who was second in the Listed Prix Magne Hurdle and is the dam of the triple Listed-winning chaser Thrilling. The daughter of Network was also third in the Grade 1 Prix Maurice Gillois Four-Year-Old Grand Steeple-Chase and is a full-sister to Listed Prix Rigoletto Chase and Listed Grand Steeple-Chase de Dieppe winner Placenet.

McGrath was also the successful bidder on the mare who followed El Cairos into the ring: five-year-old Queens Wish. Offered by Aidan Fitzgerald's Cobajay Stables, the Shantou half-sister to Kerry National winner Potters Point was successful on her debut at Ballysteen last Saturday and was sold for €140,000.

In total, 18 of the 22 lots that were offered were listed as sold, giving a clearance rate of 82 per cent and total turnover of €2,878,000. That resulted in an average price of €159,899, with the median at €140,000. There were 12 six-figure horses on the night.

End-of-sale statement

Goffs group chief executive Henry Beeby said: "Tonight’s Punchestown Sale was the usual lively affair at what is the original festival sale, with some mighty prices and a huge crowd of active participants. 

"Last year’s record-breaking sale was always going to be hard to match, but 2024 compares very favourably with previous renewals and we have no doubt there are some real stars amongst the graduates.

Andrew Nolan (left), Henry Beeby and Nick Nugent in action during the Goffs Punchestown SaleCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

"As ever, we are indebted to our vendors for throwing their unqualified support behind another Goffs point-to-point sale and we look forward to Doncaster in a few weeks for the end-of-season finale which is the Spring Sale.

"Finally, we were so pleased to be able to assist the Jack de Bromhead Equine Centre for ChildVision by selling Honeysuckle’s racing silks at the end of the evening. 

"It was wonderful to see such interest, not surprising given her legendary status. They were sold to Peter Molony for €105,000, who was bidding on behalf of Friends of the Irish National Stud."

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