Monbeg's Milo Miller headlines Goresbridge trade with €62,000 sale to Charles Byrnes

Strong support from British-based agents and trainers was the main feature of the Goresbridge Point-To-Point and National Hunt Horses-In-Training Sale on Thursday, the second such sale the Donohoe family have held at their Kilkenny auction venue this year.

Donald McCain, Laura Horsfall, Jerry McGrath and Dan Astbury were among the buyers in action from Britain. However, a couple of the day's most expensive horses will be remaining in Ireland as Richard Downes, acting on behalf of trainer Charles Byrnes, purchased two out of three of the day's top lots. 

The highest price was for Monbeg Stables' Milo Miller, a five-year-old son of Black Sam Bellamy who brought €62,000 from Downes on a day when the pace of trade was glacially slow in the Arctic wind.

Milo Miller was bought for €43,000 as a store by the Monbeg team and has raced seven times for Sean Doyle with six of those starts coming between the flags. His only success was in a five-year-old and upwards maiden at Ballyragget on St Patrick's Day having been second on both of his only other completed starts. 

He made his track debut in a point-to-point bumper at Fairyhouse earlier this month in which he finished runner-up behind Full Confession, trained by Willie Mullins.

Milo Miller was bred by Will Kinsey out of the Listed-placed chaser Kilronan High and is the second winner the daughter of Mountain High has produced, following on from her first foal Blue Bear, a six-year-old son of Blue Bresil,

Her three-year-old Masterstroke daughter Highbury Hill has already made her bumper debut for Nigel Hawke.

The form of that Fairyhouse contest proved pivotal for this sale and the Limerick trainer who also purchased the third from that race; Youlita for €46,000.

A five-year-old gelding by Youmzain, he was consigned by Glenview Stables and is the first foal out of Solita who won the Grade 2 Greenogue Novice Handicap Chase for Paul Nolan and Robert Hennelly.

The King's Theatre mare won seven of her 35 starts and was acquired by Rathbarry Stud for €58,000 at the end of her racing career. Youlita is a homebred for the Cashman family and got off the mark at the third time of asking, winning at Loughrea last month on his first completed start.

He was subsequently third in a Damma House winners' race at the start of November before his rules debut at Fairyhouse.

Solita has a four-year-old Shirocco gelding named Accustomed who has had one run, in a maiden, for Jimmy Kelly.

Only one other horse managed to make it past the psychological €50,000 barrier. That was Michael Goff's Magneticjim gelding Kocktail Bleu, a wildcard entry who was knocked down to a mysterious UK buyer listed as Cash at €54,000.

The four-year-old, who Goff purchased last year for €48,000 from the Bleahen brothers, is from the further family of Champion Chase and King George hero Edredon Bleu.

He has made four starts for Goff, completing two of them with his best result coming when third to Etna Bianco at Tattersalls in October. That Jukebox Jury gelding subsequently sold for £140,000 to Peter and Ross Doyle on behalf of Joe Tizzard.

Kocktail Bleu is out of Tunique Bleue, a winning Panoramic full-sister to Upsilon Bleu who was a Listed winner for Guillaume Macaire and runner-up in the Game Spirit Chase behind Mr Mole for Pauline Robson. Tunique Bleue is also a half-sister to Defi Bleu who was third in last year's Irish Grand National for Gordon Elliott and Gigginstown House Stud, having filled the same position in the Martin Pipe at the Cheltenham Festival in his younger days.

Rising star trainer James Owen was listed as the buyer of another of the sale's pricier lots with Ryan Tongue going to €38,000 on behalf of Owen to secure Laravie.

The five year-old daughter of Sans Frontieres was a €3,000 purchase as a weanling by local trainer Kevin O'Donnell and has a neatly symmetrical race record. She was sixth on debut in a bumper and followed that up with second place in a Wexford bumper at the end of May.

Thoroughbred sales were staged for the second time this year at Goresbridge on ThursdayCredit: Goresbridge

Switched to hurdles, Laravie has repeated that pattern; sixth in a Gowran maiden hurdle at the start of October, she was a narrow runner-up at Wexford over the October Bank Holiday weekend.

She has broodmare potential should she earn wins and black type as a half-sister to the talented chaser Clondaw Castle who won the Grade 3 Close Brothers Handicap Chase and was runner-up to Clan Des Obeaux in the Grade 1 Aintree Bowl for Tom George. Switched to Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm's yard in France he managed a Listed success last year at Compiegne as an 11-year-old.

Northamptonshire funeral director Toby Hunt was another of the bigger spenders on the day going to €31,000 for Inbeforered, a chestnut gelding by Zambezi Sun who won a Knockmullen House five-year-old maiden three weeks ago.

It was just the second run, and first completed start, for the full-brother to point-to-point winner Thatshalfthebattle. Out of the Presenting mare Princess Tia, he was snapped up by Mark Scallan for just €6,000 as a store and turned a tidy little profit for the Wexford handler. 

All told, the small catalogue sold at a clearance rate of 64 per cent, with turnover of €613,000 and average €20,433.

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