Tom Malone, Gerry Hogan and Aiden Murphy join our expert panel

How do you think the recent decision made by Gigginstown House Stud to wind down will affect trade this year?

Donnchadh Doyle I think anyone who spends five million on racehorses a year would have to have a massive effect on trade.

Gerry Hogan The pool of money they put into the store sale market will no longer be there and it's hard to know how much it will affect trade. But it might also encourage people to buy stores they thought they wouldn't have been able to afford previously, and that produces a strong market. Perhaps there'll be other buyers to fill the gap that they leave.

Tom Malone Obviously the top end will be hit as Eddie O'Leary was a big player when he fancied buying one, but the other side is that you will get plenty of people sticking their chests out and believing they can get a lovely horse now, with one team less to compete with come auction time.

Aiden Murphy Michael and Eddie O'Leary have been hugely influential players in the sales ring and on the track for many years and will be sorely missed in all sectors of the industry, but we have seen it before, albeit to a lesser degree. Adjustments will be made and these situations seem to correct themselves in time. Gigginstown's absence will be felt this year in all of the sales rings, particularly at the top end of the market.

Kevin Ross Obviously they bought a lot of top-end stores, which will be a big loss to vendors, but it might create the opportunity for new owners to become potential buyers.

Aiden Murphy: 'Gigginstown's absence will be felt particularly at the top end of the market'Credit: Pat Healy / Tattersalls Ireland

Are you for or against two-year-old stores being sold at public auction in Britain and Ireland?

DD I'm for two-year-old public auctions in Britain and Ireland, as I've bought two-year-olds in France and they've worked out very well.

GH I'm not against the two-year-olds, but it's been tried before and didn't work. My view is that if the race programme starts putting on three-year-old store races like in France it might work, but it wouldn't work at the moment.

TM I'm not against it but it's not something I've been involved in. They are for the pinhookers to get involved in and I normally start buying from three and onwards.

AM I see no reason not to sell two-year-olds at the sales in Britain and Ireland. We're an industry of traders, so why not? I've long advocated that there should be races framed specifically for three-year-old National Hunt horses, and if an attractive programme was in place then I'm sure owners and trainers would buy two-year-olds to target those races.

KR I think there are enough three-year-olds in the market to go around without adding two-year-olds.

Gerry Hogan: 'Don't be afraid to buy a horse you think is cheaper than it should be'Credit: Goffs

Give us a tip for finding value at the store sales

DD Be patient – one will always slip through.

GH When you go to the store sales be sure to do your work and get all your horses referenced and detailed. And don't be afraid to buy a horse you think is cheaper than it should be. You might have placed a value on the horse and they could be selling for a fraction of that, but if you have your work done and you like them, make sure and go for it.

TM Do your best to see every horse before the sale, don't eat lunch at the same time as everyone else as that's the time you may well find value, and research every new stallion. I managed to buy Lalor because the majority wouldn't have known the sire, It's Gino, and now he's a Grade 1 winner!

AM I would buy a nice, athletic individual with a pedigree that has weakened over a couple of generations but has a strong back line as many of those pedigrees can come back to life again.

KR You have to think outside the box and not just follow the fashionable sires.

Kevin Ross: 'You have to think outside the box and not just follow the fashionable sires'Credit: Peter Mooney

Place these factors in order of importance when buying stores: sire, conformation, presence of black type under first and second dam

DD 1. Conformation, 2. Sire, 3. Pedigree.

GH 1. Physical appearance, 2. Action and balance, 3. Sire and pedigree. Physical appearance and balance are probably the main factors for me, then obviously we all like a good sire. Oscar was one I particularly liked. There are a range of sires you go for. With National Hunt pedigrees it's never simple, but you always find the physical is the most important factor. When a horse is pulled out of their stable and I like the look of them I'm probably 70 per cent on the job. After that, once when they walk up and down and have a nice, easy balance, and if they're by a good sire and have a good pedigree, that's the major bonus for all of us.

TM I would start with conformation, the dam would come next, and then the sire decides how strong the figure gets and how brave to be.

AM 1. Good conformation (nice head is important), 2. Sire, 3. Presence of black type somewhere down the page. Ideally when buying stores I would like a horse with good conformation by a sire who produces winners. The strength of the mare's pedigree is then very influential on the price achieved in the ring.

KR 1. Conformation and movement, 2. Black type on dam side, 3. Sire.

Donnchadh Doyle: suggests patience is key when it comes to finding value at the store salesCredit: Laura Green/Tattersalls

Give us an up-and-coming National Hunt sire whose stock have impressed you

DD Blue Bresil. I had a couple this year and they look a very exciting type.

GH We've lost a lot of great National Hunt stallions Oscar and Presenting and a couple of the top stallions are coming of age, but Getaway looks like he's going to fill one of the top slots. Of the new stallions with their first three-year-olds, Ocovango is an affordable option who produces a nice horse.

TM Buck's Boum is a horse I've had good luck with from unraced stock. Dynamite Dollars and Enrilo were unraced. Dynamite Dollars had plenty of work done in France, while I bought Enrilo at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale. They are backwards from a French perspective but lovely for Britain and Ireland.

AM There's a big void to be filled as 80 per cent of the top 20 National Hunt sires in Britain and Ireland have either died or are at a very late stage in their careers. Hopefully some of the stallions who have gone to stud in the last few years will prove themselves good sires.

KR Mount Nelson had a lovely batch of foals in the autumn sales. We bought a nice horse by him at Goffs UK, Get In The Queue, who won three bumpers last season. Any sons of Montjeu should be noted as they’ve taken to jumping so well, and Jukebox Jury is getting plenty of winners at the minute.

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