'We're lucky to have good clients and very good foals going to this sale' - Furlong on Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale draft

November may be a time for remembrance but when you're in the business of buying and selling National Hunt foals, November is all about the future. 

For the Furlong family of Thistletown Stud, near the John F Kennedy Arboretum in County Wexford, which has its own poignant reason for remembrance this November, there is little time to reflect on past glories with 18 foals to sell at Tattersalls Ireland this coming week.

That bunch consists of six homebreds and double that number for clients. However, their recent history at the November National Hunt Sale is worth recounting with last year seeing them sell the sale's most expensive filly, a daughter of Walk In The Park and Catcheragain, a Grade 3-placed hurdler by Flemensfirth.

Prior to that, Churchstonewarrior who won last season's Grade 2 Ten Up Novice Chase and his half-brother Western Walk, successful in the Grade B Novice Handicap Hurdle Series Final at this year's Fairyhouse Easter Festival, both trained by Jonathan Sweeney, had taken their turn in the Fairyhouse spotlight and have showcased the Furlong family's ability to breed and produce high-class horses.

"From the time the mare goes in foal, you are preparing for this day," says Jimmy Furlong. "You look after the mares and they produce good, strong and vibrant foals. They need the best start in life and you have only a six-month window with them to prepare them for this week, so we have to do the best we can for them in the short time we have.

"It's about striking a balance."

It's an approach honed over almost three decades on the family farm, which has grown from an initial mare which Eileen Furlong acquired to 25 now, including 12 black-type mares and half-sisters to Grade 1 winners Bravemansgame, Last Instalment and Countrywide Flame. The past dozen years have seen an expansion as their children developed a greater interest in the bloodstock enterprise, which runs alongside their cattle operation.

Jimmy Furlong of Thistletown Stud Credit: Tattersalls Ireland

Jimmy says: "We were doing well and putting the money we got for the foals back into the mares and growing the business that way. David is here and he is very keen, he has his own mares as well and his girlfriend Emily is into it as well. It's a family-run business; Martin and Eimear, they all have horses of their own too, they all rode too. It's great that they have an interest in it and want to be involved."

That approach also includes utilising the best stallions possible for their mares, and the draft includes youngsters by leading sires Walk In The Park and Blue Bresil, as well as Jukebox Jury, Golden Horn and Vadamos. This year a trio of mares were sent to France to be covered by rising stars Jeu St Eloi, who has relocated to Rathbarry Stud, and Goliath Du Berlais.

Again, it's about striking that balance between established sires and hitting upon young, unproven stallions who can make it.

"We are lucky to have good clients who are loyal supporters," says Furlong. "And to have some very good foals going to this sale, including a full-sister to the €70,000 filly from last year."

The Walk In The Park filly is due to come under the hammer on Monday as lot 369 and she is a second-generation Thistletown homebred. Her second dam, General Chase, is a Scottish Reel half-sister to Sir AP McCoy's first Champion Hurdle winner Make A Stand and to the dam of dual Grade 1 winner Shattered Love and Irish Cavalier, successful in the Charlie Hall Chase.

"She is the queen I think," he smiles. "She is probably a bit bigger than her sister and she really does everything well."

She is one of two fillies by Walk In The Park among the draft, with the other, lot 585, consigned on behalf of Ballyfroy Stud and selling on Tuesday. She is the first foal out of Zyrianna, a half-sister to Grade 2 winner and multiple Grade 1-placed hurdler Zanahiyr.

Churchstonewarrior was bred by Thistletown Stud and is now a Grade 2 winner over fences Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

"The dam's half-brother sold well recently, to the same team as Zanahiyr and he was a fine big horse, looked a real National Hunt type," says Furlong. "It's a big family and this mare seems to have bred size into them too."

The upper echelons of recent National Hunt foal sales have been dominated by two sires – Walk In The Park and Blue Bresil – and they are both represented in the Thistletown draft at Tattersalls Ireland. The farm's first foal in the ring (20) is a son of Blue Bresil.

"He is a homebred and a fine big foal out of a four-time winning mare. Blue Bresil is hot," he says of Rathbarry's stallion, who is also the sire of lot 322 out of the Group 3 Prix Penelope second A Media Luz. He too is described as 'a very good foal with lots of size.'

Golden Horn has half a dozen representatives in the catalogue, including a colt (289) out of Star Search, who is a half-sister to Donald McCain's Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner Cinders And Ashes.

That is a Juddmonte family and a foal from the first crop of Juddmonte-bred Mirage Dancer (167) is another to merit mention.

"He's a very good foal, with size and a really good walk to go with it," reports Furlong. 

If You Say Run was Grade 2-placed over fences and hurdles for Paul Nicholls and her second foal, a colt by Crystal Ocean (693), is the final member of the draft to sell.

Furlong says:: "He's a nice colt out of a very good racemare, and Crystal Ocean was a phenomenal racehorse."

Kieran Lennon

The Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale is preceded by Saturday afternoon's Springhill Stud Dispersal, a poignant sale of the final stock purchased by noted pinhooker Kieran Lennon, who died last April.

Banbridge: the Grade 1 winner was sold by Kieran Lennon at this sale as a foalCredit: Edward Whitaker

Among the most recent stars Lennon nurtured at his Borris, County Carlow farm was Banbridge, whose victory in the Grade 1 Manifesto Novices' Chase at Aintree came just days before Kieran's sad passing.

Multiple Grade 2 winner Knappers Hill, who contests Saturday afternoon's Grade 2 'Rising Stars' Novices' Chase at Wincanton, was one of his foal purchases at Tattersalls Ireland.

Marie Harding's Glen Stables is handling the dispersal of 17 yearlings, 18 two-year-olds and a store horse on behalf of Kieran's widow Breda.

"He just loved it so much and was very hopeful for these horses, he thought they were the best bunch he had selected," said Breda Lennon of the horses.

His long-time friends Tom and Siobhan Meagher of Monanore Stables were also on hand on Friday afternoon to lend their support.

"Kieran was a great judge and these are a spectacular bunch of horses," Tom said, while Siobhan added a poignant postscript: "They were handpicked by one of the best in the game."

The dispersal begins at 2pm.

Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale factfile

Where Tattersalls Ireland, Ratoath, County Meath

When Five-day sale begins on Sunday, with four sessions of foals starting each day at 10am. Thursday's auction starts at 10.30am and is for yearlings and broodmares

Last year's stats From 1,196 offered, 772 sold (65 per cent) for turnover of €13,883,050 (down 12 per cent year on year), an average of €17,983 (down two per cent) and a median of €14,000 (up 12 per cent)

Notable graduates Constitution Hill (sold by Throckmorton Court Stud, bought by Warren Ewing and Barry Geraghty for €16,500); Banbridge (sold by Springhill Stud, bought by Ian Ferguson for €36,000); Feronily (sold by Ballincurrig House Stud, bought by Liss House for €21,000); Stay Away Fay (sold by Hillview Stud, bought by Oaks Farm Stables for €31,000)

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