Young trainer going places Cian Collins stocks up with relative to Banbridge

Young Robinstown trainer Cian Collins only took out his licence two years' ago but the 26-year-old has already racked up the winners and heads into next week's Galway races with a team of five runners including bargain Tattersalls Ireland store sale purchase Fiveonefive.

Collins snapped up the Dylan Thomas gelding for just €1,500 at the final August Sale and the four-time winner spearheads his team for the west's biggest racing week, holding a lively each-way chance in the Galway Hurdle.

He took a break from overseeing the preparations of his team at his base just half an hour from the Tattersalls Ireland sales complex to strengthen his team for the coming season, and alongside Denis O'Regan, who was in the saddle for the first three of Fiveonefive's career successes, he was most impressed with the Valirann gelding offered by AC Bloodstock.

Having spent his formative years learning from the legendary Dessie Hughes, and then six years at Gordon Elliott's yard, Collins picked up a wealth of knowledge and his experience told him that he couldn't leave the bay gelding behind. However he had to dig much deeper to buy this three-year-old than six-year-old Fiveonefive, who has earned in excess of €82,000 in 20 starts.

The trainer was adamant the €36,000 purchase was the standout lot on offer during Wednesday's opening session of the July Store Sale.

"For us he is the nicest horse here today and we were not leaving without him," said Collins. "He has the physique and the pedigree."

The April-born gelding is the second foal out of Blanaid Of Ossory, an unraced Brian Boru half-sister to Midlands National runner-up Major Malarkey and to Old Carton Lass, dam of Banbridge. By Doyen, the eight-year-old's most recent success came at the season-ending Punchestown festival where he won the Grade 1 Champion Chase for Ronnie Bartlett and Joseph O'Brien. It was the second top-level triumph of his career; last year he won the Manifesto Novices' Chase at Aintree and he has also been placed in the Grade 1 Arkle Novice Chase and Drinmore Novice Chase.

His, and this gelding's second dam, the unraced Flemensfirth mare Valley, is a half-sister to Valley Henry who was a multiple Grade 2 winner over hurdles and fences for Paul Nicholls.

Collins continued: "He has been bought for an owner in the yard, and we will get him home, break him in and see then where we might head with him – either go pointing or look at the bumper route. I have had a couple by the sire but this is by far the nicest."

Scott's adventurous spirit rewarded

While Collins was determined not to leave Tattersalls Ireland without buying this particular horse, Somerset trainer Jeremy Scott came to the July Store Sale with no concrete plans to purchase anything but ended up going home as the buyer of Killeen Glebe's Malinas half-brother to Cloth Cap and Brideswell Lad.

"I came here not necessarily expecting to buy a horse for an owner," said the trainer of Grade 1 winners including Melodic Rendezvous and Dashel Drasher.

He went on to explain: "I have not had an order all year for a three-year-old store, but as I got here someone phoned me and said she was interested in getting a horse. She had retired a horse last year and wanted a replacement."

Killeen Glebe's final store sale offering of 2024 was this Malinas geldingCredit: www.healyracing.ie

In this son of the late Malinas, Scott and his owner have a gelding whose dam is in possession of a perfect record with four winners from as many runners. She is also the dam of five-year-old Unleash The Beast, who was a €50,000 Derby Sale purchase by Fergal O'Brien, and is a full-brother to Scott's €32,000 acquisition.

Of plans for the handsome gelding who hails from a family of classy staying chasers, Scott commented: "This a lovely-looking horse and he has a good consistent pedigree. He will go to Martin Collins to be broken, then possibly back to the owner for a break and then to us for the spring."

Out of the winning Old Vic mare Cloth Fair, he is from the family of Charlie Hall and Rowland Meyrick winner Strath Royal and Niche Market, successful in the Irish Grand National.

Flying without Wings

The 2017 Irish Derby winner Wings Of Eagles has made a promising start to his stud career and his first Irish-bred crop produced a number of four-year-old maiden winners during the point-to-point season. 

The son of another surprise Epsom winner in Pour Moi has 12 winners from 40 runners out of that first crop conceived at The Beeches Stud including Colin Bowe's impressive wide-margin Ballingarry winner The Great Nudie.

Wings Of Eagles' progeny have been impressing the point-to-point handlers and another of the Wexford brigade, Denis Murphy, came out on top in the battle for Sladoo Farm's gelding by the grandson of Montjeu.

"I didn't see him till he got here but I really liked him," commented Murphy of his €31,000 purchase. "He is athletic and very light on his feet and comes from a good staying family. I haven't trained a horse by the sire before now but I've liked what I've seen of them and how they have been running."

This particular son of Wings Of Eagles is inbred strongly to Sadler's Wells with three sons of the great stallion –Montjeu, Galileo and Saddler's Hall – featuring in the third generation of his pedigree. 

Wings Of Eagles gelding made €31,000 to Denis Murphy at the Tattersalls Ireland July Store SaleCredit: www.healyracing.ie

He was an €8,500 purchase by Elm Wood Farm from Kevin Neville at the 2022 Tattersalls Ireland February National Hunt Sale. The bay is the second foal out of Finisk Mist, who was also bred by Neville and was placed twice as a five-year-old in point-to-points.

It's a family that Neville has cultivated since he purchased Sovereign Leader, third dam of this gelding, at the Derby Sale in 1998. 

Finisk Mist is a Mahler full-sister to Peter Fahey's The Big Dog, winner of the Munster National and the Troytown Handicap Chase and fifth to Corach Rambler in last year's Grand National. They are half-siblings of Saddler's Encore who won a Grade 3 handicap hurdle at Sandown for Philip Hobbs.

Second dam Saddlers Leader is a Saddlers' Hall half-sister to Grade 2 Ayr Champion Novice Chase third Raysrock and to Sovereign Lass, dam of last season's Listed Newbury bumper winner Royal Infantry. 

All of the above were bred by Neville.

Broodmare prospect heads trade for fillies

The day's most expensive filly and the only other horse to make €30,000 was, like the Malinas gelding, supplied by the wildcard entries.

Offered by Brook Lodge Farm having missed an earlier sales engagement, the daughter of the 2006 Derby winner Sir Percy was knocked down to David L'Estrange and Pat McGrath at €30,000.

The French-bred filly by Lanwades' sire Sir Percy who was retired last year, has a pedigree that will ensure her a berth at stud as a broodmare even if she never sets foot on a racetrack.

Denis Murphy (left) and Rob James (right) at the Tattersalls Ireland July Store SaleCredit: www.healyracing.ie

She is a half-sister to the Paul Nicholls-trained Lac Fontana, who beat Arctic Fire to win the 2014 County Hurdle and was ridden by Sir AP McCoy when successful in the Grade 1 Mersey Novices' Hurdle. Her Halling half-brother All Yours was also victorious at the highest level on Merseyside for Nicholls, winning the Anniversary Four-Year-Old Hurdle.

Their dam Fontaine Riant won on the Flat in France and is a Josr Algarhoud half-sister to Marienbad, the dam of Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Marienbard. Marienbad is also the second dam of Group 2 Joel Stakes and Group 3 Earl of Sefton Stakes winner Ransom Note. 

Born on April Fools' Day the bay's second dam, Marie De Fontenoy, is a Lightning half-sister to Sakura Reiko, victorious in the Prix Morny and second in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches.

Pat McGrath, who is based in County Longford, divulged some plans for the filly.

"We will break her in and see what she shows us, but she might go straight to stud," said  McGrath. "She has a great outcross pedigree so we will have plenty of options."

Prompt pinhook returns

The prize for the summer's quickest pinhooking profit must surely go to the Browne family of Mocklershill who spotted Lord De Choisel at the sales in France just three weeks' ago and bought the son of Great Pretender for €10,000.

Getting him back to Tipperary in double quick time and finding a place in the wildcard catalogue for the full-brother to Gipsey De Choisel, they made a tidy profit on Wednesday, selling the bay to Eoin Doyle for €26,000.

Michael Browne remarked: "This was the plan and thank god it has worked out. He is a nice type of horse but he came from France a bit light so we have been stuffing him full of grub. He has taken everything really well and has a great temperament." 

Jeremy Scott's trip to Fairyhouse for the July Store Sale unearthed the Malinas half-brother to Cloth Cap and Brideswell LadCredit: www.healyracing.ie

Gipsey De Choisel began his career in France with victory as a four-year-old for the renowned Jean-Pierre Dubois before he was acquired by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede. Trained in England by Nicky Henderson, he was twice successful before being sold to Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm last year. Since his return to France he has been placed twice.

He is one of two winners from three runners out of Beautiful Choisel, by Sageburg, and she is a daughter of Gaspaie, a winning Cyborg half-sister to Gaspara who did the Imperial Cup-Fred Winter double for David Pipe in 2007 and followed that up with second place behind Al Eile in the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle.

Gaspaie is also a half-sister to Larry, a son of Midnight Legend who won the London Gold Cup Handicap Chase for Gary Moore.

Figures

The fourth iteration of the July Store Sale is being run in a different format from the previous versions with the cataloguing system being tweaked. Wednesday's opening session recorded turnover of €1,204,500 which was generated by the sale of 144 horses from the 235 offered, which is a clearance rate of 61 per cent. The day's average price was €8,365 with the median at €6,000.

The second and final day of the sale gets under way at 10am on Thursday.

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