On a day of record prices, point-to-point handlers were as expected out in force on the opening day of the Goffs Land Rover Sale, and they began their shopping early, mopping up three of the first four lots to find new homes at the Co. Kildare sales venue.
Pat Doyle, who could do little wrong with his four-year-old runners all spring long, parted with the biggest sum for an individual horse of the point-to-point handers that featured on the buyers list, when he parted with €95,000 to secure lot 96, a son of Shantou.
Consigned by Galberstown Stud, the grey gelding, who is out of a track placed Take Risks mare, is a half-brother to the unbeaten Paddy Poss – a Gamut gelding who has won his one and only track outing for Alan King in a Warwick bumper 13 months ago.
Doyle teamed-up with this season’s leading point-to-point handler Colin Bowe to acquire another son of Shantou, with the pair paying €50,000 for lot 27.
This Rathturtin Stud-consigned bay gelding, the second produce of a Soviet Star-sired German track placed mare, hails from a family which features plenty of black-type form on the continent in Germany.
Doyle’s Suir View Stables were also the first off the mark when snapping-up the very first lot on offer of the day, a French-bred son of Balko from Sluggara Farm.
The Monbeg team were out in force as they continue to re-stock ahead of the spring four-year-old campaign in 2019. The most expensive of their purchases being lot 179, a son of Saddler Maker, the sire of four four-year-old maiden winners to date, which was closely followed by lot 129 a Shirocco gelding whom they bought for €65,000.
They added to their ammunition with a further eight purchases in excess of the €40,000 mark, including both a Shantou gelding (lot 7) and a Flemensfirth gelding (lot 193) for €52,000 each, another Flemensfirth gelding (lot 33) and a Limkelin Stud-consigned Jeremy gelding, both for €45,000, and a French-bred son of Maresca Sorrento (lot 21) for €42,000.
In total, the Monbeg team bought 14 horses for a combined spend of €514,000, putting them in fourth spot on the top 10 purchasers table for day one.
Their €42,833 average spend almost matched the €42,286 average of fellow Wexford native Colin Bowe, who made eighth position in the top 10 purchasers, when buying seven stores for an aggregate spend of €296,000.
Up-and-coming young Wexford handler Richard Black, who saddled no less than four point-to-point winners from just eight runners last season, will have high hopes for the Jeremy gelding (lot 95) that he paid €72,000 for.
Consigned by Mount Eaton, the bay gelding is the third produce out of Accordingtoherself, an own-sister to the multiple Graded winner Accordion Etoile, and also from the family of French Accordion.
The late Jeremy enjoyed an unprecedented level of success in four-year-old maidens during recent months, and unsurprisingly, point-to-point handlers have latched onto that.
Alongside Richard Black, others to invest in his stock include Warren Ewing, who gave €46,000 for a bay gelding from Cudgley Lodge Stud, and the pairing of Patrick Turley and Mark O’Hare, who went to €28,000 for lot 54, a close relation of Cheltenham Festival victor Dun Doire.
Timmy O’Byrne, Ronnie O’Leary, Tom Keating, Rob James, Sam Curling, Roisin Hickey, Paul O’Connell, Derek Tobin, Shane Hassett, Denis Murphy, Francis Fenlon, Pierce Power, the Crawford brothers, Pauric O’Connor, Ian Ferguson, Michael Cave, Terence O’Brien, Harley Dunne, Pat Collins and James Dullea, were just some of the other point-to-point owners, riders and handlers, who were among the buyers on day one.
Key Stats
Sold: 216
Aggregate: €10,452,000
Average: €48,389
Median: €38,000
All of the day one results can be viewed by clicking HERE
