Spending Spree for Mullins and Kirk on Derby Sale Opening Day

The first day’s trade of the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale was headlined by Timmy Hillman’s Castledillon Stud with its three-year-old gelding by Nathaniel, who sold for €180,000 (Lot 138).

The March-born gelding is the first foal out of the dual Listed winner, Grade 2 and Grade 1-placed jumps mare Floressa (Poliglote), and he was bought by Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins, buyers of the day’s top three lots and four lots in total.

The gelding was pinhooked by Hillman as a yearling for €87,000 from Goldford Stud and the smiling consignor reported: “I bought three by Nathaniel and I did go out to target his stock for this year’s Derby Sale. He is a serious sire on the Flat and I thought his stock would work well here.

“This is his first proper crop from National Hunt mares – he has had good results jumping from Flat mares, so why wouldn’t he do it again, and better, with jumping mares?”

Kirk, with Mullins in attendance, said: “It has been hard to get a Nathaniel out of a jumping pedigree, and this horse is out of a Poliglote mare, which I love, and it is a very good jumping family – Don Lino lower down the pedigree was a top horse in France.”

He added: “A lot of the Nathaniels who have gone jumping are out of Flat mares so you’re hoping that, when they have jumping pedigrees, they will be even better.”

Of ongoing plans, he said: “All the horses I am buying here will be purchased with the €100,000 Tattersalls Ireland MSL Mercedes-Benz Sales Bumper in mind – moving the race to a December date works well for us and it gives us options.”

Kirk and Mullins went to €150,000 for Miss Mam (Lot 105), a three-year-old filly by Masked Marvel, out of the Network mare Donna Mam and sold by the Williamson’s Oak Tree Farm, who had purchased her as a two-year-old in 2024 for €47,000.

“She is a gorgeous filly and I am a big fan of the sire’s fillies,” said Kirk. “In the pedigree is Quel Esprit and Ashroe Diamond, both Grade 1 horses and both were with us – Quel Esprit was one of the first very good horses we had.”

He added: “She is a beautiful individual, a beautiful mover and from a very good consignor. She is one of the top fillies in the sale and is definitely one we could target at the bumper in December.”

Peter Vaughan’s Moanmore Stables also found itself on the Kirk-Mullins shopping list – its Doctor Dino gelding out of the three-time-winning Elegante Du Chenet and named Mystere Du Chenet (Lot 111) bought by the duo for €120,000.

“He is a beautiful horse by one of our favourite sires in Doctor Dino – we have had so many Grade 1 horses by him,” said Kirk. “This is one of the best pedigrees in France, it’s a fantastic family. His dam is by Turgeon, and Allaho is out of a Turgeon mare. We have had a lot of success with horses out of mares by the stallion.”

It is certainly a fine pedigree with nine black-type winners on the gelding’s page, including the Grade 1 winners Saint Du Chenet and Tanais Du Chenet.

Bloodstock agent Aiden Murphy broke the Kirk-Mullins dominance when going to €120,000 for Mirage D’Ainay (Lot 120), a gelding by Moises Has, the young Martaline sire who can already boast of a Grade 3-placed hurdler from his first crop of three-year-olds.

“He is a gorgeous horse by a French sire who has made a good start,” reported Murphy. “He is for Olly [Murphy], but will go from here to be broken-in by Jack and Paddy Kennedy, and then onto Michael Kennedy in Cork where he will spend a year just going up the gallops and be given time to develop.”

The gelding was consigned by the John Bleahen’s Lakefield Farm, and Murphy was full of praise saying: “The Bleahens are brilliant at what they do, they are great producers. We have been very lucky with them and Olly has plenty of horses to come from them.”

The inaugural Derby Sale two-year-old session was topped by Lot 216, an Ectot half-sister to the Grade 1 winner Hearts Are Trumps and the Listed chase winner Go Fast Du Berlais, bought by Dan Skelton and Ryan Mahon for €100,000.

Sold by Ballyreddin & Bushertown, the filly’s second dam Polly Puttens is the dam of the nine winners, including the Grade 1 Gold Cup winner Denman and the Tolworth Hurdle (G1) winner Silverburn.

Skelton, who bought six lots throughout the day and was the third-leading purchaser, reported: “We have got stuck in today! This filly is lovely, she is very rangy and is from a very good family, one that I know well. And it is a pedigree that looks as though it will only get stronger – her four-year-old full-sister is heading for a Listed race next.

“She is for someone who wants to breed so she has great residual value, and she has also got the chance to be a nice racehorse.”

Of buying as a two-year-old he outlined: “We are more than happy to buy at this stage – we have room and space at home, so why not?”

And of future plans, he added: “She would get a 22lb allowance in the MSL Mercedes-Benz Sales Bumper and, being by Ectot, she well might be forward; it is an option and will be something we can consider.”

The Poet’s Word half-brother (Lot 207) to the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle heroes A Wave Of The Sea, and Hello Neighbour, winner of the Leopardstown juvenile hurdle last season, was bought by Mags O’Toole for €90,000.

The two-year-old was consigned by The Glebe House Stud and O’Toole said: “He is a lovely horse, has a great pedigree and does not look as though he will take long to come to hand. He is for an end-user and stays in Ireland.”

The opening day turnover showed an increase on the corresponding day last year, with a turnover of €7,142,000, an average price of €47,613 (+2 per cent) and a median figure of €42,000 (+11 per cent). There was a 77 per cent clearance rate with 150 horses sold from 196 offered, and 11 lots fetched €100,000 and above.

The second day of the Derby Sale begins at 10:00am tomorrow.