Blue Bresil Colts Tops February NH Sale
The Tattersalls Ireland 2024 sales year started on a positive note at today’s one-day February National Hunt Sale with a top price of €62,000 given for a Blue Bresil colt consigned by Walshtown Stables.
The February National Hunt Sale will be marked forever more on the Walshtown calendar – the Murphy family farm having consigned the top two lots at this year’s sale, both by the Rathbarry Stud-base sire, and finishing up the session as its leading consignor. The farm was repeating a feat – it also produced the top lot in 2023, while in 2022 it took honours as that year’s leading consignor.
Charles Shanahan buying for Glenvale Stud secured today’s top lot, a colt out of the Martaline mare Maryota (Lot 113) and he said: "This was our highlight of the day – since we got here he stood out to us, and by the price he made he stood out to everyone else, too!
“He is very well bred and from a great family – the mare has produced a good horse and Martaline seems to be a good broodmare sire. Blue Bresil is having winners every day – he had a very good bumper winner the other day for Ben Pauling, and obviously Constitution Hill keeps doing it, too – we just need to find another like him and we will be ok!
"This chap has the pedigree and the physical, the plan will be to reoffer him at the Derby Sale."
Walshtown’s patriarch Donie Murphy said: "He is a very nice colt and his dam has produced a good winner, a black-type horse. He is a real nice foal, he has gone down well and is as a good a walking foal as we have seen. All the right people liked him."
In the first half hour of the sale, Niall Bleahen of Liss House spent €50,000 on the June-born colt out of Vickeeto (Old Vic), a half-brother to the Grade 1 novice chase winner Feronily (Lot 7).
The delighted purchaser said: "I bought Feronily as a foal at the November NH Sale and he was a lovely horse to work with – we broke him ourselves through Covid and he showed fairly early on that he was going to be something special. This fella has the same temperament, he has a lot of growing to do, he was a very late foal, but he is athletic and similar to his older half-brother."
Of the colt's sire, he added: "We have seven Blue Bresils through our hands and seven have won, and they have all had good temperaments, too."
Laura Murphy, who led up the colt today, said: "He is a lovely foal, he was bred by Tom O'Brien, and we had the Malinas half-brother last year, he is supposed to be a nice horse and will run in a point-to-point. We had this colt for his prep, he has done everything right, he has not put a foot wrong and has been 100 per cent.”
A Walk In The Park colt from the talented Crystal D’Ainay family sold by Railstown Stud was bought by Grange Stud for €43,000 (Lot 66), while a Jeu St Eloi colt out of Modeliste (Shirocco) and from the family of the exceptional 16-time winner Master Minded was a Rathbarry Stud purchase at €41,000 (Lot 121).
Tattersalls Ireland’s CEO Simon Kerins said: “The February National Hunt Sale marked a satisfactory start to the trade for the beginning of 2024. We would also like to congratulate Walshtown Stables for yet again bringing a quality draft to market.
“We have an exciting and busy seven days in store for Tattersalls Ireland – nominations for the 50th Derby Sale close on Friday, and we then look forward to this weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival, in particular Sunday’s Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland 50th Derby Sale Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown; a race full of young National Hunt quality and talent.
“The Dublin Festival meeting has rapidly become such an important part of the Irish racing calendar, one that epitomises and showcases the quality of Irish National Hunt horses. We hope to cheer home the many Tattersalls Ireland graduates due to compete over the two-day meeting at what promises to be a thrilling weekend of top-class racing.
“We then return to the Fairyhouse sale ring next Monday to host the exceptional Andy and Gemma Brown Dispersal Sale, which offers National Hunt purchasers a once-in-lifetime opportunity to buy talented and proven top-class jumps performers at public auction.
“Horses will be on site for viewing from 8:30am on Monday, February 5th, with the sale scheduled at 3pm. Until then the horses are located for viewing at Gordon Elliott's Cullentra House Stables. Viewing is strictly by appointment and please contact Mr Joey Logan directly to arrange an appointment.”