November Graduates Winning on the Biggest Stage

The emphasis is on quality with this year’s November National Hunt sale catalogue. It has attracted foals and yearlings from some of National Hunt racing’s most illustrious families.

For some the second week of November is the highlight in the sales calendar. It brings together leading National Hunt breeders from across Ireland, many of whom meet up once a year at Tattersalls Ireland, and offer the latest star to the market from their prized mare.

In recent weeks lots of the pedigrees within the catalogue have received significant updates, with siblings winning across various disciplines in Ireland and the UK.

An Affinisea own-brother to Wednesday’s Chepstow winner A SIGHT TO SEA is Lot 303, and he is one of 12 being consigned by Ivy Rothwell’s Graiguebeg Stud. A Pyledriver half-brother to the recent bumper winner PERSIAN ART is Lot 31, while John Kidd’s Ballyash Stud will offer siblings to the recent bumper winners STATON (Lot 278) and ROCKONFAMOUSLEE (Lot 461). Andrew Slattery’s SOCRATES SMILED entered many notebooks after an impressive debut at Wexford recently, and his Luxembourg half-brother is Lot 226.

The offspring of high achieving race mares ALLEGORIE DE VASSY, AUGUSTA KATE, ASHROE DIAMOND, and GITANE DU BERLAIS are sure to attract lots of interest.

A number of those buying will have different end goals. The 2029 Derby Sale will be on the horizon for pinhookers, and certain individuals within that space of the market were well rewarded in June, with sizable profits from foals purchased in November 2023. The art of taking that long range view, and trying to predict what will catch buyers attention in two-and-a-half-year’s time, is a real skill in itself.

Graduates of the November National Hunt Sale did strike on racing’s biggest stage earlier this year with horses such as HEART WOOD, JOHNNY’S JURY, THE MOURNE RAMBLER, and STORMING GEORGE all winning at Grade 1 level.

HEART WOOD deservedly gained a first Grade 1 success in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. He was a €10,000 purchase as a yearling in November 2019, and now ranks highly among the top rated chasers in Ireland.

JOHNNY’S JURY got his chasing career off to the perfect start last Sunday, and last season’s Albert Bartlett winner was sold by Vanessa Teehan’s Charel Park Stud, on behalf of breeder Frank McNulty to Richard Rohan for €70,000. He’s a half-brother to another November graduate APPRECIATE IT, a three-time Grade 1 winner,who was purchased as a foal in 2014 by Apple Tree Farm for €18,500.

THE MOURNE RAMBLER took top rank amongst Ireland’s bumper crop last season, with the son of Well Chosen emerging victorious in the Grade 1 Champion Bumper at Cheltenham. He was sold by Tom Meagher’s Kedrah House Stud on behalf of Christpher and David McKeever in November 2021, where Peter Nolan purchased him for €32,000.

Another high class son of Well Chosen that was sold as a foal by Kedrah House Stud is OLD PARK STAR, who Norman Williamson purchased for €50,000 in 2020. Nicky Henderson’s charge emerged from last season as the top two-mile novice hurdler and will be an exciting addition to the chasing ranks this season.

The catalogue next week features two foals by Well Chosen, both being consigned by Kedrah House Stud, and both hail from the family of the three-time Grade 2 winner BURTON PORT.

STORMING GEORGE made the break through at Grade 1 level in the Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree, and the son of Order Of St George was purchased from Neville Reid’s Tullyglush Stables by Tim Dennis’ Thorne Farm.

A total of 25 lots by Order Of St George are catalogued next week, with Tullyglush Stables offering a full-brother to Storming George (Lot 296).

A number of pinhookers did exceptionally well earlier this year at the Derby Sale, with three-year-olds purchased as foals in November 2023.

John Bleahen’s Lakefield Farm sold a son of Poet’s Word for €165,000, after purchasing him as a foal for €20,000. Ger Hannon received €260,000 for a son of Goliath Du Berlais who had been purchased for just €40,000 three years previously. Other to produce sizable pinhooking profit were Paul Cowley’s Vanquish Bloodstock who received €170,000 for a son of Crystal Ocean, after purchasing him for €40,000, and Wilson Dennison’s Loughanmore Farm turned €38,000 into €150,000 with a son of Jukebox Jury.

In the point-to-point field DAN DE CHAMP was purchased by Michael Murphy’s Redbridge Stables for €15,000 in November 2022, and the Wexford handler produced the son of Old Persian to make a winning debut in April. He subsequently emerged as the top priced horse at the May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale earlier this year.

STAR AFFINITY hails from the family of Grade 1 winner Volar La Vedette, and the son of Affinisea was sold by Michael Hickey’s Sunnyhill Stud on behalf of breeder Margaret Brophy in November 2022. He was purchased by Rob James as a foal and made a sparkling debut at Dromahane in April. He is now in training with Gordon Elliott.

A total of 45 lots by Affinisea are catalogued in next week’s sale, among them a colt out of six-time winner Run For Mary, whose Crystal Ocean half-brother was purchased for €42,000 two years ago.

THE BIG BERK was another November 2022 foal that delivered in the point-to-point field during the spring, with Daragh Berry’s son of Berkshire making a winning debut.

He was purchased from Donie Murphy’s Walshtown Stables, who will offer 10 lots next week. Among the Walshtown Stakes draft is a Jukebox Jury filly out of an unraced half-sister to the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere.

The breeding stock section will conclude the sale on Wednesday evening, with an unraced daughter of the four-time Grade 1 winner BENIE DES DIEUX, named That’s My Horse (Lot 680A) being offered in foal to Crystal Ocean.

The November National Hunt Sale will commence at 11am this Monday, with a 10am start time on Tuesday and Wednesday.