RECORDS SMASHED AT AN EXTRAORDINARY DERBY SALE
The middle and top market continued to show very strong returns and 110 lots, a third of the horses sold over the two days, made €50,000 or more, a record for the sale; 28 of those made six-figure sums.
The turnover of €14,282,000 is the third-best ever for the sale, and an increase of 29% on 2013, while the average price of €43,279 is the second-best and up by 18% on last year. This year’s median price of €32,500 is a record.
The clearance rate increased from 87% in 2013 to 89%.
The top lot of the sale came on Day 2 when another son of Yeats, this time the Mount Eaton-consigned Lot 317, turned heads. Once again it was MV Magnier who secured the grandson of Sadler’s Wells at €220,000 with Harold Kirk left as underbidder. It is the highest-price paid for a NH store horse this year.
The three-year-old gelding is out of the Listed-placed French-bred mare Jolivia and is a half-brother to the Willie Mullins-trained Sizing Tennessee, who finished fifth in the Punchestown Champion bumper and was successful on his first start over hurdles.
"He's a lovely horse, comes from a very good farm and his half-brother looks a very promising sort," said Magnier.
It is the best price achieved by Mount Eaton for a horse consigned at Tattersalls Ireland.
Kirk bought nine lots over the two days, his most expensive purchase being his last, a Presenting gelding (Lot 413) sold by Redpender Stud, who cost €170,000.
"He's a gorgeous horse, by the right sire, out of a black-type mare and from a very good vendor who gets plenty of winners both on the Flat and over jumps," said Kirk of gelding who is out of the Grade 3-placed Oligarch Society (Moscow Society)
"He's for an existing owner in the yard and I thought he was one of the top horses here this week."
Underbidders included Kieran McManus and trainer Tim Vaughan, who went to €100,000
Trainer Shark Hanlon was determined not to leave Lot 299 behind – the Stowaway gelding is a full brother to his Grade 1 Ryanair Chase runner-up Hidden Cyclone.
"He's a brother to my good horse and it would've been hard to let him away," said Hanlon, who had to go to €160,000 to secure the three-year-old.
"He'll come home to be broken and I have a couple of men in mind for him. I've seen him since he was a foal, he is very like Hidden Cyclone, he does everything so easy. I knew he'd make his money."
The gelding is most expensive store horse to date by Stowaway and was consigned by Whytemount Stud, which stands the promising young sire.
Managing Director Roger Casey commented after the extraordinary renewal of The Derby Sale concluded on Thursday evening:
“To again achieve the highest price for a store of €220,000 this year is very pleasing and will naturally get the headlines but the real story of the 2014 Derby Sale is the emphatic depth and quality of the market with no less than 110 lots or 33% of those sold making €50,000 or more and over 25 lots making €100,000 over the two days. The insatiable demand for horses from the start of the sale on Wednesday morning right through to Thursday evening has been extraordinary, and we would like to sincerely thank our supportive vendors for bringing the cream of the Irish and UK store crop to the flagship Derby Sale.
The resounding strength of the catalogue and The Derby Sale’s reputation for the enduring quality of its graduates resulted in the largest number of individual purchasers witnessed at any store sale this year making their annual pilgrimage to Tattersalls Ireland. The resulting frenetic trade produced the (second) highest average and highest median in the history of The Derby Sale (€43,279 and €32,500 respectively), a clearance rate of 89% and the third highest turnover ever recorded. The HIT section also experienced a solid renewal this year producing a top price of €130,000 and reconfirms the fact that The Derby Sale offers a shop window to rival any other for horses of this type.
We would like to thank ITM, and our industrious marketing team and team of NH inspectors for their combined efforts in recent months in promoting the sale across Ireland, the UK and beyond, with the €100,000 Tattersalls Ireland George Mernagh Sales Bumper also continuing to be an attractive incentive for purchasers attending our Derby and August Sales. We now look forward to the 2014 August Sale which closes shortly and which will take place on the 12th and 13th of August and will include a Horses in Training Section for the first time this year. ‘’