Tattersalls Ireland has showcased its commitment and support to Irish National Hunt racing by renewing its sponsorship of the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival for a further three years.
The three-year extension will ensure Tattersalls Ireland continues as one of the headline sponsors on what has become the flagship weekend for National Hunt racing in Ireland and the UK.
The Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle has become one of the most highly anticipated novice hurdles in the Irish racing calendar and brings together some of National Hunt racing’s most exciting future prospects.
Tattersalls Ireland has partnered with the Dublin Racing Festival since its inception in 2018 and became title sponsor of the Grade 1 two-mile novice hurdle in 2022.
The 2025 renewal was won by Cheltenham Festival winner and Derby Sale graduate Kopek Des Bordes, while other former winners include Ballyburn, Champagne Fever, Vautour and Appreciate It.
Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins commented:
“The Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle is the jewel in the crown of our sponsorship portfolio. The fixture is ideally positioned from a business perspective, and we have created a strong relationship with the team at Leopardstown, who have done an exceptional job growing the meeting.
The Dublin Racing Festival has become a focal point in the National Hunt calendar, and extending our sponsorship will help to strengthen our long association with the fixture. The sponsorship comes at an important time as it coincides with the start of our Derby Sale inspections. The six-week period between the Dublin Racing Festival and Cheltenham Festival is when our bloodstock team inspect the cream of Ireland’s and the UK’s National Hunt stores. The sponsorship takes the Tattersalls Ireland brand front of mind with clients, while also offering additional benefits that help to both create and solidify relationships.”
Leopardstown Racecourse Interim CEO Vicki Donlon commented:
Tattersalls Ireland have supported the Dublin Racing Festival since its inception in 2018 and have become an integral part of the success and growth of this incredible festival. The strong relationship between our team at Leopardstown and the Tattersalls Ireland team has created a highly effective collaboration that continues to benefit the Dublin Racing Festival year after year.
We are delighted that Tattersalls Ireland will continue their partnership with us, and we look forward to working together to further develop and grow the festival over the next three years. I would like to sincerely thank Simon and his team for their continued support, and we look forward to welcoming them and their guests to the Dublin Racing Festival on 31st January & 1st February 2026.”
The second renewal of the one-day Tattersalls Ireland May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale showed continued progression on the sale’s inaugural year, with a substantially larger catalogue that featured 75 point-to-pointers and 33 horses in training.
The session was headed up by three six-figure lots, one more than last year, including two horses that fetched €150,000 apiece.
Bentraghhill (Lot 42), a son of Getaway sold by Loughanmore Farms for owner Wilson Dennison, was bought by agent Harold Kirk and trainer Willie Mullins.
The once-raced four-year-old gelding was third at Fairyhouse in April for trainer Cormac Abernethy and Kirk said: “He is a gorgeous horse and we have bought so many Grade 1 winners from Wilson Dennison, at least eight or nine individual Grade 1 horses.
“This horse ran fantastically well for a big horse on his first run, he was only beaten three lengths. He has a lot of filing out to do, he has a good pedigree and is a beautiful model. He will go to grass now; he needs time.”
Bentraghhill is out of the Definite Article mare Itsalark, dam of the Grade 2-winning hurdler Party Central, and the Grade 3 winner Craigneiche.
It was the second time the gelding has been sold in the Fairyhouse sale ring having been purchased as a yearling by Ian Ferguson at the Winter Flat & National Hunt Sale in 2022 for €40,000.
Jewel Hope (Lot 35) became the first six-figure lot sold in the session when bought by Hamish Macauley Bloodstock.
From the first crop of Masar, Jewel Hope was the stallion’s first Irish point-to-point runner and winner when coming home 25 lengths clear at Ballindenisk on his second career start earlier this month.
Purchased at last year’s Tattersalls July Sale by Monbeg Stables for 25,000gns, the four-year-old gelding is a half-brother to nine winners of which two are black-type Flat performers and includes Reckoning, the dam of the Grade 1 Ascot Gold Cup winner Subjectivist.
The sale’s leading purchaser Macauley, who also bought Crystal du Berlais (Lot 3), a daughter of Crystal Ocean for €75,000, said: “Jewel Hope is bred to be a top-class Flat performer and he’s a fine big horse. He did it very well the other day, and plans are being finalised.”
Bloodstock agent Tom Malone purchased Ellie Marie (Lot 92) for €100,000. This mare finished second on her debut in a four-year-old mares’ maiden at April’s Tullaherin meeting for handler Andrew Slattery.
“Willie Slattery called her a good filly three months ago and even though she was beaten, she hit the line hard,” said Malone of the Walk In The Park four-year-old. “I would say it will stand up a good maiden in time, so I am happy to get her. She will come home to me now and we will get her sold.”
Malone will be taking two horses back to his farm for resale – the agent also purchased the Dawstown point-to-point winner Inishbofin (Lot 46) for €85,000.
Sold by Sam Curling’s Skehanagh Stables, Malone said: “He is a lovely, big strong horse and Sam has liked him along the way. He was fourth at Dromahane on his debut in a very good maiden, and then went and won next time out at Dawstown.”
By Maxios and a Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale graduate, the four-year-old gelding is out of the Yeats mare Kendon, a half-sister to Scarlet And Dove, the multiple graded-winning chase mare, and Lets Go Champ, a Grade 3 winner over fences.
The session produced a turnover of €2,423,500 with 65 horses sold at a clearance rate of 73 per cent, an average price of €37,277 and a median of €30,000.
British-based trainers were busy throughout the session, with over half the horses purchased set to travel over the Irish Sea to continue their careers in Britain.
Commenting on the results of the May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale, Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins said:
“This was only the second edition of the May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale, and it was good to see solid interest for the four-year-old winners and the Robcour horses within the Horses in Training section. It was obviously pleasing to see the turnover grow significantly on last year.
“We welcomed a strong contingent of UK-based buyers, which continues to underline the appeal of Irish point-to-pointers on both sides of the Irish sea.
“This sale after two years is now a viable alternative for vendors, with the added advantage of selling in Ireland and removing additional travel costs. It would however be remiss not to acknowledge the selective nature of the trade and the clearance rate of 73 per cent (whilst an improvement on 2024) underlines this.
“I’d like to acknowledge the hard work of the bloodstock team in assembling a quality catalogue and supporting both vendors and purchasers throughout the sale.
“We now turn our focus to the Derby Sale, Ireland’s premier store sale, which will take place on June 25th and 26th, with Part II set for June 27th.”
The Stuart Crawford-trained CUSHENDALL is another winning bumper debutant to receive an entry in Thursday’s May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale catalogue.
The five-year-old mare opened her account at Kelso on Sunday, where she won with the minimum of fuss under a confident hold up ride.
A graduate of the Tattersalls Ireland July Store Sale, she is one of eight horses in the sale by Coolmore stallion Getaway.
Her dam is a half-sister to the Grade 1 placed Regent’s Stroll, while the third line of her pedigree includes the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Denman.
She is one of three bumper winners in Thursday’s sale, along with Monday’s Ballinrobe winner CAMAN HILL and the recent Perth winner NOT FOR PASSIN.
Horses will be available for viewing on Wednesday 28th May from 2:00pm, with the sale commencing on Thursday 29th May from 1:00pm.
Printed copies of the catalogue can be collected at the control office from Wednesday, 28th May.
Monday’s impressive bumper winner CAMAN HILL is an exciting addition to Thursday’s May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale.
The four-year-old son of Berkshire created a big impression when landing the Ballinrobe bumper by nine lengths, and will be consigned on Thursday by TJ Corcoran.
Commenting after the race, winning rider Pa King said: “He’s a lovely horse, I’ve sat on him a couple of times and you would love everything he does. We expected a big run today but to go out and do what he did, is great. He’s a gorgeous horse.”
That particular Ballinrobe bumper saw subsequent dual Grade 1 winner Mystical Power make a successful racecourse debut in 2023, while Paddy Twomey’s subsequent Grade 2 winner Seo Linn was second in the race last year.
Caman Hill is one of two recent bumper winners in the catalogue, with the impressive Perth winner NOT FOR PASSIN also featuring in the Horses in Training Section.
The catalogue now contains 107 lots, including 13 four-year-old maiden winners and 14 five-year-old maiden winners.
NOIRE WULF adds extra intrigue to a quality catalogue, as the three-year-old filly made a sparkling racecourse debut at Compiegne earlier this month for Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm. She will be the penultimate lot through the ring on Thursday.
The catalogue for the May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training is now online, with 103 lots. The catalogue features a strong offering of four-and-five-year-old winners, along with proven graded performers in the Horses in Training section.
The catalogue features:
• 13 four-year-old maiden winners
• 14 five-year-old maiden winners
• Three six-year-old maiden winners
• NOIRE WULF – winner of three-year-old hurdle at Compiegne, France
• JOURNEY WITH ME – 152-rated dual Grade 2 winner
• BEACON EDGE – 150-rated and 142-rated hurdler
The catalogue can be viewed at tattersalls.ie
The latest entries include the Sean Doyle-trained pair ROYALE ROCKER who opened his account on debut at Ballindenisk, and FIYERO who got off the mark on his second start at Inchydoney last weekend. SHINEALIGHT is another Sean Doyle-trained four-year-old that takes winning form to the sale. She broke her maiden tag in the four-year-old mares maiden at Inchydoney last Sunday.
Other four-year-old maiden winners catalogued include EMBRACE THE DAY, CRYSTAL DU BERLAIS, NOVA NAKO, and EAGLE WARRIOR.
NOIRE WULF was an intriguing addition to the catalogue in recent days. The three-year-old filly made a sparkling debut at Compiegne earlier this month for Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm, and the filly will be the final lot through the ring on Thursday.
The 152-rated chase JOURNEY WITH ME is one of five in the sale for leading owners Robcour. Recent Wexford winner ASPIRE TOWER and FRENCH DYNAMITE are chasers with strong recent form, and both remain competitive at a high level.
Printed copies of the catalogue can be collected at the control office from Wednesday, 27th May.
10 additional entries have been received for the May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale, including NOIRE WULF who recently made an impressive racecourse debut at Compiegne.
Other notable names to have been added to the catalogue are four-year-old maiden winners INISHBOFIN and RECITE A POEM, both of whom recently opened their accounts.
Noire Wulf is an exciting addition to the catalogue, and the Soldier of Fortune filly produced a performance full of quality as she landed a three-year-old hurdle in good style on debut.
The manner in which she travelled and jumped impressed onlookers, and hailing from the respected academy of Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm, it was evident that she knew her task and in the end proved far too strong for her seven rivals.
Harry Kelly’s Railway Stables will offer Noire Wulf in next Thursday’s sale.
Inishbofin won his four-year-old maiden at Dawstown, and the son of Maxios will be one of two in the sale for Sam Curling’s Skehanagh Stables.
He was a €36,000 foal purchase at the November National Hunt Sale in 2021, and hails from a good family, with his dam being a half-sister to the black type winner Scarlet And Dove, and the dual winner Lets Go Champ.
Michael Murphy’s Redbridge Stables will offer Recite A Poem. The Poet’s Word four-year-old showed good battling qualities to win her maiden by five lengths at Bartlemy, and has the profile of a nice future prospect.
Supplementary entries for the May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale will be taken until Monday morning.
The sale is scheduled to take place next Thursday 29th May, beginning at 1pm, with viewing commencing at 2pm on Wednesday 28th May. The catalogue can be viewed here.
In an exceptional one-day session with multiple records broken at the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze Up Sale, a colt by Night Of Thunder (Lot 138) became the highest-priced breeze-up horse ever sold in Ireland when purchased by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for €580,000.
The Yeomanstown Stud-offered colt headlined a superb day of two-year-old sales that produced a record turnover for the seventh year in succession, the day’s aggregate topping the €11 million mark for the first time in the sale’s six-year history, with a turnover of €11,658,300, an increase of 21 per cent from last year’s figure of €9,599,500.
It was also the sale’s sixth year producing a record average price of €54,992, the first time this statistic has exceeded €50,000, and an increase of 26 per cent on 2024. This year’s best-ever median of €32,000 is an increase of 14 per cent on last year’s sale.
The record figures were underpinned by an unprecedented four horses, all of which sold for over €300,000, 31 lots who achieved a six-figure sum, and the session’s superb clearance rate of 88 per cent, the best produced so far at a European breeze-up sale this spring, and a repeat of last year’s achievement.
Through the week, the sales ground had a truly international atmosphere with enthusiastic visitors from 15 different countries, including first-time buyers from Malaysia and Qatar, as well as regular Tattersalls Ireland clients from the UK, the Middle East, Italy, Scandinavia and the US.
Anthony Stroud, who bought ten lots and was the session’s leading purchaser with an outlay of €1,761,000, said of his record-breaking purchase: “He is a very good individual, and, of course, he is by Night Of Thunder – and with time he will be a nice horse. He comes from a farm that produces lots of good horses, and he has a very good way about him. He is for KHK Racing, but there is no trainer in mind yet.”
Out of the black-type winner Mambo Light (Kingmambo), the dam of six winners including the Group 3 winner Le Juge, the colt was pinhooked as a yearling by Yeomanstown Stud at the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale for 100,000gns and David O’Callaghan reflected: “It was a big throw then, but we did think we’d got him at a good price. He is a special horse, and he has not let us down.
“The main buyers received him well and we are very thankful to Anthony Stroud for buying him and the underbidders for their involvement.”
Stroud, again buying for KHK Racing, went to €475,000 for a colt by Starspangledbanner (Lot 94) sold by Cristiano Martins’ C.A.J. Stables.
It is by far the best sale ring result for the two-year-old consignor Martins and he said: “It is a fabulous result. He was bought at Tattersalls December Yearling Sale for 37,000gns, and he has always shown himself to be very smart, and has never put a foot wrong. Every day here he has pulled out well and showed himself off. We were expecting him to sell well, but not to that level.
“He is a lovely strong horse. I don’t think he is fully developed yet, and the buyers could see that he is a horse for next year. He was just a lovely horse to have in the yard.”
Of his previous best, Martins laughed: “I sold the good sprinter Clarendon House for 130,000gns, it is a big difference!”.
Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock was the first to strike for a €300,000 plus purchase, the buyer going to €340,000 for the Street Sense filly (Lot 45) sold by Michael Fitzpatrick’s Kilminfoyle House Stud.
Brown said: “Physically she is a stand-out today, she is a gorgeous, big, scopey filly. She did a lovely breeze, not lightning-quick in any way, but the style of the breeze and the way she galloped out were impressive.
“The stallion has done very well, and she is from a very good hotel – Michael sold the Group 1 winner Believing, and we bought a nice horse off him last year.”
Fitzpatrick, who bought the good-looking filly last year in the US for $40,000, added: “She is a very sweet filly and has been a pleasure to do anything with. I brought her here because she is a scopey type and I thought she would suit this later sale.
“She is a very classy individual and has thrived in the last month. I have been telling everyone at home to study her as she is such a well-put together sort.”
The fourth horse to sell for over €300,000 was Katie McGivern’s Derryconnor Stud-offered colt by Wootton Bassett (Lot 226), the well-bred individual out of the Oasis Dream international black-type-winning mare and producer Black Haku.
“He goes to trainer Richard Hughes,” said purchaser Ger Morrin after going to €320,000 and outbidding Ted Durcan and Mark McStay for the imposing colt.
Morrin signed the docket for Grandeville Racing and he added: “He is for owners Sean and Bernadine Mulryan, and they have had a bit of luck with Richard with Bracken’s Laugh. We are going to give this colt some time, he is more of a three-year-old and a big scopey sort. He is a very well-bred horse, and he is by a sire that we really love!”
It was a fine pinhooking result for Katie McGivern, the colt having been bought last autumn for €70,000.
Commenting on the success of the sale, Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins said:
“This year’s Tattersalls Ireland Breeze Up Sale has been extraordinary, with all previous records well and truly surpassed. From the outset, we were confident that the catalogue we had assembled—thanks to the support of our vendors—would deliver a strong sale. The positive feedback from purchasers throughout the lead-up only reinforced that belief.
“The sale has produced a record turnover, up 21 per cent on 2024, a record average, a record median, a record top price. The clearance rate of 88 per cent is the highest of any European Breeze Up Sale this year, and underscores the demand for horses from this sale.
“Our close collaboration with Irish Thoroughbred Marketing has undoubtedly played a key role in expanding the global appeal of the sale, and it is hugely rewarding to see horses now heading to all corners of the world.
“Coordinating a sale of this type requires a huge amount of work and organisation, as it’s staged across two venues. Ensuring the safety of horse and rider is our main priority, and I would like to thank Peter Roe and his ground staff for producing a perfect surface at Fairyhouse Racecourse.
“I would like to wish all purchasers every success with their new acquisitions, and we look forward to following their progress with interest.”
The breeze for the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze Up Sale will take place at Fairyhouse Racecourse on Thursday 22nd May, beginning at 8:30am, and potential purchasers have multiple options to view the coverage.
There will be live coverage from 8:25am on Racing TV, with presenters Kevin O’Ryan and Sally Ann Grassick providing in-depth analysis and interviews with consignors, purchasers, and industry personnel.
The breeze will be streamed live on the Sale Day Live page on the Tattersalls Ireland website (tattersalls.ie), and can also be seen live on the Tattersalls Ireland YouTube channel and the Tattersalls Ireland Facebook page.
Tattersalls Ireland YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TattersallsIrelandtatts
Tattersalls Ireland Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/tattersallsireland/
The catalogue features 274 two-year-olds, and videos and photographs of each individual lot breezing will be available to view within the online catalogue shortly after the the completion of the breeze.
The 2024 Tattersalls Ireland Breeze Up Sale has already produced 79 individual winners, among them, the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes winner COTO DE CAZA and the 100-rated pair HAMMER THE HAMMER and PORT LIGHT.
Tattersalls Ireland are excited to publish the May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale catalogue which features a strong offering of four-year-old winners, and some high-class sorts in the Horses in Training section, including 152-rated chaser JOURNEY WITH ME.
This is the second staging of the May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale, and the support of some of Ireland’s leading trainers, owners and handlers has ensured a catalogue comprising of horses with real potential feature throughout it.
Among those catalogued within the Point-to-Point section are:
Lot 2: CRYSTAL DU BERLAIS – Consigned by Coolbawn Stables. Four-year-old maiden winner at Loughrea.
Lot 12: CLASSIC DANCE – Consigned by Ballycrystal Stables. Final fence faller when placed second in four-year-old maiden at Ballindenisk.
Lot 17: FRANKIES FORTUNE – Consigned by Leighmoney Stables. Five-year-old maiden winner at Dromahane.
Lot 19: TIME TO GIVE – Consigned by Gaynestown Stables. Four-year-old maiden winner at Ballindenisk.
Lot 24: JEWEL HOPE – Consigned by Monbeg Stables. Four-year-old maiden winner at Ballindenisk.
Lot 33: EMBRACE THE DAY – Consigned by Gaynestown Stud. Four-year-old maiden winner at Lisronagh.
Lot 35: TIMMYS JET AWAY – Consigned by Monbeg Stables. Four-year-old maiden winner at Tattersalls.
Lot 38: NOVA NAKO – Consigned by Edmund Power. Four-year-old maiden winner at Dromahane.
Lot 41: EAGLE WARRIOR – Consigned by Yellowford Racing. Four-year-old maiden winner at Tattersalls.
Lot 50: POINTOFDIFFERENCE – Consigned by Baltimore Stables. Four-year-old maiden winner at Bartlemy.
Lot 55: FOUR SPRINGS – Consigned by Caherty Stables. 22 length winner of four-year-old maiden at Necarne.
Lot 56: TWILIGHT VEIL – Consigned by Milestone Stables. Runner-up in a four-year-old maiden at Lisronagh.
The Horses in Training has attracted a select group of horses, some of which are graded performers. Among those catalogued in the Horses in Training Section are:
Lot 11: FENWAY PARK – Consigned by Danestown Stables. 124-rated Punchestown maiden hurdle winner.
Lot 26: GOT GLORY – Consigned by Closutton Stables. 128-rated listed placed hurdler.
Lot 30: JOURNEY WITH ME – Consigned by Baroda Stud. 152-rated chaser and dual Grade 2 winner.
Lot 31: FRENCH DYNAMITE – Consigned by Everardsgrange. 144-rated chaser and dual Grade 3 winner.
Lot 39: NOT FOR PASSIN – Consigned by Sean McParlan Racing. Perth bumper winner on racecourse debut.
Lot 43: ASPIRE TOWER – Consigned by Baroda Stud. Recent Wexford winner, and 142-rated chaser and hurdler.
Lot 48: RAILWAY HURRICANE – Consigned by Danestown Stables. 131-rated chaser and four-time winner.
Lot 49: KING OF THE BRONX – Consigned by Danestown Stables. Recent Cork handicap hurdle winner.
The May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale will take place on Thursday 29th May, with additional entries being accepted until Monday 26th May.
Commenting on the release of the May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale catalogue, Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins said:
“Following the inaugural staging of this sale last year, it is encouraging to see the number of horses catalogued increase, and most importantly attract quality types that are sure to capture the interest of National Hunt purchasers.
“The bloodstock team have worked tirelessly to assemble this catalogue, and have managed to secure a choice offering of four-and-five-year-old quality maiden point-to-point winners and a select group of horses in training.
“I must also acknowledge the owners, trainers, and vendors who have supported the sale. Their feedback gave us confidence from the outset — and we proved last year that we can successfully stage this type of sale, and the May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale is now a proven alternative.”
The Horses in Training Section of the May Point-to-Point and Horses in Training Sale later this month will feature NOT FOR PASSIN, FENWAY PARK and JOUEUSE ROYALE, after all three were added on Monday.
Not For Passin is sure to attract plenty of interest given his profile as a recent bumper winner. The Sean McParlan-trained five-year-old made his racecourse debut at Perth last week and was sent to the front from the outset, travelling strongly throughout and winning with considerable ease.
He was the final horse to come off the bridle in that Perth bumper, and when asked to lengthen, he quickly put distance between himself and the runner up.
The Gavin Cromwell-trained Fenway Park has some strong maiden hurdle form to his name, including a Punchestown victory last season, while his form also includes a solid effort in a valuable handicap at the Navan Racing Festival last November.
The six-year-old has been lightly campaigned this year, and remains a promising dual purpose type that should make his mark over larger obstacles.
Joueuse Royale is the fifth Robcour-owned horse to receive an entry in the sale. The six-year-old mare has been a model of consistency, finishing placed in three of her last four starts, and a win for this mare looks assured over the summer months.
The May Point-to-Point and Horses in Training Sale takes place on May 29th, with the main catalogue set for release on Tuesday 20th May.
Entries will continue to be taken for the sale until Monday 26th May.
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