Grade 1 Glory for November NH Sale Graduate Ballyburn

Tattersalls Ireland graduate
Ballyburn produced an outstanding performance to run out a 13-length winner of
the Grade 1 Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle on day two of the Cheltenham Festival.

The son of Flemensfirth was
making it back-to-back Grade 1 wins having won the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland
50^th Derby Sale Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival last month.

The six-year-old was
purchased at the 2018 November National Hunt Sale from The Beeches Stud by Ian
Ferguson. It was a fourth successive win in the race for trainer Willie
Mullins, while Ronnie Bartlett, who part-owns Ballyburn with David Manasseh,
was securing a second win in the race having owned Simonsig in 2012.

Ian Ferguson, who purchased
Ballyburn as a foal, commented after the race: “I am absolutely over the moon,
I am delighted. All the hype was frightening me coming here, but when you are
at that stage with Willie Mullins and that sort of horse it has to be expected.

“He was a gorgeous foal,
maybe a bit plain of his head but the rest of him was mighty and the pedigree
was good. Wilson Dennison, fair dues to him, he was on the phone to me and he
said, ‘Ian if he is worth €75,000, then he is worth another €5,000.”

Derby Sale graduate
Unexpected Party was the second leg of a memorable double for Dan and Harry
Skelton in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase. The grey son of
Martaline was a €155,000 purchase at the 2018 Derby Sale from Kilminfoyle House
Stud by Tom Malone Bloodstock.

Dan Skelton’s first winner
was Langer Dan who became the second November National Hunt Sale graduate to
taste victory today, and in turn became the first horse to win back-to-back
renewals of the Coral Cup. 

The eight-year-old was
purchased for €12,000 in 2016 from The Premier Consignment by Ballinaroone
Stud.