Harzand Colt Tops Day 2 of November National Hunt Sale at €54,000

The Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale second day top price came late in the session when Aisling Noone and Simon Cavanagh of Drumloose Stables went to €54,000 for the Harzand colt (Lot 416) consigned by Garryrichard Stud. 

The determined couple saw off Timmy Hillman to secure the colt, and the pair were delighted with their purchase. 

“As soon as we saw him we fell in love with him,” said Noone. “We sold a Harzand for a client at the Derby Sale to Kevin Ross, so we have had some luck with him, and we have gone back to the well again. 

“We know the family quite well as Simon is friendly with Gerald Quinn who trained this colt’s half-brother Broughshane to win his four-year-old point-to-point – he is now with Jonjo and AJ O’Neill and won over hurdles in October.”

The colt was bred by Michael Murphy, who has produced all the stock out of the mare Shuil Milan (Milan), including her multiple graded-placed performer Bold Enough. 

“She has been very good to me, and I have been very lucky,” he said. “This colt has a great temperament and I loved Harzand as a racehorse. The Hickeys at Garryrichard have done a great job here.” 

For much of the day it looked as though the top price of €42,000 was going to be a two and then three-way split between two colts by leading sire Walk In The Park, both bought by Richard Frisby, and a colt by the popular young sire Crystal Ocean (Lot 406), purchased by Tom Howley’s Brook Lodge Farm. 

Sold by Graiguebeg Farm, Howley’s purchase is out of the six-time winner Run For Mary (Flemensfirth), a half-sister to the Group 1 Prix du Cadran third-placed Run For Oscar. 

Howley’s Brook Lodge Farm had a good store horse sales season this spring and summer and he said: “We are just trying to keep upping quality, buy better types and this horse will be for resale, too.

“This is a very good-moving horse, the mare was a good runner and I am a big fan of the sire. I have a few by him for next year’s store horse sales, and he had a juvenile bumper winner last week.” 

The first of the two Walk In The Park’s bought by Richard Frisby was a colt out of the Dr Fong mare Dusty Park (Lot 277). She has bred six winners, including Lunar Power, a two-time winner over hurdles. 

The colt was prepped by Gillian Kinahan for breeder and consignor Kevin Haverty’s Hillview Farm and she said: “He has been a lovely foal, a pleasure to do. He does everything right, walks well and he was extremely well behaved here, every time he showed he was the very same. We had all the right people on him, and he has been exceptionally busy here. We are very happy with the result.” 

The second Frisby Walk In The Park purchase gave Thistletown Stud another great result, the farm having also sold the top-priced lot on Day 1 (Lot 156). Today’s success came courtesy of Lot 389, the second foal out of the unraced Piknick (Pirateer), who is a half-sister to the three-time Grade 1 winner Bravemansgame. 

Frisby’s son J J Frisby said of the two colts: "We have been lucky with the sire before, we have had plenty by him and he can do no wrong. Both these colts are for resale. 

“Dusty Park is an older mare, but she had bred six winners including a good one, and she can bring a bit of speed to Walk In The Park, too." 

“The two colts are different types – the lad out of Piknik is a bigger and stronger sort. He is from a young family, but it is a great pedigree and Bravemansgame is a top horse.” 

The November National Hunt Sale continues at 10am tomorrow.