Instit Delivers Top Result at November National Hunt Sale
The 2024 four-day Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale concluded with a final session of foals and then National Hunt mares, which produced the sales’ top price of €125,000 given by Peel Bloodstock’s Will Kinsey for the former Willie Mullins-trained, Listed-winning chaser and daughter of Saint des Saints, Instit (Lot 847).
"Like the foal we purchased earlier today [Lot 821] she is for a partnership with my brother-in-law Richard Burton,” said Kinsey, adding: “We have also got a few partners who are new into breeding, all fellow former amateur riders, it is a bit of an ex-amateur riders’ syndicate.”
Kinsey added: "Again she is a rare sort, a Saint des Saints broodmare – I have not got one and have been trying to buy one for a long time. She is going back to Richard’s from here and we have to make some plans for her next covering, luckily, there are lots of good options in the UK now."
The final foal session produced a €110,000 two-way tie at the top between colts by leading French sires, it is the top price given for a foal at the sale since 2021.
Bloodstock agent Nicolas Bertran de Balanda went to the six-figure sum for the Coolmara Stables consigned son of No Risk At All (Lot 673) out of Zarkareva (Authorized), winner of the Grade 3 Buck House Novice Chase.
"It is expensive coming here!" joked de Balanda after his purchase when he outbid Timmy Hyde, adding: "He has been bought for owner Sofiane Benaroussi, who is building a team in France and the colt is going to race in France.”
de Balanda added: "This is a very good first foal, by a top stallion, and he has a great pedigree. He is probably going to be a tall horse and we will need to give him a bit of time. Sofiane is buying a lot of very good young stock and is going to have a nice team in France moving forward.”
Consignor Cathal Mariga of Coolmara Stables said: "We are very pleased, he made more than our expectations. We did not know if he would get into six figures, but we had hoped he would be stand-out and he has done just that.
"For a first foal, he is a lovely foal, and always has been even when he was young, and to make back half of the mare's purchase price is very pleasing. She is now in-foal to Blue Bresil."
The only foal offered here this week by Saint des Saints was bought by agent Jerry McGrath, who was bidding from the top of the stairs and who saw off persistent challenges from Paul Harley and Joey Logan (Lot 774).
"He has been bought to race in France," said McGrath. "He is for a client who will probably bring in a few friends now as he cost a bit more than we expected. He is a lovely colt, and Saint des Saints does not need any explaining.
"I am spending a lot of time now in France and have seen Olympic Story, who is out of the half-sister, she is the best three-year-old filly racing in France."
McGrath added: “He won't be gelded – the dream will be to keep him as an entire, and if he gets to the required level of form we might be able to retire him to stud in France."
The colt was sold by James Sheehan's Clonmult Farm for breeder Maurice Garde, and the team were all smiles back at the barn.
Sheehan said: "Maurice bought the mare last November, and she produced this lovely foal. I saw him in the middle of August and loved him then and he has really developed since he came to me. He has a real pedigree, probably one of the best French pedigrees in the book.
"This foal was always going to be for sale, and he was always going to be coming here. It is a brilliant place here, and this is my favourite sale of the year – I love this sale, it always delivers when you have the right horse!"
Late in the session, a Blue Bresil colt out of Princess Leya (Old Vic), the Grade 2-winning half-sister to the 21-time winner and dual Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Altior, made €80,000 (Lot 823).
Sold today by Mark Dreeling and Barbara Fonzo's Coole House Farm for breeders Paddy and Rose Behan, breeders of Altior. The colt was bought by Aiden Murphy who said, “He is a fine sort and he will be reconsigned as a three-year-old store horse through Glenvale.”
The four foal sessions produced the two lots who made over €100,000, the most since 2020 as well the highest-price since 2021, while 22 foals have made €50,000 or more and 40 have fetched prices of €40,000 and above.
From a significantly smaller foal catalogue than in recent years, the first time since 2012 (aside from the covid year of 2020) it has been numbered below 900, the 449 foals sold over the four days produced an aggregate of €7,467,400, a drop of 27 per cent compared with 2023. Stock changed hands at a 62 per cent clearance rate, just off 2023’s figure of 66 per cent.
Foals sold at a median price of €11,500 and an average price of €16,631, figures just four per cent and seven per cent down on the returns produced in 2023.
The leading foal purchaser was pinhooker Timmy Hillman, who spent €287,000 on seven lots, while Tom Weston was the most prolific buyer picking up 12 foals for an outlay of €114,500.
Over the four-day sale, more than 200 individual buyers signed purchasers’ dockets for foals and yearlings, many from the UK, a number from France, as well as Qatari owner Mohammed Hamad Khalifa Al Attiyah, his purchase due to remain in Ireland and likely to eventually join his dual-purpose string in training in Ireland.
Ballincurrig House Stud regained its usual position as the leading November National Hunt Sale consignor by aggregate – Michael Moore’s consigning operation turning over €601,500 on 25 lots sold.
The sale’s opening yearling session produced a turnover of €180,500, an average price of €9,025, which was a fall of 33 per cent on 2023, and a median of €6,500, on par with last year, while 65 per cent of the yearlings offered changed hands.
The final turnover for the whole four-day November National Hunt Sale finished up at €7,894,900 with 481 lots sold for an average price of €16,414 at a clearance rate of 60 per cent.
Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins commented:
“After four days of trading there were positives to extract from this week’s sale, with two foals selling for €110,000 today, while the black type mare Instit, saw her top the sale, at €125,000.
Whilst there has been sustained demand for what the market sees as commercially attractive foals, the selective nature of the National Hunt market is clear to see and has been evident throughout the year at other National Hunt sales.
“We recognise that a percentage of foals failed to meet what the market requires, and we empathise with consignors that found this week a challenge and despite a smaller catalogue we still witnessed a slight drop in the clearance rate on last year’s sale. That said there were vendors who attained excellent prices and went away satisfied with their results. It was also encouraging to see buyers drawn to a broader range of stallions, with the progeny of six different stallions among the top 10 purchases.
“It was pleasing to have an increased presence from UK buyers over the four days, while both of our top priced foals have been purchased to race in France.
“We would like to thank our vendors for their support and to wish all our purchasers well with their new acquisitions, and we look forward to seeing those foals bought this week returning to the Tattersalls Ireland sales ring in the future or excelling on the racetrack”.