Joint-Record Sale Price Achieved by Ballycrystal Stables at July Store Sale

A joint-record sale price was created in today’s second session of the Tattersalls Ireland July Store Sale when point-to-point trainer Matthew Flynn O’Connor went to €65,000 to secure Mount Eaton Stud’s imposing Order Of St George gelding (Lot 388A). 

A busy sale ring welcomed the wildcard entry and there was no hanging around once auctioneer Matt Hall had finished his preliminaries, the sale proceedings kicking off at €20,000. 

The figures shot forward, and quickly developed into a match battle between O'Connor and leading point-to-point jockey and trainer Rob James, the pair standing on opposite sides of the sale ring. When the former succeeded at €65,000, James, who was standing by the acorn at the sale ring entrance, was just left to give a wry smile as the three-year-old gelding walked out of the gate and past him. 

"He was our pick over the two days, and it seems a lot of others thought so, too!" smiled O'Connor, who signed under his Ballycrystal Stables banner alongside Ger O’Connor, a fourth lot purchased as a whole or in partnership by Ballycrystal over the two-day sale. 

O’Connor added of the point-to-point prospect: "He is a big, scopey stamp of a horse and he just missed his slot at an earlier store sale. I have not had any by the sire before but have three for this season. All in, I shall have about 50 or 60 pointers for the next season with around 15 for the autumn." 

The gelding, who was pinhooked at the November National Hunt Sale as a foal for €21,000 by the Hore family, is out of the Shernazar mare Miss Cilla, the dam of two winners from three runners. She is a half-sister to the three-time Grade 1-winning hurdler Peddlers Cross, whose top-level victories came in the Neptune Investment Novices Hurdle (G1), the Fighting Fifth Hurdle (G1) and the Mersey Novices Hurdle (G1). 

"Quality," said trainer Steven Crawford when asked to describe the son of Wings Of Eagles after paying €45,000 for the three-year-old gelding by the sire and offered by Cooladurragh House (Lot 510). 

He added: "The gelding is quality through and through. I liked his page and we have had a bit of luck with the sire, he is a new sire to us but all the ones I have seen by him have been athletic. This horse is just that, he has quality and he is correct, and conformation is important to us." 

That "bit of luck" with one by Wings Of Eagles came via the gelding bought at this sale last year by Ross Crawford for just €1,250. He was named Marlacoo, went on to win a Down Royal bumper and was sold at this spring’s Tattersalls Cheltenham May Sale for £85,000. 

A gelding by Telescope, the second foal out of the Listed-winning and Cheltenham Festival Grade 1-placed Generous mare Indian Stream (Lot 287), was bought by Terence Thomas Steele for €38,000. 

Steele, whose underbidder was bloodstock agent Tom Malone, said: "He's a racehorse, I hope! We'll take him home and see how he goes. We might start in point-to-points, but I don't know. I paid more than I expected, and we will decide on a trainer later.” 

Sold by Ballincurrig House Stud, the gelding was pinhooked by Ruth Brown and John Loughlin for €14,000 as a yearling when offered by Bryan Mayoh at the November National Hunt Sale in 2021. 

This year’s two-day July Store Sale, for the first time in its four-year history listed as a non-select sale, produced a turnover of €1,159,150 from 204 horses offered and 118 horses sold, who fetched an average price of €9,82  and a median price of €7,000.

Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins commented: 

"It has been a mixed summer of Store sales, culminating with this week’s July Store Sale. The July Store Sale provided National Hunt purchasers with a final opportunity of the year to enter the market, and it was encouraging to see lots of new faces on the ground and on the final purchaser list. 

“We started our Store sale season with the May Store Sale, held at a later date and we also added a small select group of Point-to-Point and Horses-in-Training on the eve of that sale. The later timing resulted in an improved clearance rate. 

“The 50th Derby Sale yet again secured the top-priced Store sold at any Store sale in Ireland this year. A son of Doctor Dino was purchased from Walter Connors by Gordon Elliott Racing for €350,000, and 25 lots surpassed the €100,000 mark, more than any other Store sale. This continued success at the Derby Sale underscores the high quality and enduring appeal of our offerings.

 “We recognise the current selective nature of the National Hunt market, in particular over the last two days. This selectiveness has presented challenges, particularly at the lower end of the market. However, it is very encouraging to see that purchasers in Ireland and the UK retain faith in Irish Stores. The Tattersalls Ireland Stores Sales are proven as the most reliable source to purchase Grade 1 winners, and I have full confidence that our Store graduates from 2024 will make an impact at the highest level over the coming seasons. We are also deeply appreciative of the unwavering support and loyalty of our vendors.

 We would like to thank Irish Thoroughbred Marketing for their dedicated efforts in promoting the Tattersalls Ireland Store sales to the UK market. Their work has been instrumental in guaranteeing attendance, and we truly feel that their efforts made a noticeable difference this year. 

“The focus of attention from a National Hunt perspective now turns to our market-leading November National Hunt Sale, where the journey begins again for our Store sale vendors. These vendors will become purchasers, investing in the dream of returning in three years' time to our Store sales.” 

Unlike its previous three editions, the catalogue format for this year’s July Store Sale was set alphabetically by dam rather than a select day one, with wildcards placed across both days.