Thistletown Stud Shines with €58,000 Top Lot

Jimmy and Eileen Furlong’s Thistletown Stud has a draft of 15 to sell at this year’s Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale, and the couple got their week off to a great start selling a colt by Jeu St Eloi for the Day 1 top price of €58,000 (Lot 156). 

"We always try to send a smart one to the first session here, we like to try and have a stand-out," said Eileen Furlong, the strategy last year having produced them a Day 1 second top lot. "This has always been a classy sort, he is a lovely type, he will be gorgeous as a three-year-old at the Derby Sale." 

The couple purchased his Listed-placed dam Molly Childers (Stowaway) privately after she'd had a first foal and sent her, alongside three other mares, to be covered in France. Once the pair saw this foal they were keen to return the mare to the stallion – luckily for them, the son of Saint Des Saints had relocated to Ireland to stand at Rathbarry Stud. 

The brothers Brian and Eoin Murphy of Redpender Stud, who signed as Briown, were the successful purchasers. 

"He is a stand-out today, the sire has done really well and the mare has black-type, too," said Eoin Murphy. "Hopefully, he will come back to the Derby Sale, and fair play to the Furlongs they have done a fabulous job with this colt. He cost us more than we thought, but there was plenty of competition and sometimes you need to stretch for the one you want." 

Alex Butler went to €36,000 for a daughter of Well Chosen (Lot 143) and plans for the Rockton Stud-consigned filly are fluid.

"She will come back to a farm, she is for a client and we will make a decision as to whether she will be retained to race or will be returned to a Store sale," said Butler of the filly out of the Luso dam Lobinstown Girl.

Butler added: "She walks well, she has a lovely pedigree, she is a full-sister to two black-type horses, and she made a lot of sense for the order. Well Chosen is a nice sire and her sister She’s A Star has bred a good horse as well, so, long-term, she could also make up into a broodmare, there are plenty of options." 

It was a good day, too, for Daniel Berney's Black Gate Farm with his draft of two – a colt by Crystal Ocean from the family of Stage Star, was sold to Mark Dwyer’s Oaks Farm Stables for €30,000 (Lot 183), while his Order of St George colt was bought by Mount Eaton Stud for €28,000 (Lot 90). 

“Stage Star should keep on doing his thing on the track and we have been lucky before with Crystal Ocean,” said Dwyer.

John Hore of Mount Eaton Stud said: "The plan is to come back to the Derby Sale, it is as simple as that! We have had luck with the sire topping the July Store Sale with an Order of St George, and this chap is a similar type. That was a little bit more than we wanted to give today, but he is the nicest foal here today." 

The November National Hunt Sale continues tomorrow at 10am.