“I just consider myself awful lucky to have found the horse, let alone buy him,” said John Bleahen of Lakefield Farm after selling the Derby Sale 2016 Day 1 top lot for €255,000.
Agent Harold Kirk was the successful buyer of the Bleahen-consigned Saddler Maker gelding, a half-brother to the Grade 2 chaser Upsilon Bleu, and one of three lots in the session to make over €200,000.
In total, an impressive 15 horses made six-figure sums, a big increase on the six to achieve such a mark on Day 1 in 2015, and just one less than the whole two-day sale last year. The Day 1 session also returned strong and improved figures with a record breaking average of €47,859, an improvement of 14% while the aggregate showed a 20% per cent improvement to €7,131,000.
“I am also extremely lucky,” continued Bleahen, “as when this horse was purchased the sire was not at all established and he has since become very fashionable. There is a lot of luck involved in this game – and we’ve had it all go the right way. This is a lovely horse and he did not put in a bad show at all. I owned him myself with my brother Niall.”
Bleahen has done a fair amount, though, towards making his own luck – he found and bought the gelding in a private sale from a field in France.
There was competition all around the ring for the bay, who is already named Defi Bleu, but the battle narrowed down to a fight-out between Kirk and Aiden Murphy, until Kirk, standing by the entrance, quietly prevailed.
Kirk has bought stock by the sire before, and been rewarded – he bought Apple's Jade, this spring's two-time Grade 1 winner, and one of the deceased stallion’s best runners.
"This is a very good-looking horse, and by a stallion who upgrades his mares – he is one of the few sires who can do that," said Kirk. "He cost more than we thought, but he has a good page and is one of the nicest here."
It is a case of lightning striking twice for Lakefield Farm – Bleahen consigned last year’s Derby Sale top lot, a son of Robin des Champs who sold for €320,000. He was also purchased by Kirk.
Grand National winning trainer Mouse Morris also saw off Murphy for a bay gelding by Robin Des Champs (Lot 195), who was sold by Busherstown for €250,000.
Morris and Murphy were equally determined to buy the horse, with Morris on the telephone. In the end the trainer prevailed and as he signed the docket, with his customary smoke near to hand, Morris laughed: "He is a lovely horse, he needs to be lucky now!"
The March-born gelding is the first foal out of three-time winner Present Gesture (Presenting) who won two bumpers. She is an own-sister and part-sister to two black-type runners.
It is the great National Hunt family of Rhinestone Cowboy and Wichita Lineman and the sale was a superb pinhook for Busherstown – the gelding was bought here as a foal in 2013 for €34,000.
Just five lots earlier, Mags O’Toole on behalf of trainer Gordon Elliot, bought Dream Conti, a Walshtown Stables-consigned son of Lauro (Lot 191). He is a half-brother to Bello Conti, who was twice fourth this year in Grade 1 Novice Hurdles and the first runner out of the dam Posterite (Video Rock).
"He looks a smasher, he has loads of quality, we thought he was one of the nicest horses here," said Elliot, who had to go to €235,000 to secure the bay April-born gelding.
The Derby Sale continues tomorrow with the sale starting at 10.30am.
Click here to view results from the Derby Sale