Timmons Hoping To Crown Dream 48 Hours At Tattersalls Ireland

TATTERSALLS, Ireland–Justin Timmons revealed the heightened importance to the Dolmen Bloodstock consignment selling well at the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale after he welcomed his first-born into the world in the early hours of Wednesday morning before making the dash to Barn B on the eve of what he described as the biggest sale of his year.

Dolmen Bloodstock consigned the top lot at last year's sale, a Dark Angel (Ire) colt who fetched 410,000gns, and now that there are nappies to pay for, Timmons is hoping for another profitable end to the breeze-up season.

Timmons nominated a colt by New Bay (GB) (lot 15) and fillies by Zoffany (Ire) (lot 184) and Harry Angel (Ire) (lot 119) as being the pick of Dolmen's six juveniles that will go under the hammer on Thursday and joked that, if the Harry Angel was to shoot the lights out, he may have to twist his partner Jody's arm to revisit the naming of their newborn from Harvey to Harry.

“I'm a relieved man and everything else is a bonus now,” said a visibly ecstatic Timmons after the breeze on Wednesday. “Mother and baby are doing well so I raced up here to try and pay for the nappies!

“It's our first child and Jody was helping all throughout her pregnancy. She was even riding out at the start of the pregnancy and, when she wasn't able to continue that, she was in the yard mucking out boxes. She's superwoman.”

Timmons added, “The little man is called Harvey at the minute but if the Harry Angel sells well we might have to change it to Harry. I was happy with how he breezed and, to be honest, I thought I brought a nice bunch of horses here this year so fingers crossed it works out.”

This sales season has been up and down for Dolmen Bloodstock, according to Timmons, who is quietly confident of signing off on the breeze-ups for the year with some strong results given he kept his best team for Tattersalls Ireland.

He explained, “I always try and bring a nice bunch here as it's our local sale here in Ireland and I always support it. It's one of the most important sales in our year.

“This year has been a bit of a mixed bag so far. The Craven Sale was a bit disappointing but the Guineas Sale made up for it. That's the way this game goes sometimes so hopefully we have a bit of luck tomorrow.”

Lot 15 is the only New Bay colt in the sale and was picked up by Jerry Horan at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale at Newmarket for £15,000 while the Zoffany filly, out of the listed-placed Ermine And Velvet (GB) (Nayef), was sourced at the same sale for £14,500.

Speaking about his draft, Timmons said, “The New Bay, the Zoffany and the Harry Angel are all exciting. The New Bay is a fine horse. My friend Jerry [Horan] bought him at Tattersalls last year and he's a nice horse who does everything well at home.

“I was expecting him to breeze well and he did. He's the only New Bay colt in the sale and I think he is an incredible sire. He's only going one way.”

He added, “I've always been sweet on the Zoffany. She's a good-moving filly with plenty of boot, but I think she probably wants seven furlongs or even a mile. We galloped her last week on the Curragh, I rode her myself and I was taken by the fact that she actually quickened up twice. Not many do that.

“The Harry Angel is a ball of a filly. She's a real 2-year-old type and is only going to get better as the season progresses. She's on a real upward curve. They are the three I'm looking forward to most.”

He may be surviving on minimal if any sleep but you won't hear Timmons complain. In fact, if things go to plan on Thursday, he may even have time to celebrate what has been a whirlwind 48 hours.

“I'll be nipping back to Portlaoise Hospital this evening. I can't wait to keep an eye on Mammy and the little baby and there won't be much sleep. If these sell well on Thursday, there definitely won't be any sleep, we'll have to celebrate.”

The sale, of which Layfayette (Ire) (French Navy {GB}) is a deserving poster boy, being the most successful graduate following his Group 2 victory in the Mooresbridge S. at the Curragh this season, begins at 10:30 a.m on Thursday.

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Walsh Has High Hopes for Invincible Spirit Colt at Tattersalls

Of the seven horses Katie Walsh offers under the Greenhills Farm banner at the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale on Thursday, none jump off the page quite like lot 42, an Invincible Spirit (Ire) half-brother to dual Group 1 winner Banimpire (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), who the leading consignor has high hopes for.

Goresbridge has been a good sale for Walsh, who sold GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf runner-up East (GB) (Frankel {GB}) at Ireland's only breeze-up sale when it was last held at Gowran Park in 2018, and she is upbeat about the prospects of continuing that trend at Fairyhouse this week.

The Invincible Spirit colt may be the ace in the pack, but Walsh says she has “something for everyone” at Tattersalls and expects trade to be strong after another profitable sale for her operation at Arqana last week.

She said, “Miss O'Kelly of Kilcarn Stud owns the Invincible Spirit and I'm delighted to be selling one for her. She is a great supporter of Irish racing and, as she doesn't keep her colts, she decided to breeze him when he missed the yearling sales. Hopefully he will do a nice breeze on Wednesday and will sell well for them on Thursday.

“The Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (lot 151) filly is pretty smart as well and I have a Brazen Beau (Aus) (lot 73) colt who I think is pretty sweet, so I am looking forward to the sale. There's a nice mix of horses there and I have something for everyone. From a smaller-priced horse right up to the Invincible Spirit with a really good pedigree, and everything in between, we have a nice team.”

Walsh added, “It's been a good year for us without having anything off the charts. We had a good sale at Arqana last week. Dad [Ted Walsh] bought an Almanzor colt as a yearling for €12,000 and he made €65,000 last week. That was a good result.

“We'd an Acclamation (GB) filly with a good pedigree, who Peter Nolan bought for me as I was just after having a baby at the time, and she cost 38,000gns as a yearling and we turned her into €120,000. That was super.

“I also bought a Showcasing colt for 50,000gns and he only made €55,000. I thought going to Arqana that he was the best one I had but that's the way the sale went, and hopefully he can be lucky for his new connections.”

Matching the right horses for what buyers want in each sale is hugely important and Walsh revealed that the Invincible Spirit colt was entered for Goresbridge on the basis that it would give him a maximum opportunity to shine.

Speaking about her approach to the breeze-up sales, Walsh explained, “You set out at the start of the season to try and buy the best physical with the best pedigree for the right money. Sometimes you get lucky and it just happens for you but more often than not you have to dig a bit deeper to make it happen.

“Every horse that I bring to a breeze-up sale, they are there to be sold and the main objective is to come home with empty head collars, win, lose or draw. My business model is to get them sold and to start with a clean slate when the yearling sales start.

“What determines what sale I go to, I suppose it's driven by physical and by pedigree, and sometimes it's better to be a big fish in a smaller pond. When it comes to Goresbridge, it's always been a good sale for me down through the years, and I am lucky enough to be bringing the nice Invincible Spirit colt this year with a big pedigree. He looks like he might be a big fish in a small pond along with the Saxon Warrior filly. I'm lucky to have two big pedigrees there and they are nice physicals as well.”

Reflecting on preparing East, who was knocked down to Stephen Hillen for €315,000 at this sale in 2018, Asymmetric (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) and Caspar Netscher (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), who have flown the flag for Walsh with great distinction in this sphere, she added, “East was sold on behalf of a client but it was fantastic to get her. She was a very good filly, extremely fast and forward, and by a fantastic sire. I was lucky to get the phone call to prepare a Frankel filly for Goresbridge. I was absolutely over the moon. It was a lovely thing to do and lovely to be associated with a really good filly like that.

“I prepared Asymmetric  last year and he was a very good colt who went on to win a Group 2 but the one who got me going was Caspar Netscher.”

Walsh's seven-strong team will be among the 217 horses to breeze at Fairyhouse at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The sale kicks off at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday.

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Affinisea Gelding Leads May Store Sale

Lot 179, a gelded 3-year-old son of Affinisea (Ire) topped the Tattersalls Ireland May Store Sale at €50,000. The Knockalane House offering went to Ballyboy Stables.

Right behind him was a gelding by Workforce (GB) (lot 103) from Rathywork Stud, agent to Milestone Bloodstock. The son of Blazing Dawn (Ire) (Presenting {GB}) was knocked down for €48,000. His second dam is listed hurdle winner Blazing Sky (Ire) (Beneficial {GB}).

Third on the buyers' sheets was lot 68, J'Suis Kashe Bam's (Fr) (Buck's Boum {Fr}), a member of Liss House's draft. Joey Logan Bloodstock shelled out €47,000 for the bay gelding. His dam, Urkashe (Fr) (Clety {Fr}) was placed in the Listed Prix Rigoletto Chase at Auteuil.

Overall, 165 horses sold from 207 offered for an improved clearance rate of 80%. The gross was €2,704,400. The average decreased 8% to €16,390 and the median dropped to €13,000 (-15%).

Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins said, “Today saw the first store sale take place on its original dates for the first time in two years and the trade has been very strong. Most noteworthy was the record clearance rate which increased to 80% and turnover that surpassed the 2018 and 2019 May Store Sale sessions. We extend our thanks to our vendors for providing us with quality horses as well as every purchaser who engaged as they sought to find their next star.”

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Sapphire Sale Launched By Tattersalls Ireland

The Tattersalls Ireland Sapphire Sale, slated for Nov. 12, was launched by the sales company on Wednesday. Comprised of Flat-bred foals, yearlings and breeding stock, it will replace the November Flat Foal and Breeding Stock Sale. Notable graduates of the sale under the previous name include G1 Matron S. heroine Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}), who sold as a foal, as well as fellow weanling alumni The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince Of Lir {Ire}), a G2 Norfolk S. victor, and G3 Molecomb S. winner Steel Bull (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}).

This sale is the final opportunity in 2022 to buy yearlings in Ireland. All graduates of this sale will be eligible for the €300,000 Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales S. at The Curragh on Irish Champions Weekend. In addition, the vendor of the horse that wins that contest will gain a new Overlander R160 2-Stall horsebox.

“Our aim with the new Tattersalls Ireland Sapphire Sale is to build on the success of the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze Up and September Yearling Sales while also demonstrating the unwavering Tattersalls Ireland commitment to the Flat sector in Ireland,” said Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins. “The Sapphire Sale will offer smaller Irish breeders an opportunity to showcase their stock prior to the major breeding stock sales in Europe at a time when buyers will be in Ireland and addresses the demand from vendors for an Irish-based yearling sale at this time of year. We will be looking to increase the quality and number of foals and broodmares on offer and to assemble a selection of high-calibre commercial yearlings to ensure the Sapphire Sale becomes a must-attend fixture, not only for breeders and pinhookers, but also for Irish, UK and European-based trainers, owners, and agents. The Tattersalls Ireland Sapphire Sale will be the first European foal and breeding stock sale of the year and we are looking forward to launching the sale with a strong catalogue of Flat foals, yearlings and breeding stock.”

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