Over the years we have sold over 2,000 horses at auction, realising more than 50 million euros for their owners. Every one was important to us leading up to the sale and each received the best preparation we could give them. Some inevitably disappointed their new owners; many others did pretty well; but a select few achieved far more than anyone could have hoped for. Here are some of the very best graduates of The Ballincurrig Talent School for NH Racehorses.
SIZING JOHN (GB), b. g. 2010 by Midnight Legend – La Perrotine by Northern Crystal
We sold Sizing John on behalf of Bryan & Sandra Mayoh for €16,000 to John Bleahen at the Tattersalls November Sale in 2010. In an outstanding Jumps career he became the first (and so far only) horse to win the ‘Gold Cup triple’ of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Irish Gold Cup and the Punchestown Gold Cup in the same season, immediately after being switched to race over three miles as a 7YO. He later won the John Durkan ‘Chase (Grade 1) over 2.5 miles, having previously taken the Grade 1 Paddy Power Novice Hurdle as a 5YO and placed in seven other Grade 1 races, including the Arkle Trophy and Supreme Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham. He was trained by Jessica Harrington and Henry de Bromhead for Ann & Alan Potts.
CAPTAIN CHRIS (IRE), b. g. 2004 by King’s Theatre – Function Dream by Strong Gale
Until 2018 Captain Chris was the most expensive store we had sold when, on behalf of Lennie Walker, he brought €250,000 from Aiden Murphy at the Derby Sales of 2007. He hadn’t been the easiest horse to prep and the price was a relief since Lennie had paid €66,000 for him as a foal. However, he was worth every cent for he went on to win three Grade 1 events: the Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham, Punchestown’s Ryanair Chase and (on his very last appearance) the Ascot Chase. Although his best distance was probably 2.5 miles he also finished only a neck behind Long Run in an epic King George V Chase at Kempton. He was trained by Philip Hobbs and owned by Diana Whateley.
PAISLEY PARK (IRE), b. g. 2012, by Oscar – Presenting Shares by Presenting
Paisley Park was a €12,500 Richard Rohan pinhook as a foal who brought €60,000 from Gerry Hogan as a 3YO, after some Ballytrasna / Ballincurrig TLC. He won only one of his first five races (although second in a Grade 2 Novice Hurdle), then transformed into by far the best 3 mile hurdler around. In a magical 15 months he won all seven of his races, giving Emma Lavelle her first Grade 1 win in the Ascot Hurdle before following up in the Stayers Hurdle (G1), two Cleve Hurdles (G2) and the Newbury Long Distance Hurdle (also G2). His run ended when he suffered atrial fibrillation in his attempt at a Stayers Hurdle double. However, he continued to run well into equine old age, winning two Long Walk Hurdles and a Cleeve Hurdle. He was trained by Emma Lavelle and owned by Andrew Gemmell.
FLOORING PORTER (IRE), b. g. 2015, by Yeats – Lillymile by Revoque
Richard Rohan purchased the colt foal by Yeats from the useful hurdles winner Lillywhite for only €6,000 as a foal; but it didn’t look a great piece of business when we couldn’t obtain a similar reserve for him as a 3YO at the Land Rover Sale. However, no horse purchased by Richard and consigned by Ballincurrig should be dismissed out of hand – and Flooring Porter proved the supreme advertisement for this well-known maxim that we just made up. To date he has won 8 races and earned almost £675,000, including two Cheltenham Stayers Hurdles and a Leopardstown Christmas Hurdle, as well as placing in another Stayers Hurdle and Christmas Hurdle and two Liverpool Hurdles. He has been trained by Gavin Cromwell throughout his career and owned by a syndicate named after him, who surely realised more dreams than they dared have when he was unplaced in his first four races!
SLADE STEEL (IRE) b. g. 2018 by Telescope – Mariet by Dr Fong
Slade Steel was born and raised at Ballincurrig for our long-term British client Dena Arstall. As a foal he was sold for €12,500 to that excellent judge Gerry Hogan and then resold at the Tatts May Store Sale for €30,000 to Pierce Michael Power. Dena actually attended the first race he ran in, a Maiden Point-to-Point at Dawstown, and ran into his owners, who she had never met before. Slade Steel won that race and was then sold on to the outstanding trainer Henry de Bromhead, who has developed him to win four races under Rules and be placed in his three others so far.
Slade Steel’s win in the Supreme Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham was gained over Annie Power’s son by Galileo, Mystical Power, and Firefox, a Walk In The Park gelding that we had sold for €280,000 at the rather more prestigious Tattersalls Derby Sale. Previously Slade Steel had won a Navan Grade 2 Hurdle in which two of the horses behind him, Stellar Story and Better Days Ahead, also won at Cheltenham in 2024. Slade Steel is owned by Robcour, who it can safely be said probably paid rather more for him than his foal or 3YO sales prices. Whatever the sum paid, he has rewarded his owners well so far.
SOMERSBY (IRE), b.g. 2004, by Second Empire – Back To Roost by Presenting
Being by Second Empire, an unsuccessful Flat stallion from a Presenting mare who produced him in the days before people realised just what a great broodmare sire he is, Somersby brought only €8,800 as a foal, purchased by Muckinish Stud. However, having been sold on privately he earned 100 times more than this, proving himself one of the best two mile chasers in the era dominated by Sprinter Sacre, Master Minded, Sire de Grugy, Sizing Europe and Dodging Bullets – poor timing! He won one Grade 1 race, the Ascot Chase, but placed in the first four in no fewer than 14 others, including twice in the Two Mile Champion Chase. He was trained by Henrietta Knight and Mick Channon, and owned by Tim Radford.
ON HIS OWN (IRE), b. g. 2004, by Presenting – Shuil Na Mhuire by Roselier
We might have gone down as the vendor of a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner three years before it actually happened, if only the Stewards had held an inquiry after On His Own’s short head defeat by Lord Windermere in 2012 – an ironic result since Michael Moore had helped source the latter from the Point-to-Point field. On His Own was bumped at the second last and then carried right by the winner over the last half furlong, losing by a very short head! Nine times out of ten the result would surely have been reversed. As a yearling On His Own brought €38,000 from Kevin O’Brien. After winning a Point-to-Point and a Bumper his price rose to £240,000. For Willie Mullins he won two Thyestes Chases (Grade A), a Grade 2 hurdle plus Grade 2 and Grade 3 chases – but the best day of his life was also the unluckiest. He was owned by Andrea & Graham Wylie.
HI CLOY (IRE), b. g. 1997, by Be My Native -Thomastown Girl by Tekoah
We consigned Hi Cloy as a yearling when he brought 14,000 IRE Guineas from Michael Hourigan, the man who trained him throughout his career. His Grade 1 wins began in 2004 when he took the Powers Gold Cup Chase (beating next year’s Gold Cup winner Kicking King); but his best season was that of 2005/06 when he he won three more: the John Durkan Chase, the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase and Liverpool’s Melling Chase. He also placed in three other Grade 1 chases, the best being a third behind War of Attrition and Beef Or Salmon in the Punchestown Gold Cup. All of Hi Cloy’s Grade 1 victories were hard-fought and he never really attracted the attention a top-class horse normally does – but few manage to win four such contests. In this he ranks second to Sizing John among Ballincurrig alumni. He was owned by Mrs S. McCloy.