Willie Mullins shells out close to €500,000 on unraced horses at Goffs Sales
Willie Mullins shelled out close to €500,000 on unraced stock as horse racing's biggest hitter gathered at the Goffs Arkle Sale on Tuesday.
Mullins and his bloodstock agent Harold Kirk got the cheque book out to buy a trio of unraced three-year-olds.
With the price of point-to-pointers seemingly increasing every year, many of jump racing's top trainers are now breaking in young horses themselves before readying them for the racetrack.
Although there is also a premium to be paid on the best pedigrees. Mullins and Kirk paid €175,000 to land a It's Gino gelding called Mistral Le Du from Roger Marley's Church Farm Stables.
Kirk, as reported by the Racing Post, said: Kirk said: 'He was one of the standout horses in the sale, and by a very good sire [It's Gino] in France.
"He is a beautiful individual, a very good mover, and he stood out for me. I knew he would make money, but I didn't think it would be that much. There is always somebody else interested."
Mullins also bought another French-bred Altesse du Luy from Altesse du Luy for €145,000.
And they completed their purchases on the first of two day of the Arkle Sale by splashing out €110,000 on a Zarak filly called Karak de Faust.
The sales topper on the first day, though, was a €190,000 purchase by Ellmarie Holden on a No Risk At All gelding from Sluggara Farm.
Holden has previous with big-money store purchases, having shelled out €140,000 to buy a horse called Jonbon at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale.
That turned out to be a very shrewd bit of business as Jonbon would go on to win a point-to-point for the Holdens before being sold for a record-breaking £570,000.
And Jonbon, of course, has lived up to his price tag, winning ten Grade 1 races and counting for Nicky Henderson and his owner JP McManus.
Holden said: 'Jonbon worked out. He cost €140,000 and we were lucky he worked out. If this guy is anything like Jonbon it will be very straightforward. Jonbon was very easy to do anything with, he never had any issues."
British trainer Dan Skelton was also present at the sale, and he paid €165,000 for another No Risk At gelding. In total, 188 horses were sold on the opening day of the sale for a combined sum of €10,306,500.
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