Katie Walsh

The first foal to be offered at public auction by Tally-Ho Stud's Persian Force (Ire) led the way at the Tattersalls Ireland Sapphire Sale when selling to Nigel O'Hare for €50,000 on Thursday. However, a 44% clearance rate spoke to the struggles facing smaller breeders and consignors at present.  Albeit the Sapphire Sale offering was down by 42% compared to 12 months ago, the majority of the key figures also fell, including the median, which was down by 31% to €2,750 and the average by 3% to €6,567. Understandably, the...

This past week the racing has come a distant second in the minds of many when set against the tragedy that has befallen the family of racing commentator John Hunt. Such an appalling act of cruelty is impossible to contemplate, especially when it concerns someone who is so popular and respected. In any workplace there are divisions and squabbles. What unites the racing press room in Britain is the unquestionable fact that John is not only a talented professional but a thoroughly decent man; a friend to so many.  He...

There are few people in this industry that you'll never hear a bad word spoken about. Ross O'Sullivan is one of those people. That is just about the greatest compliment that you can give a man who competes as fiercely, and successfully, as the trainer does. But something tells you that O'Sullivan would trade winning popularity contests for taking out big race prizes all day long and Royal Ascot would be a good place to start. The trainer has Warrior Brave (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}) and Follow Me (Fr) (Shalaa...

Nobody could accuse Katie Walsh of going around with her head in the clouds but, in the case of Tuesday's 525,000gns top lot, a colt by New Bay (GB), the leading breeze-up consignor revealed that she felt she had something worth dreaming about in the build-up to this year's Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale.  And so it proved after the colt was knocked down to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin. Bought for 125,000gns from the Ogden family's dispersal at Book 1 last year, the already-named Anno Domini (GB) (lot 26)...

Five years ago this week, Katie Walsh took Relegate (Ire) from going nowhere to the Cheltenham Festival winner's enclosure when galvanising the mare to come from last to first to take the Champion Bumper in pulsating fashion.  Little did we know at the time, but that Cheltenham success was to be Walsh's last, as she bowed out on a winner at her beloved Punchestown Festival the following month. A lot has changed in those five years since. Along with her husband Ross O'Sullivan, a prominent trainer in his own right...

The first major yearling sale of the autumn in Britain or Ireland, the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale provided entertainment from the beginning to the end, but most importantly, boasted impressive figures. Brian Sheerin was in attendance and discusses the major talking points from the sale. Figures on the up The team at Goffs UK could hardly have wished for a better start to the Premier Yearling Sale. The day one figures were off the charts. Of the 218 lots offered on Tuesday, 199 were sold, representing a clearance rate...

The sales ring can be a magical place, full of hope and expectation, and when an opening bid of €100,000 was struck for Katie Walsh's Saxon Warrior (Jpn) filly (lot 151) at the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-up Sale on Thursday, those in attendance knew something special was on the cards. What started as a trickle soon became a flood of people packing into the arena to see the Greenhills Farm-consigned and James Hanly-bred filly set a new record at this sale with the hammer falling at €520,000 to Stephen Hillen....

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,...

NEWMARKET, UK--A turbulent season of disrupted breeze-up sales has seen many firsts. Goffs UK and Arqana teamed up as allies to stage a combined sale, while Tattersalls stepped in to the breach to host the final 2-year-old sale of the year for its sister company Tattersalls Ireland, which had only a year earlier combined forces with Goresbridge to host this particular auction at its Fairyhouse base. With quarantine rules still stricter in Ireland than in Britain, a late move was made to bring the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-up Sale to...