Elliott wins bidding war with Mullins to buy horse with brilliant pedigree

Gordon Elliott won a bidding battle with Emmet Mullins as he splashed out €350,000 on an unraced gelding at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale.

The Meath handler was gambling on potential and his knowledge of the bay gelding’s enviable pedigree.

As a half-brother to three Grade 1 winners in Caldwell Potter, Mighty Potter and Brighterdaysahead, all of which were or are trained by Elliott, the gelding would always attract plenty of interest at the sales.

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The opening bid started at €100,000 before it quickly turned into a battle between the team of Elliott, Eddie O’Leary and Mouse O’Ryan on one side and young trainer Emmet Mullins on the other.

Mullins’ final bid was at €340,000 before Elliott and his team sealed the deal at €350,000, the highest price achieved by a store horse this year.

Elliott said: “Obviously I’ve trained a lot of the family and I’m delighted to get him too, they have been really lucky for us, so we are thrilled.

“The mare [Brighterdaysahead] is probably a bit bigger than him but he is not unlike Mighty Potter, a tall horse but not the broadest.

“He’s very athletic and neat, so hopefully he could be one for the bumper next year.”

It was a brilliant result for Walter Connors, who has the gelding’s 17-year-old mother, Matnie, at his Sluggara Farm near Dungarvan.

Connors said: “I’m obviously delighted. He was always a star horse in our mind and we were not going to come if he did not match his pedigree as we point-to-point our own horses anyway.

“I’m delighted and thrilled Gordon will be training him as he has done so well with the family, and Eddie has been very good to us over the years; he bought Don Cossack [Gold Cup winner trained by Elliott for Gigginstown House] and [Grade 1 winner] Quito De La Roque. I could not be happier.”

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