Willie Mullins splashes out six-figure-sum for top lot at Fairyhouse sale

Willie Mullins splashed out €180,000 for the sales-topper at the Tattersalls Ireland May Point-to-Point and Horses-in-Training Sale on Wednesday.

Fresh off winning both the Irish and British National Hunt Trainers’ Championships, the Closutton maestro is looking to restock with more top-class horses.

Mullins, represented by Harold Kirk, was one of many people interested in a four-year-old named Arslan at the Fairyhouse sales.

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Arslan was second on his debut at Tralee last weekend and boasts an interesting pedigree being by Coolmore stallion Wootton Bassett.

There was a prolonged battle for the good-looking four-year-old, with Kirk and fellow bloodstock agent Tom Malone among the bidders.

Eventually, Kirk, on behalf of Mullins, tabled the winning at €180,000 for the gelding, who will likely be saved for a winter campaign.

Kirk said: “This is a beautiful horse, by a fantastic sire and with a good pedigree. I spoke to [trainer] Francis-Henri Graffard, who had him in France, and he said the horse was just big and backward, and he did not really train him.

“I loved him in his point-to-point. He could be a two-miler, he could be a mile-and-a-half horse or he could be a good hurdler; he could do two jobs and we are hoping he will make a good dual-purpose horse.

“He is a beautiful individual by one of the best sires in the world. He has shown he can jump and there is just loads of class in his pedigree, and in his race he showed loads of class.”

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