Henry de Bromhead splashes huge sum for French Grade 1 winner
The mare's sale came on the same day that Regent's Stroll became the most expensive jumps horse to change hands at public auction
Irish trainer Henry de Bromhead has splashed out £350,000 (€415,000) on a high-class French hurdler.
The Waterford handler paid the big sum for Grade 1 winner July Flower at the Goffs Summer Sale.
July Flower has been running at the top level in France over the past two years, including a third-place finish in the French Champion Hurdle in May.
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The step up in trip seemed to suit the five-year-old mare on that occasion, and she could prove to take top order among her sex next season.
July Flower is a horse familiar to de Bromhead, with the horse having had one run for the trainer in an Aintree bumper in the hands of Rachael Blackmore in April 2023.
The mare's sale came on the same day that Regent's Stroll became the most expensive jumps horse to change hands at public auction.
The impressive winner of two bumpers for Paul Nicholls last season, the gelding went under the hammer after his owner, Chris Giles, announced he was taking a break from racing.
And it was bloodstock agent Tom Malone and Nicholls, determined to keep hold of the Walk in the Park gelding, who tabled the winning bid at £660,000, with former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson among the new owners.
Malone and Nicholls secured eight of the lots offered on Giles’s behalf by Mill House Stud, including Grade 1 winner Stay Away Fay for £325,000, and Grade 2 winner Rubaud winner for £200,000.
“We got all the ones we wanted back, so we’re delighted,” said Nicholls. “I’ve had some fantastic support from all my owners to get them back. I put people together to buy them and some of the co-owners bought them back. It’s worked out really well.
“Stay Away Fay is going to be owned by Andy Bell and Fergus Lyons. In Regents Stroll there is a combination of John Hales, Ged Mason, Sir Alex Ferguson and Neil and Alfie Smith who are ;part of a team we have put together. They bought Caldwell Potter in the spring and they are both nice horses.”
Nicholls, who also trains the ex-Gordon Elliott Caldwell Potter, continued: “I bought Regent’s Stroll as a store two years ago at Doncaster. He won his two bumpers at Ascot and Newbury. We didn’t want to be losing him, did we?
“It would have been disappointing to have lost them but we’ve have worked hard to get the right support from owners across the board and been able to keep them together.”
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