Land Rover Sale Preview: OAK TREE FARM

The countdown to the 2017 Land Rover Sale (13 – 14 June) continues as Aisling Crowe looks ahead to some of the outstanding stores set to be offered at Goffs in two weeks’ time.  The series of spotlights begins with Oak Tree Farm, a vendor with a remarkable strike rate at the Land Rover…

OAK TREE FARM will be first on the lists of buyers at this year’s Land Rover Sale seeking a horse to win the coveted Goffs Land Rover Bumper at next year’s Punchestown Festival.

For the second year running, the winner of the €100,000 contest in 2017 was sold by Norman Williamson’s farm in Meath. The Gold Cup winning jockey consigned Coeur De Lion, who won the race in 2016 and this year’s winner Vision Des Flos. Both horses, in a beautifully symmetrical turn, were trained in County Cork by Robert Tyner.

“It is remarkable that out of 500 horses the same combination could win the Land Rover bumper two years in a row. I have been very lucky at this sale over a number of years,” Williamson remarked.

Two days after Vision Des Flos triumphed for Tyner, legendary amateur jockey Derek O’Connor and his brother Paurick, who purchased the gelding from Williamson, he was offered for sale at Goffs Punchestown Sale. The son of Balko lit up the ring when selling to Tom Malone on behalf of Alan and Ann Potts for €270,000. He had cost the O’Connors just €25,000 when he went through the sales ring last year.

“That was great for everyone involved in the horse, that they were able to buy him, win the Land Rover Bumper and then sell him on for such a good price. He was lucky for everyone,” added Williamson.

Four geldings will be offered at this year’s Land Rover Sale under the Oak Tree Farm banner including the only lots catalogued by hugely popular stallions Network, most famous as the sire of the brilliant Sprinter Sacre, and Laverock a three-parts brother to Pierro, from the sensational sire line of Zabeel and Octagonal.

“The Network gelding (Lot 19) is an outstanding horse who is a gorgeous big, chasing type,” he enthuses. “I would hope he is the pick of the bunch as he is such a big, beautiful horse who will make a fantastic two or three miler chaser. Network has enjoyed a very good season and is having plenty of winners”.

His three other offerings are more likely to be horses for next year’s Land Rover Bumper, Williamson revealed.  “Lot 115 is a gelding by Milan who is the right type for the race. He is well-balanced, and should run early as a four-year-old.”

Fame And Glory’s untimely death earlier this year looks to be a big loss to the industry with the Ascot Gold Cup winner’s first Irish conceived crop well-received at the Goffs UK Store Sale at Doncaster last month. He was responsible for the joint-top lot of the sale and Oak Tree Farm has a Fame And Glory gelding on offer, Lot 185, the first foal of an own-sister to Spirit Leader.

“The same description applies to the Fame And Glory gelding. He is not going to need time to come to hand and should be ready to run as a four-year-old.”

Williamson’s third opportunity for purchasers to unearth next year’s Land Rover Bumper winner will be on the second day of the sale with the good-moving Lot 400, the sole offspring of Laverock on offer.

As well as the four geldings consigned by Oak Tree Farm, Williamson has an interest in two more consigned by Edmond Ryan’s Weir View Stud. The pair have been partners in a number of horses consigned by Williamson over the years.

At this year’s sale they will offer Lot 90, a gelding by Mahler that Williamson freely admits, “is a little bit light on pedigree but is a very good-looking horse. A pedigree has to start somewhere though and hopefully this horse can be the start for his page.”

Flemensfirth has brought the pair success at this sale most recently with last season’s  Paddy Power Chase winner Noble Endeavour and Three Musketeers, a Grade 2 winner over hurdles and fences for Dan Skelton.

“We have been very lucky with the Flemensfirth horses we have sold at Goffs, he is a sire who has been good to us and this gelding (Lot 219) is out of a winning mare from a good Aga Khan family,” he concludes.