Sales talk

...with Simon Kerins, CEO of Tattersalls Ireland about Cheltenham, point-to-pointing and the latest sales calendar

THE CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL became a week of continued Irish magic, the horses trained in the country accruing a record-breaking 23 winners, and so ensuring that by day three the meeting’s Prestbury Cup, the annual British verses Irish challenge, had become an irrelevance.

As 13 of those winners were sold at a Tattersalls Ireland Sale, including seven of the 14 of the Grade 1 winners, the smiles were broad amongst the Tattersalls Ireland staff, and certainly cause for satisfaction for the new CEO Simon Kerins, who is now five months into his role having taken over from the departing Matt Mitchell in October.

We chatted on the Saturday morning at the end of Festival week and that Kerins smile will have broadened further by the afternoon as the glitter from the Gloucestershire racecourse drifted over the Irish Sea to Dublin, the rugby team securing a Six Nations 32-18 thrashing of England.

“Going into the meeting we were hopeful as we knew we had some really nice graduates due to run, but it was an extraordinary week, we couldn’t have foreseen so many winners and Derby Sale graduates as well – that is what we really want, Derby Sale Grade 1 winners,” says Kerins, who joined Tattersalls Ireland in 2000 as a marketing manager after working for Goffs for five years.

“Of course, it gives a huge degree of satisfaction and pride when you see your countrymen do so well, and there was success for a lovely spread of trainers and owners and jockeys. The likes of Monkfish was hugely satisfying, Appreciate It, Black Tears as well,” he smiles, adding: “I remember Black Tears being bought, and saw her as a store with Michael and Ciara Carty who live nearby. I know the owners Aiden and Karen Walsh. They are nice people and will always buy a filly or two at the Derby Sale, and she didn’t cost a huge amount.”

HOWEVER, putting his national loyalties to one side, and replacing sentiment with his industry hat, Kerins, who must have wondered at times over the last six months if he really wanted the job at the top through this difficult and continued COVID-influenced year, goes on to warn that the Irish domination is not exactly the ideal scenario.

“Personally, I would have liked to have seen a few more British-trained horses successful, I think it is much healthier for the business.

“Historically, our business has always been dependent on English buyers and, while the pendulum has swung at the top end, and this has been the case for a number of years now, I just think for our business I want competitive British trainers or owners, I really do, it is critical, it always has been. If I am being perfectly honest, looking at the business at large, I would rather the results had been more half and half.”

The nature of the bloodstock business means that those involved pick up on trends before those at the sporting end of the industry even have an inkling as to what is going on at the shop-front. To an extent, this year’s Cheltenham success achieved by the Irish trainers was not such a surprise to Kerins and the Tattersalls Ireland team.

“Over the last number of years I have seen that the buying power is with the Irish trainers or those agents working on behalf of Irish trainers, generally the top horses are being bought for the trainers in Ireland,” he says. “The clients might be UK owners, but they want their horses trained in Ireland.”

Kerins is ever the optimistic and believes that the arc will swing again. While the reasons for this year’s Irish Cheltenham dominance are many and varied, he does believe that the UK prize-money discrepancy is key.

“I think English racing is the best in the world; it is the most varied, it is so competitive, left-handed tracks, right-handed tracks, different racecourses, British racing is amazing and the most prestigious in the world.

“But prize-money is a concern, a real concern; I speak to people who are now in their 30s and they recall that, when perhaps their fathers were riding, prize-money was better; it is scary.”

The biggest issue concerning Irish racing and NH bloodstock at the moment is the continued COVID-caused cessation of pointto-point racing.

“Looking at Cheltenham with so many winners hailing from the Irish point-to-point sector – it is so integral to the business,” argues Kerins, who has been lobbying government, frequently liaising with Brian Kavanagh of HRI and has been in touch with a number of government ministers as well for resumption plans.

“It is difficult because you can lobby away, but government will make the decisions and be guided by the public health advice. The hope is that things will open up in April.”

He explains further: “You can call pointto-pointing a sport, but the reality is it is an industry. And, of course, it feeds all the way down – the demand for stores is increased when the point-to-pointers are doing well, it feeds into the foal market, as well as to those who are breeding and making nomination decisions. The trickle-down effect is just huge. It feeds into all the sales we have at Cheltenham as well – you just have to look at the results from The Festival to see how key it has become.”

Kerins agrees that the “emergency” oncourse point-to-point bumpers have helped provide a shop window for the point-to-point consignors and are something of an immediate solution but as he says “in an ideal world these horses would be running over fences.”

“Personally, I think it makes absolute sense for point-to-point to restart,” he argues. “It is outdoor, and racing is continuing and is being run under strict professional protocols and, point-to-pointing, as proved in the autumn, would be too.”

Let’s hope that some from Dail Eireann found time to watch Cheltenham, enjoy the success achieved by the nation’s point-topoint community and there will be push for a resumption of the “sporting industry”. Maybe by the time you are reading this there will even be some plans in place.

Latest Tattersalls Ireland sale dates and plans

“We have moved the May Sale back to July 14. It is a sales that is so dependent on the point-to-point buyers from Ireland and the UK, it is a stand-alone sale, just one day – we just felt it was going to be difficult to go ahead in May with point-to-pointing still yet to resume and that there was no point really in trying to hold the sale in early May.

“We did look at a date in early June, but after consultation with vendors there was a strong preference to move the sale to July in order that the store horse season starts with the strongest store sales, the Goffs Land Rover and our Derby Sale.

“All the vendors wanted a little bit of clarity and by moving it back to July at least we have clarity, and they can focus on the other sales.

“The Derby Sale, at the moment, will happen as scheduled June 23-24. I am quietly confident that it will go ahead on those dates, but I have to be a realist as well as the landscape can change day to day.

“The Goresbridge Breeze-Up is planned for May 21. We have again consulted with clients and, if we don’t get an easing of restrictions and people can’t travel freely into Ireland, there is a contingency plan of moving to Park Paddocks, but our priority is to have the breeze-up in Ireland.”

“It is extremely disappointing to have been informed by the Department of Agriculture that we are not permitted to hold the rescheduled February NH Sale.

“We explored every avenue to hold the sale and to offer vendors the chance to sell their stock, but unfortunately it is not possible to hold a physical sale while the country remains in Level 5 lockdown

“I don’t think we’d have had the sale as an online version only; I like the idea of it as a concept, but for NH weanlings the buyers like to see them in the flesh. I think for NH weanlings an online only sale would be a step too far.”