€165,000 Walk In The Park joins Mullins

A €165,000 son of Walk In The Park (pictured) topped the 2016 Goffs Land Rover Sale on Wednesday when knocked down to Harold Kirk, bidding on behalf of trainer Willie Mullins. A imposing French-bred grandson of the high-class chasing mare Valdance, he caught the eye of many at Goffs including agent Aiden Murphy, who finished as underbidder to Kirk. The three-year-old, out of Autorite (by Roakarad), will join a yard that houses a couple of stars by Walk In The Park - the most exciting young chaser in training, Douvan (6g Walk In The Park-Star Face, by Saint Des Saints), and G1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle runner-up Min (5g Walk In The Park-Phemyka, by Saint Estephe). “The sire has been lucky for us and we have a few more nice ones coming along,” said Kirk. “He is a sire who upgrades his mares and his stock just have a natural ability to run.” Kirk and Mullins also teamed up to buy the only other Walk In The Park catalogued, a three-year-old gelding out of the Carnegie mare Learning Game. It was a great sale for Coolmore NH sires and Flemensfirth had his third six-figure lot (following two on Tuesday) at the event when a three-year-old out of Albertas Run’s half-sister Alleygrove Lass (by Alderbrook) realised €110,000. The gelding was knocked down to Mouse Morris and signed for in the name of owners Ann and Alan Potts. “I liked him. I thought he was a very nice horse by a very good sire and it’s a strong National Hunt family. I have his four-year-old half-brother,” said Morris.