Q: Tell us some of the nicest horses you have signed up for the Goffs Land Rover Sale?

Gerry Hogan: Tipperary and Cork are my main areas and one horse that stands out for me is Stone Hard. He was bred by Kenilworth House Stud in Tipperary and he made €215,000 at the sale in 2013. It was a very high price at that time for the Land Rover Sale and it gave vendors confidence that store horses could make that sort of money at Goffs. He was a decent racehorse too.

Neil Walsh: I cover the south-east. Last year was my first year sourcing horses for the Land Rover and I managed to get a couple of nice ones. They included the Shantou gelding from Peter Nolan who topped the sale at €230,000. I also signed up the second-highest priced lot, a Walk In The Park gelding from Dick Frisby’s Glenwood Stud who made €220,000. Another that stood out for me last year was Peter Nolan’s filly by Champs Elysees who made €150,000.

Kevin Ross: Blow By Blow was probably the best racehorse I have found for the Land Rover Sale. He was sold for €130,000 and won the Grade 1 bumper at the Punchestown Festival in 2016, and the Martin Pipe Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival two years later. More recently there was Getaway Trump who came to the Land Rover from Ian Buchanan in the north, where I’m based. He has already won seven races and been Grade 1 placed.

Peter Molony: I cover the west, Limerick, Clare, bits of Galway, though I’ve been known to stray into Cork when Gerry lets me! In terms of big prices, I got Hurricane Fly’s brother [Arturus] from Frank Motherway’s Yellowform Farm a few years ago and he made €230,000 at the Land Rover. I’d like to mention the late Kevin O’Brien, a breeder who sold a lot of good horses at the Land Rover through my own Rathmore Stud. We sold Tombstone for €100,000 and a few others from the same family for €185,000, €75,000 and €52,000. Kevin was a huge supporter.

Q: As agents for Goffs, do you just inspect the horses that have been entered for the sale, or do you visit the vendor first and make entries afterwards?

Gerry: Usually the vendors will have made their sale nominations online. The office team in Goffs send us the pedigrees and the location, and off we go to inspect them. If the physical is good and the pedigree is up to scratch we take the horse. That’s the way it works.

Neil: Some people will have a clear idea where they would like their horses to go. You look at the horse and you might suggest a different path. Some people might only have the odd horse and they are looking for your guidance on how to maximise that horse’s value. I’m always open-minded when I visit a vendor. I consciously don’t form an impression based on the pedigree alone – I want to see the horse. Sometimes I will remember the horse from the foal sales. If they meet the criteria for Part 1 of the Land Rover, that’s great.

Kevin: Even though the Land Rover Sale is not until June, I would start to receive enquiries from vendors as early as January. One of the main northern-based vendors is Kieran Shields. Kieran buys good quality foals, so he is one of my main targets for the Land Rover Sale.

Q: What do you like most about visiting breeders and consignors?

Peter: Meeting the clients, seeing their farms, having a cup of tea and a chat. You build up a relationship with the vendor and that follows through to the sale day. You check how they are getting on, help them get their horses through the veterinary checks, live the whole thing with them, really. And if they get on well there is nothing better. It’s a great thrill when one sells well.

Gerry: I love those times you come across a horse that looks special – that gives you a lift. You meet some lovely people as well as finding some outstanding horses - that’s what the job is about.

Q: We’re used to seeing store horses being presented in top condition at the Land Rover Sale. Is it much harder to assess them at home?

Neil: It has progressed massively, in line with the emergence of the four-year-old point-to-point market. Nowadays most vendors know they have to have these horses ready to go and compete, ready to take training as four-year-olds. It’s not unusual for them to have done a fair bit of work before they are brought to the sales. I can’t think of any yard now where horses have not been handled when I visit them. Not just handled either, they can walk, trot and give a show with bridles on them. It’s much more professional than it used to be.

Q: What were inspections like during Covid?

Peter: I didn’t have any problems. The biggest hindrance was the Garda checkpoints. We all had a letter from Goffs explaining what we were doing. I had a couple of interesting chats with bored guards, asking me what I was looking for in a horse and how much were they worth.

Gerry: It was the same with me. A guard was operating a checkpoint in Fermoy and I must have passed her three times one day. She starts questioning me all about the Land Rover Sale, and there’s a queue of cars behind me.

Q: Tell us about some of the horses you have bought, as agents, at the Land Rover Sale.

Kevin: It’s been an extremely lucky sale for us. The Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander is a Land Rover Sale graduate. The Storyteller is another Grade 1 winner and Cheltenham Festival winner we bought at Goffs. Throw in God’s Own, a dual Grade 1 winner, and Noble Endeavor, a Paddy Power Chase winner who was beaten in a photo-finish at Cheltenham.

Gerry: Paisley Park has to be my star purchase to-date. He cost €60,000, so it proves you can also buy a top-class horse for a middle-market price at the Land Rover Sale. I signed for another Cheltenham Festival in Tully East from Mick Cullen. The Land Rover is a right sale for winners. As well as so many Cheltenham winners, the King George winner Tornado Flyer is a Land Rover horse.

Peter: I bought Honeysuckle for Kenny Alexander at the Goffs Punchestown Sale. But at the Land Rover I tend to be on the other side of the fence, selling under the Rathmore Stud banner. I just love selling there and it’s been a very lucky place for us. In recent years we sold Sir Gerhard (€72,000), Tombstone (€100,000) and O O Seven (€130,000).

Q: What advice would you give to a first-time owner going to the Land Rover?

Neil: You could pick a trainer you want to use and ask them to go with you. Or you could ask our own Gerry Hogan or Kevin Ross. They seem to good at picking winners! See as many horses as you can. Stay in your comfort zone but buy the best horse you can afford. Don’t panic and enjoy it!

Peter: Yes, find a good agent, like Gerry or Kevin, or a trainer that you would like to send a horse to. Goffs is a wonderful sales complex to work. International buyers tell me it’s the easiest in the world to get around. And the atmosphere at the Land Rover Sale is the best there is.?