The first four-year-old mares’ maiden of 2024 saw Affinisea add to his growing list of four-year-old maiden point-to-point winners, when his Settle Down Jill made the best possible start to her career.
Trained by Wexford handler Benny Walsh, and owned by his wife Jenny, they had picked up the bay for €8,000 at last year’s Tattersalls Ireland July sale, and that initial investment looks set to be well rewarded after she defeated Crescent Moon by a comfortable three lengths under Barry Stone.
“We were very hopeful coming here today. The ground is very heavy, but you can’t hold on to them forever,” the winning owner said.
“We are just delighted. She was in the Arkle Sale and I remember going down to see her but she was withdrawn.
“She came back then for the July Store Sale and we seemed to be the only ones for her and I couldn’t believe it because she is a beautiful mare.
“She’ll head to the sales now, that’s our game.”
Bred by Ballyreddin Stud and Kellsgrange Stud, Settle Down Jill is out of an unraced dam that is a half-sister to a number of multiple winners in Nietzsche and Palapa, and she has already bred the ten-time track winner Vale, in addition to Soloman Lane, a winner over fences at Punchestown last year.
The Lisronagh contest was a particularly good result for Affinisea as he was also the sire of the third, Funny Hunny, and it was also a third four-year-old maiden win of the campaign for the Whytemount Stud resident.
It follows similar wins in the age group for Rossbridge at Ballycrystal in October and the win of First Confession at Moig South a month later.
The former has already progressed into a winner on the track when he made a winning hurdling debut at Ludlow in early February for new trainer Donald McCain.
First Confession proved to be a big hit in the sales ring when sold for £140,000 at the Goffs UK Coral Gold Cup sale, having been bought by his trainer John Flavin for €18,000.
This latest four-year-old maiden success brings to 11 his winners in the age division in the past two years, with Brook Bay topping the sales chart when he was sold for £380,000 after his four-year-old maiden victory in Lingstown for Donnchadh Doyle.
Those victories follow the initial point-to-point victory for fellow Whytemount Stud resident Manatee, which had come courtesy of Declan Queally’s Manatee Du Brizais in January.
