TALKING HORSES THE MONTH of June saw our two leading bloodstock sales companies offer a selection of unbroken and untried store horses for sale.

With the Goffs Landrover and Tattersalls Derby sales being the flagships of the National Hunt industry, many were anxious to see just how well the market would recover, if at all. With two very well-selected catalogues and a considerable amount of effort put into marketing the sales, figures showed a positive trade at both sales.

Now just how much all of that was 'real' and not manufactured will as always be difficult to decipher but the market seems to have stabilised. Thoughts will now turn to foal registrations and their sale in November and December so, as they say, these results were good, but one swallow never made a summer so we should all wait and see....

REVIEW OF THE WEEK

With the world and his wife planning for Galway, the flat racing season continues to progress with a couple of notable winners to record.

Jim Bolger may not have been at the business end of the Irish Derby but he did manage to win a derby of sorts when 'Spelterini' took the Derrinstown Stud Apprentice Derby at The Curragh on June 25 under Martin Harley. This three-year-old 'Chevalier' colt came from the rear of the 18-runner field to lead 100 yards from the line and win. Racing in the colours of the winning trainer's wife, Jackie, this horse, bred by Harry Dobson, might just progress into something better over the summer.

Bolger also sent out ' Via Archimede', an Americanbred son of ' Hussonet', to win a mile and a half handicap at Leopardstown on July 1 under Ronan Whelan at 12/1 in the same colours.

With Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle yard springing into form, he introduced a couple of nice two-year-old winners at The Curragh on June 26th. 'Wild Wind', a daughter of 'Danehill Dancer', justified 7/4 favouritism under Johnny Murtagh to win over seven furlongs by a short head.

On the same card, 'Roderic O'Connor', a son of 'Galileo', upset his own better-fancied stable companion, ' Master of Hounds', to take his maiden under Seamus Heffernan at 12/1. Winning by a very comfortable two and a half lengths, it's not normal for one of the stable's lesser stars to cause such a surprise, so even in Ballydoyle, they don't always get it right!

The yard continued its good form in the Listed Celebration Stakes, with 'Emperor Claudius' winning under Murtagh at 2/1. This son of 'Giants Causeway' has progressed well this year and the mile trip of this race seemed to suit.

They also took another Black Type race at Leopardstown on July 1 when 'Zoffany', a son of 'Dansili', won the seven-furlong Golden Fleece Stakes under Seamus Heffernan at 7/4 on favourite.

IRISH FIELD MEMORY

The very first evening meeting to be held in Bettyville racecourse was remembered in a recent edition of the 'Irish Field', a weekly racing newspaper published every Saturday. Their Times Past column carried an interesting piece with the evening meeting being run on the first Monday of July at the track.

Winners on the evening, on an all national hunt card, included Kevin and Bert Kerr with a double as owner/trainers while Cecil Ronaldson also had a double as a trainer, while riding one of the winners himself. It just might be interesting to have more of this nostalgia and or historical pieces relating to the track in future racecards at the meetings or even in a display around the racecourse facilities.

APPRENTICE 2010

Young Wexford man, Jonathon Moore, a RACE 2010 graduate, is currently experiencing life as an apprentice jockey, having spent time with Philip Hobbs, Michael Grassick and Moses McCabe. Moore, from Adamstown, has picked up an invaluable amount of knowledge, particularly at McCabe's yard in Rathsilla, and is part of this year's 2010 crop.

Hoping to start life as a flat race jockey, Moore sees his future over jumps and is hopeful that he will be placed in Gordon Elliot's yard as a claiming professional this autumn, having spent his 2010 summer in Philip Hobbs' yard.

- With Dick White