Terence O’Brien boasts a strong hand in the €75,000 Connolly’s RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series Final, which forms part of a high quality programme on Wednesday at the Punchestown Festival.

The East Cork trainer has been a supporter of the series since its inception in the 2018/19 season and Answer To Kayf is one of 22 horses that could line up next week.

In all, closing in on 700 individual horses have run in the series since that inaugural campaign and this year’s prize fund of €395,000 brings the tally of prize money for six years of the Connolly’s RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series to €2.24m.

67 individual trainers ran horses in the series this season, with the €16,418 average sale price of each individual horse running this year indicative of the opportunity that is being provided to trainers and owners.

Further evidence of how effective the series is, is that the average sale price of each winner in the series this term comes to just €19,342. With €12,000 going to the winners of the qualifying races, this programme offers an opportunity to cover the costs of purchase fairly quickly.

Indeed in the case of Purse Price, victorious for owners Pioneer Racing in a Thurles qualifier in January, connections are really in the pink as the Gordon Elliott-trained charge has earned prize money in four qualifiers, accumulating €19,000 having been acquired for just €4,130 at the Goffs UK Summer Sale in 2020.

Aeros Luck (owned by Damien Dillon and trained by Gavin Cromwell), Ivy Hall (owned and trained by John Ryan), My Gaffer (Envirogreen Housing Services Ltd/John Ryan), On Lovers Walk (Lucy Kelleher/Gerard Kelleher) and Wednesday’s Bellewstown winner Theflyingbee (Karen Hand/Finbarr Hand) are others that are in profit from their runs in this series alone.

This is why O’Brien is such a fan. The series was designed to create opportunities for horses bought for €45,000/€30,000 or less at store sales in Ireland and the UK, thereby giving owners and trainers an opportunity to claim some of the €395,000 in prize money on offer throughout the year leading up to Wednesday’s final.

To enter the €75,000 final at the Punchestown Festival, EBF eligible horses must have run in one of the 16 qualifiers and have not won a graded or listed race.

O’Brien bought Answer To Kayf for €35,000 at Tattersalls Ireland’s Derby Sale in 2019. The gelding has been a revelation for owners Denis and Ann O’Connor, only finishing out of the first four once.

He didn’t run until finishing second in a point-to-point in the November of his six-year-old season but improved in leaps and bounds last year.

After finishing third in a Grade 2 contest over nearly three miles in Limerick, he beat subsequent Grade 2 winner Captain Cody in the Connolly’s RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction Novice Hurdle at Naas on over 2m3f at Naas in February.

This was followed by a fourth-placed effort in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, illustrating once more the calibre of individual that can qualify for this series and that is available at public auctions.

“Compared to last year, he’s a different looking horse altogether,” says O’Brien. “Being realistic, we thought first three in Naas would be a good run.

“There’s great prize money for the final of the Connolly’s RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction Hurdle series. That is the main aim and has always been the main aim. Denis and Ann are really enjoying it and getting a great kick out of it. And it keeps the dream alive for everybody.

“We’ve won a few of the races before and were placed a good few times. It’s a brilliant series for the small trainer. Having a horse that can compete in high profile meetings is what you dream about.”

The Paul Nolan-trained Release The Beast, Edward O’Grady’s Any Road and Break The Boundary from the in-form Philip Rothwell stable among the other contenders.

Theatre Native is an interesting possibility for Henry de Bromhead, while Blizzard Of Oz, who finished in fifth behind Answer To Kayf at Naas but won a Leopardstown qualifier subsequently, could represent Willie Mullins.

Nessa Joyce, Irish EBF Manager, said: “Now in its sixth season, the Connolly’s RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction Series has gone from strength to strength, thanks to the support of the many trainers and owners who make it a key target each year. The concept is simple, give valuable opportunities to EBF eligible store bought horses and to date over 600 horses have targeted the series and taken home some of the €2,240,000 of prize money on offer since 2018.

“This year’s final at the Punchestown Festival boasts 22 entries including 11 series winners and promises to be a competitive race for the €75,000 pot.

“The Irish EBF board would like to thank all the connections for supporting the series and special thanks goes to our sponsorship partners Connolly’s RED MILLS for their continuing generous backing.”

Gareth Connolly, CEO Connolly’s RED MILLS, added: “In its sixth year, our partnership with the Irish EBF Auction series stands as a testament to our commitment to supporting the heart of the industry. Designed to elevate opportunities for horses in the middle market, this collaboration embodies our ethos of investing back into the industry that supports our business 24/7.

"We take immense pride in its success and the invaluable impact it continues to make. Furthermore, the culmination of the series at the Punchestown Festival, with a €75,000 final, adds an extra layer of excitement and prestige, showcasing the best of what this series has to offer.”