Image © Healy Racing
Emmet Mullins’ Its On The Line, a remarkable £8,000 purchase from ThoroughBid’s 2022 March Sale, has added the Randox Foxhunters' Open Hunters' Chase to his eight other wins since being purchased through racing’s online auction house.
Emmet Mullins’ Its On The Line, a remarkable £8,000 purchase from ThoroughBid’s 2022 March Sale, has added the Randox Foxhunters' Open Hunters' Chase to his eight other wins since being purchased through racing’s online auction house.
Consigned by James Doyle’s Baltimore Stables operation, Mullins paid just £8,000 for the son of Presenting and admits he didn’t envisage scoring at the highest level of hunter-chasing:
“I didn’t think the £8,000 we paid for him on ThoroughBid would turn out to be such a bargain. He was bought to win a maiden for five-year-old geldings, so he’s more than repaid us!”, said Mullins.
“He’s got a lot of ability and thankfully we’ve got Derek [O’Connor] on board who gets everything out of him. We were actually thankful to have the loose horses join us today, as it meant he got a bit of company, and he’s seen it out well in the end. He’s not a natural leader by any stretch. He likes to suss things out, get into a rhythm and take his own time. I’d say he’s certainly well-named, that’s for sure!”
As only a seven-year-old, Its On The Line looks to have plenty of racing ahead of him, and Mullins confirmed that a defence of his Champion Hunters Chase crown at Punchestown is on his agenda:
“We were only looking at Aintree speculatively, with the hope that we might get soft ground to bring his stamina into play, and that just swayed us in the end. He clearly takes his races very well and has a great constitution.
“I’d say he’ll stay hunter-chasing. It’s great being able to come to these big meetings with a big chance in these sorts of races, so fingers crossed he can keep doing the business. He’ll definitely have an entry for Punchestown and we’ll see how he is when we get home.”
CEO of ThoroughBid, James Richardson, said: “Its On The Line has proved to be an incredibly shrewd buy for Emmet Mullins. He exchanged hands for £8,000 in our March Sale back in 2022 and has since won nine races, including at Punchestown and Aintree - it’s remarkable!
“Having winners on the big days is really important as we continue to grow our presence, so we’re delighted to add a Grand National Festival winner to our list of successful ThoroughBid graduates.”
ThoroughBid’s next sale is on Tuesday 30th April. Entries are open until Thursday 18th April, and consigners are only required to pay for entry if their horse sells.
For more information, visit: https://thoroughbid.co.uk/home
