The economic soothsayers, who have been loudly proclaiming the fall of the sky, would probably do well to steer clear of the Goffs Sales complex this week. If the country is, indeed, facing imminent penury then someone forgot to tell those attending Ireland's premier yearling sale yesterday.
Instead the first of three days of the Million Sale kicked off with an exhibition of raucous financial health that looked spectacular to any onlooker peering in and was commonly described as "solid" by those professionals at the centre of it all.
In fact far from contemplating a doom-laden future, there appeared to be nothing but total confidence that any return to the grim economic days of the 1980's is just the wet-dream of the terminally negative.
"All this doom and gloom, it's a load of bull. Good horses are still making good money and they always will," declared the leading bloodstock Bobby O'Ryan. "Some people seem to love talking things down. It's rubbish."
It remains an irony that the most expensive yearling ever sold in this country came in the hair-shirt year of 1984 when Authaal cost a massive £3.1 million and although there was no headline grabbing record merchant to compare to last year's €2 million top price, there was a consistency to the business that had the Goffs executives purring.
That purr has been gathering volume in the last couple of years as the Million concept, whereby two of the horses sold at the sale become instant millionaires in a couple of races run at the Curragh a year later, has been a massive business success.
From the dark days of 2004 when turnover reached a "mere" €32 million, it jumped to €55 million in 2005 and then to €63 million last year. This time a predicted €70 million could be forked out during the three-day Million sale and the lesser two-day Sportsman sale on Thursday and Friday.
In fact if it wasn't for the a disappointing crowd of only seven thousand people attending the Million day races a couple of week previously, everything in the Goffs picture would be rosy.
However, the apparent public indifference to what was Europe's richest ever race day only reinforces in many minds the rarefied atmosphere that prevails at a sale like this.
A pair of stand outs yesterday fell to John Magnier's Coolmore syndicate which forked out €650,000 for the Montjeu colt sent up by Denis Brosnan's Croom House Stud in Limerick and then paid the same for a son of another Coolmore sire, Galileo.
"He's a typical Montjeu with a very good pedigree," said Coolmore's Demi O'Byrne who had the final nod on the first sale-topper.
Jim Bolger's was also in pursuit of a Galileo horse and he paid €435,000 for another product of the sire who has already sired the champion two-year-olds, Teofilo and New Approach.
"He's a nice prospect and to use a cliché he ticks all the boxes," said Bolger of the colt who also came from Croom House.
Demi O'Byrne went to €420,000 for a Sadler's Wells colt that he described as being "cheap" because apparently his veteran sire remains the best.
Lot 60, a filly by Key Of Luck, made €60,000 with the purchaser reported as being racing's best known priest, Father Seán Breen, the parish priest in Ballymore Eustace.
As divine tips for the future go, it's a hard one to argue with!
L117 - Croom House Stud (colt by Montjeu - Maskaya) DL O'Byrne: €650,000
L175 - Clare Castle (c by Galileo - Onereuse) DL O'Byrne €650,000
L187 - Castlemartin Stud (c by Montjeu - Park Crystal) DL O'Byrne €575,000
L98 - Croom House Stud (c by Galileo - Lunar Lustre) J S Bolger: €435,000
L66 - Ashtown House Stud (c by Sadler's Wells - Katiyfa) DL O'Byrne €420,000
L108 - Ballylinch Stud (filly by Montjeu - Majinskaya) Herbage Stud €320,000
L96 - Abbeville and Meadow Court Stud (c by Elusive Quality - Lucky Rainbow) Shadwell Estate €310,000
L154 - Glidawn Stud (f by Invincible Spirit - Nassma) BBA Ireland €300,000
L192 - Manister House Stud (c by Danehill Dancer-Pay The Bank) DL O'Byrne €280,000
L185 - Corduff Stud (c by Johannesburg- Paiute Princess) DL O'Byrne €275,000
