Coolmore boss John Magnier has lost a High Court case over the sale of the 750-acre Barne Estate in County Tipperary. High Court judge Mr Justice Max Barrett concluded that a sale had not taken place between Magnier and the owner of the Barne Estate, Richard Thomson-Moore.He commented, “I am satisfied that neither the alleged land-sale agreement nor the alleged option agreement were ever concluded. Nor do I see any breach of the exclusivity agreement to arise. It follows that all the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs will be and are respectfully refused.”The estate was put up for sale in July 2023. Magnier claimed that he and Thomson-Moore concluded a sale on the evening of August 22nd, 2023, and that the hand shake agreement was a binding commitment. However, Mr Justice Max Barrett said he is satisfied that no such sale had taken place.Magnier claimed he had secured a deal to buy the estate for €15 million. Thomson-Moore and his wife Anna deny that the deal was agreed, instead, saying the meeting at Magnier's home was equivalent to a sale agreed and was still subject to contract.Their legal team stated that such a claim was confirmed by the fact Magnier's team sought an exclusivity agreement lasting four weeks until the end of September which meant that the Thomson-Moores could not speak to any other bidder. After the exclusivity agreement lapsed, New York-based Maurice Regan came in with an offer of €22.5 million, which is 50 per cent above what Magnier had offered. The Thomson-Moores accepted that offer. It has been reported that the legal costs for this case are expected to run into millions of euros.The post Coolmore Boss John Magnier Loses High Court Case Over Sale Of Barne Estate appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.