GORDON Elliott's name was once again prominent on the list of buyers at Thursday's Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale.

The trainer latest big money acquisition is Jersey Des Brosses, runner-up in an Oldtown point-to-point last weekend for Colin Bowe. The four-year-old gelding by No Risk At All was sold by owner Walter Connors for £370,000 to Elliott.

Last month's Tattersalls Cheltenham sale-topper Wingmen was bought by Elliott for £250,000 and the trainer bought the top three lots at the December Sale for a total of £700,000. A month earlier Ellliott spent £330,000 on the mare Working Away at a Cheltenham sale.

Of Jersey Des Brosses, Elliott said: "He looked the standout horse in the sale and I’d say a summer’s grass is what he wants as he’s a horse with plenty of improvement in him. He’s one we’re looking forward to for next year. We’d seen him in Colin’s and liked him. We’ll have to get him home and get him sold now."

Jingko Blue, the horse who defeated Jersey Des Brosses last Sunday, was sold for £200,000 by Rob James to J.P. McGrath Bloodstock. The Great Pretender gelding was unsold at €48,000 at last year's Derby Sale.

Of the 40 horses sold on Thursday, 16 of them made six-figures. The first to do so was Mt Fugi Park, a five-year-old gelding by Walk In The Park sold by Donnchadh Doyle's Monbeg Stables. The horse made a winning points debut at Belharbour last weekend in a race previously won by the high-class Fact To File.

The bidding opened up at £100,000, rocketed up to £200,000, and concluded at £290,000 to a bid from Matt Coleman of Stroud Coleman Bloodstock with Jonjo O'Neill Racing.

Coleman said: "He came highly recommended by the Monbeg guys and you can see the stamp of horse he is. He’s a beautiful model and he seems to have a very good brain. He jumped and travelled away in his point-to-point and hit the line very strongly.

"He was actually quite green in his race, he pricked his ears going to the last. He’s what you’re trying to buy when you buy a National Hunt horse. He’s by one of the top stallions, is a great-looking horse and was well recommended.

"He’s the sort of horse we are trying to get at Jackdaws Castle and, hopefully, he’ll be successful. I’m not sure about an owner at the moment but I’ve bought him with Jonjo. He looks like a good horse so let’s hope he is.”

Bred by Vincent and Jimmy Lawler, Mt Fugi Park was bought by Park Farm as a foal at the 2018 Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale for €42,000 and later picked by by Monbeg for £65,000 at Goffs UK.

Walk In The Park

Three of the top five lots on Thursday were by Walk In The Park. They included Leader In The Park, a five-year-old gelding trained by Sean Doyle and winner of his maiden at Tallow. He was bought by Highflyer Bloodstock for £250,000 on behalf of trainer Ben Pauling.

Out of the unraced mare Supreme Leader mare Supreme Breda, Leader In The Park is a half-brother to Benefficient, a Grade 1 winner over hurdles and twice successful at the highest level over fences.

“He’s a horse I saw privately at around this time last year and the Doyles were very pleased with what he was doing then but he was a very backward horse," said Pauling. "He still looks a big shell of a horse but I particularly liked him that day and he did his job in his point-to-point. I know plenty of horses fell around him but he was going to win well anyway. We’ve had to go some to get him but he probably won’t be seen again this year. He’ll get a summer off and we’ll bring him back next year.”

English trainer Milton Harris paid £225,000 for Walks Like The Man, another Oldtown winner for Colin Bowe last weekend. By Walk In The Park, this five-year-old was bred and owned by James Grace and is closely related to Grade 1 Punchestown bumper winner Mick The Man.

Tom Cooper is set to train Butcher Hollow, a recent winner at Tallow for handler Benny Walsh and sold here for £200,000. After signing for the four-year-old son of Kingston Hill, bloodstock agent Hamish Macauley said: "He was very impressive in his point-to-point and we’d heard good things about him before he ran. We came here, saw him and liked him and he’s been bought for Tom and Bryan Cooper for a couple of their owners who’ve joined together to buy him. Hopefully one day he might be back here again."

Curling sales

Sam Curling's Skehanagh Stables sold a couple of big priced horses, including the highest priced mare sold on the day. That was Longhouse Legacy, a five-year-old by Walk In The Park who won at Belharbour earlier this month. She was bought by Derek O'Connor as a newly-turned yearling for £22,000 at Goffs UK and went through the ring at the Goffs Land Rover Sale for €45,000. She now joins Ben Brookhouse, son of owner Roger Brookhouse.

Curling also sold Lord Of Thunder for £165,000 for Peter and Ross Doyle on behalf of trainer Joe Tizzard. The five-year-old gelding by Getaway was second on his racing debut to the aforementioned Mt Fugi Park.

Bought at the 2021 Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale for €55,000 by Brendan Bashford, the horse was a previous November NH Sale foal graduate when sold to Castletown House for €20,000.

Fetching the same £165,000 price was Brechin Castle, a five-year-old by Shantou and also a winner on his sole start to date at Ballycrystal. He was sold by trainer Colin Bowe's Milestone Stables to Ben Brookhouse. Brechin Castle was a €52,000 pinhooked foal, bought by Kieran Shields.

With 40 of the 52 horses offered finding buyers, the clearance rate came in at 77%, which was down from 89% a year ago. But total receipts were up a massive 58% to £4.3 million and both the average price (£107,450) and the median (£77,500) were up 30%.

Matt Prior, Tattersalls head of sales, said: “To have six horses fetch over £200,000, 15 sell for over £100,000 and a record-breaking turnover is a fantastic result and shows the continuing desire by owners and trainers to buy the very best NH prospects at the Tattersalls Cheltenham sales."