WIDE Receiver put himself in the limelight as the joint second highest-priced point-to-pointer sold at public auction when selling to Tom Malone for £410,000 on Thursday. The four-year-old son of Sholokhov showed an impressive turn of foot when running out an eight-length winner on his debut at Cragmore. He was sold by handler Cormac Farrell’s Leamore Horses and will now join Gordon Elliott. Co Wexford-based Farrell owned the gelding with Edgar Allen.

Out of a winning half-sister to a pair of blacktype winners over jumps in France, Wide Receiver was purchased for just €25,000 at the Derby Sale last June. He was the sole purchase by Malone at the sale.

Two lots earlier the bar was set by the sale of Ferny Hollow for £300,000. The Colin Bowe-trained four-year-old by Westerner was a 15-length winner on his only start at Knockanard when jumping fluently throughout. He was the second major purchase on the day by the team of Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins who were underbidders on the sale topper. An hour earlier they gave £200,000 for Deploy The Getaway, an even more visually impressive 20-length winner of the four-year-old maiden at Tallow for Donnchadh Doyle.

Both Ferny Hollow and Deploy The Getaway come from families with strong Cheltenham Festival connections. Ferny Hollow’s third dam High Board produced two winners of the Champion Hurdle in the brothers Morley Street and Granville Again, both bred by Marshall Parkhill. His son Ken was responsible for Ferny Hollow who cost JJ Bowe €38,000 at the Derby Sale in June.

Deploy The Getaway shares the same third dam as the Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Special Tiara. He was under the hammer for the third time with the Tattersalls group, realising €11,000 as a foal when sold by Morganstown Stud to Stow Stud, and €25,000 at last year’s Derby Sale when bought by Monbeg Stables.

HIGH PRICES

The £200,000 price mark was reached a second time at the sale by the French-bred Fado Des Brosses, the 15-length winner of a five-runner, four-year-old maiden at Belharbour on his debut. He was consigned by Pat Doyle’s Suirview Stables, who bought him at Goffs last June for €45,000 from Sluggara Farm, and sold to Evan Williams.

The Warren Ewing consigned Golden Lariat four-year-old Bold Assassin was beaten a short head at Oldtown on his only start and sold for £150,000 to Henry de Bromhead. The pair that day finished eight lengths clear of the rest. Bold Assassin is from a family littered with Grade 1 winning jumpers, including Commander Of Fleet, Foxrock, One Knight and Death Duty.

De Bromhead bought the next lot into the ring, another point-to-pointer beaten a short head on his only start. Ain’t That A Shame is a five-year-old son of Jeremy and he was sold by the Hyde’s Camas Park Stud for £110,000. He is out of an unraced half-sister to the Grade 2 winning hurdler and chaser Bellator.

Last Sunday at Bangor-On-Dee the four-year-old French-bred Maresca Sorrento gelding Garry Clermont made an eye-catching debut to land an open maiden point-to-point in facile fashion. Bought in June 2018 at the Goffs Land Rover Sale for just €24,000, he sold this time for £150,000.

He was trained by Francesca Nimmo, who owned him in partnership with Charlie Poste and another, and the gelding now joins Jonjo O’Neill. Matt Coleman of Stroud Coleman Bloodstock signed the docket.

Goaheadwiththeplan was making a race of it with Fado Des Brosses at Belharbour when he came to grief at the last on his recent debut. Sold after the winner made £200,000, Goaheadwiththeplan was snapped up by agent Mags O’Toole and trainer Noel Meade for £140,000. The €45,000 Goffs purchase last June was handled until now by Colin Bowe.

Winning on the same card as Wide Receiver was the five-year-old Gold Well gelding Oftheshoulder. He was trained by Sean Doyle whose Monbeg Stables paid €30,000 to secure him at last year’s Derby Sale, and will now join Grand National winning trainer Lucinda Russell after she paid £110,000 to see off all opposition.

SIX-FIGURES

A total of 10 horses from the 25 sold made a six-figure sum and realising £100,000 was the Peter Fahey-trained Gold Des Bois.

A five-year-old French-bred son of Full Of Gold, he looked all over a winner on his debut in January but fell at the last. He rebounded quickly to win at the second time of asking at Kirkistown and gave winning rider Jamie Codd no worries on this occasion. He will now head to Jessica Harrington’s yard after her daughter Katie won the bidding war to secure him.

At the conclusion of the sale, director of horses in training sales Richard Pugh commented; “It is a true testament to this sale that for the second year running it sells the joint second highest-priced point-to-pointer on record. But these results don’t come without the success on the track which has been evident by recent graduates.

Just 12 months previous, the current Cheltenham Champion Bumper favourite Envoi Allen was purchased at this sale. We look forward to returning here in three weeks when we host the Cheltenham Festival Sale.”