THURSDAY was a memorable day for Gordon Elliott’s travelling head groom Camilla Sharples, even before she sold Andy Dufresne for £330,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Festival Sale.
She was given a best turned out prize of £200 for Shattered Love, winner of the opener that day at the Festival, and what an omen it proved to be.
As darkness fell on Cheltenham a large and enthusiastic buying bench gathered in the parade ring to try and source future winners at the great racing festival.
The appearance of the four-year-old Doyen gelding Andy Dufresne as Lot 10 provided a real highlight, the gelding having been sent out to win a point-to-point at Borris House on his debut just six days earlier under Jamie Codd.
Glowing reports from Jamie ensured that there were lots of interested parties and the hammer finally fell in favour of Frank Berry. However, the buyer was recorded as Gordon Elliott who it is understood was especially keen that the gelding would remain in his stable. Andy Dufresne had twice traded as a youngster at Tattersalls Ireland, sold by breeder Gill Browne to Richard Rohan for €10,000 as a foal and resold to Derek Pugh as a yearling for €8,000.
Three lots later that top price of £330,000 was matched and once again the purchase, made by Mags O’Toole, will join Gordon Elliott.
A day after Andy Dufresne won on his debut, Feel My Pulse made a winning debut in a five-runner maiden at Lismore, coming home some 15 lengths clear of the rest. The four-year-old son of Stowaway was bought as a store at last year’s Derby Sale for €60,000 and rewarded Donnchadh Doyle’s judgement handsomely.
Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins also took home a Donnchadh Doyle graduate, paying £230,000 for The Big Getaway, another winner of a five-runner maiden, this time at Horse and Jockey on Sunday. The four-year-old son of Getaway won by a distance and Kirk had to fend off a determined challenge from Tom Malone for the €28,000 Derby Sale purchase.
Yet another Derby Sale purchase by Doyle was Brewers Project, a four-year-old from the first crop of Aizavoski. He won at Ballyarthur on Sunday and netted a fine return on his €38,000 investment when selling to Tom Malone and Paul Nicholls for £185,000.
Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins combined to secure two other feature lots on the night. Denis Murphy sold the four-year-old Presenting gelding Ontheropes for £240,000, a nice reward for his €38,000 purchase at the Land Rover Sale last June.
The gelding was beaten a head on his only run in mid-February in Punchestown. The duo also acquired the French-bred Elite Charboniere for £155,000. The four-year-old son of Gris De Gris won over 13 furlongs at Seiches-Sur-Le-Loire on his second start last month.
STRUCK GOLD
In addition to selling Ontheropes, Denis Murphy struck gold with The Captains Inn, a four-year-old son of Flemensfirth. The gelding was runner-up last weekend to Thatsy (who was unsold on the night at £145,000) but The Captains Inn saw his value soar to £220,000 when Matt Coleman of Stroud Coleman Bloodstock saw off Tom Malone and Paul Nicholls for the bay.
The sale of Interconnected for £220,000 represented a record price for a British point-to-pointer. The four-year-old son of Network was bought for €37,000 as a foal by Tom Lacey and he made amends for a fall on his debut to win a three-mile open maiden point-to-point at Larkhill last month by 20 lengths. Anthony Bromley of Highflyer Bloodstock revealed that the gelding will join Nicky Henderson to race for Mike Grech and Stuart Parkin, owners of Mr Whipped.
A half-sister to Mr Whipped sold for £185,000, the best price for a filly. Tippingituptonancy is a daughter of Stowaway and she was sold by Sam Curling, the vendor of Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Summerville Boy, to trainer Tim Vaughan on behalf of Select Racing.
MARTIN’S LATE PLAY
Tony Martin made a late play for Umbrigado, a four-year-old son of Stowaway offered by Aidan Fitzgerald, but it was not enough to thwart Tom Malone who signed for him at £160,000 for David Pipe.
The gelding was runner-up at Ballyarthur on Sunday. Fitzgerald gave €37,000 for the gelding at last year’s Derby Sale.
At the conclusion of the sale, Richard Pugh, director of horses in training sales at Tattersalls Ireland commented: “We arrived at the Cheltenham Festival confident that we had compiled a strong catalogue and today’s result cemented that confidence.
Yet again, Cheltenham as a sales venue continues to offer both vendors and purchasers the ultimate platform in buying and selling the very best form horses.”
The sale recorded increases in turnover (6%), average (11%) and median (23%) and all but four of the 24 lots offered sold, a clearance rate of 83%.