THE final bloodstock sale of 2017 was held by Tattersalls Ireland after racing at Cheltenham last Friday, and some excellent prices saw it post impressive increases. Colin Bowe’s Milestream Stables dominated the evening, selling three lots for £800,000 and half of this was contributed by the sale-topper.

There was much anticipation ahead of the appearance of Trevelyn’s Corn in the ring, the four-year-old son of Oscar having run out an impressive seven-length winner of his debut at Borris the previous Sunday.

Sold as a foal at Goffs for €14,000 to Richard Frisby, he was resold for profit to Bowe at last year’s Derby Sale for €45,000. This time around his value soared to £400,000 when J.P. McManus and Tom Malone took each other on for the gelding, the latter winning the day on behalf of Paul Nicholls.

You have to go back a number of generations in the family to find any winner of note, the gelding’s fourth dam having produced the ill-fated Ericsson Chase winner Johnny Setaside, but any lightness in pedigree was forgiven thanks to the nature of Trevelyn’s Corn’s victory. Malone revealed that the gelding came highly recommended by Bowe who owned the gelding in partnership with his cousin JJ.

The weekend prior to Trevelyn’s Corn’s win at Borris, Bowe sent Straight Red out to land a 14-runner maiden at Mainstown on his debut, and once again the buyers were taken with the style of his victory. Bowe takes a half share in all of the horses in his yard and this one he shared with Jim O’Neill, brother of champion rider Barry.

On the day of his victory Bowe could not conceal his admiration for the gelding and this translated into the €50,000 Goffs Land Rover Sale purchase becoming a £300,000 purchase by J.P. McManus and Jonjo O’Neill, the under-bidders on the night’s top lot.

A half-brother to five-time winner Wintered Well, this four-year-old son of Westerner’s grandam was the champion two-year-old filly in Spain. However, she bred the useful hurdler Bow Strada and was a half-sister to the dual William Hill Hurdle winner Overstrand.

Completing the nap hand for Colin Bowe was another four-year-old son of Oscar, named Blackjack Kennedy. He needed a second run to land his maiden by three lengths at Knockinroe and he is out of the smart Good Thyne mare My Name’s Not Bin who won a couple of times over hurdles and was placed in a listed hurdle at Fairyhouse. He was another purchase for Tom Malone, at £100,000, and was one of five lots signed for by the agent on the night.

An audacious opening bid by Anthony Bromley of Highflyer Bloodstock was successful for the Getaway four-year-old Downtown Getaway, a Fairyhouse bumper winner for Mag Mullins on his debut at the start of the month. It was a huge success for the trainer who also owned and bred the gelding in partnership with Peter Magnier. He now heads to Nicky Henderson’s yard.

A half-brother to Timeforwest, a three-time hurdle winner in 2017, Downtown Getaway is out of a half-sister to the Ascot Hurdle winner Chomba Womba who was trained initially by Mullins before her transfer to Nicky Henderson and for whom she won three Grade 2 hurdle races.

Chomba Womba is sure to be one of the stars at the upcoming Trull House Stud dispersal at the Goffs UK January Sale.

BEST HORSE

Described by David Christie as the best horse he has had after running out an eight-length winner on his debut at Kirkistown, Sometime Soon repaid the €26,000 investment made in him at the Derby Sale last year when selling to Mags O’Toole for £225,000. He will now join the powerful stable of Gordon Elliott. The son of leading sire Shantou is a full-brother to four winners on the racecourse and will surely join them soon in achieving that feat.

Another significant purchase by Tom Malone was the five-year-old Mahler gelding Chris’s Dream. Winner of a point-to-point at Boulta a year ago, he went on to show progressive form on the racecourse and won a maiden hurdle at Limerick on the first day of December this year for trainer Eugene O’Sullivan. The trainer picked him up for a bargain €17,000 at the Goffs Land Rover Sale two years ago and his patience paid off when the gelding sold this time for £175,000. The gelding won on the track following a hobday operation and he is a half-brother to the leading American hurdler Scorpiancer.

The rising star Getaway had three lots sell for a six-figure sum. One of these was Press Conference who followed up the promise of a third-place finish at Quakerstown back in the spring with a victory at Boulta the weekend before the sale for Cork handler John Murphy.

Bred by the owner and handler at his Highfort Stud, this half-brother to Grade 2-winning hurdler Lambro will now race from Jessica Harrigton’s Commonstown Stables following his sale. Kate Harrington signed for him at £160,000.

Denis Murphy’s Ballyboy Stables sold two high-priced lots, one of these being yet another son of Getaway. Captain Drake has yet to win, finishing second at Lingstown on his only start to date, but this did not diminish interest in him and Harry Fry had the final say to acquire him for £115,000, well ahead of his €36,000 purchase at the Goffs Land Rover Sale. Murphy’s other entry did even better.

A €24,000 buy at the same sale in Goffs, Beyondthestorm beat 12 opponents on his debut at Moira recently and will now become a member of the Nicky Henderson team after he sold for £150,000 to Highflyer Bloodstock’s Anthony Bromley. He is a four-year-old son of Flemensfirth.

No one knows French racing form better than Harold Kirk and he snapped up the best of the two lots sold by trainer Alain Couetil for £120,000. This was the three-year-old Saddex gelding El Merano and he came to the sale having been placed on both his runs on the flat. He is from a family that has done well in France, Ireland and Britain and Willie Mullins previously enjoyed big race success with family members So Young and Urano.

Another six-figure buy by Highflyer Bloodstock, who signed for six lots, was the Gold Well four-year-old gelding Coole Well. Sent up by Paul Cashman’s Glenview Stables, he was an eye-catching runner-up at Ballindenisk on his recent debut and sold for £105,000. Cashman bought him as a store at last year’s Goffs UK Spring Sale for £24,000.

The outstanding young store sold at the sale was a three-year-old daughter of Germany. From Willie Slattery’s Meadowview Stables, she is out of an own-sister to Grade 2 winning hurdler and chaser Supreme Prince and she will be handled for her racing career by Neil Mulholland after her sale for £115,000. This was a stunning result for Slattery with a filly who was bought at the Derby Sale in June for only €10,000.

Director of horses in training sales at Tattersalls Ireland is Richard Pugh and he was delighted with the sale. He said: “Trade today and throughout the entire year at Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham has been phenomenal. Yet again here we have witnessed jaw-dropping sales and a staggering number of horses selling for £100,000 or more, not to mention the sale of Trevelyn’s Corn for £400,000, the second highest price for a point-to-pointer.

“This year saw a number of records being smashed in this very sales arena; a recording-breaking price of £480,000 for a point-to-pointer, a record-breaking price for a point-to-point mare of £320,000, and a record number of 65 horses realising £100,000 or more, 32 more than 2016, which emphatically endorses the reputation of Cheltenham as the market-leading venue for quality form horses.

“As ever, we are sincerely grateful to our loyal vendors and purchasers who have supported our sales this year.”