TEN debut winners feature in the early entries for the Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale, which takes place after racing on Thursday, March 13th.

A potential highlight is the Michael Goff-trained Clondaw Park, a daughter of Walk In The Park who made all to an eight-length victory on debut at Lisronagh. The bay boasts an attractive page, being out of a winning half-sister to top-class hurdler Nichols Canyon and St Leger runner-up Fujaira Price.

Cristal d’Estruval, who on the same page, has a similarly attractive pedigree. Out of Grade 1 performer Aurore d’Estruval, Colin Bowe’s charge became the first point-to-point winner by exciting young sire Crystal Ocean.

Ridden prominently by Barry O’Neill, he clocked a smart time, and ground most of his rivals into submission, with just three finishers. He overcame a final-fence error to beat the even-money favourite by a neck, with 20 lengths back to the third.

In-form handlers

Order Of St George has made an impressive start at stud and is represented in this catalogue by the Cormac Abernethy-trained Skerry Hill. Ian Ferguson’s €40,000 foal buy impressed with his jumping on debut at Farmaclaffley, where he drew clear to take the four-year-old maiden by eight lengths.

Abernethy completed a quickfire double on the card with Flemensfirth five-year-old Bally Free, who shaped like an exciting stayer when scoring by 12 lengths. Fellow five-year-old Port Authority created quite the impression on debut at Borris House, the Doyen gelding scoring by eight lengths for Matthew Flynn O’Connor.

Flynn O’Connor trained The Big Westerner to win on debut, before selling at last year’s sale for £120,000. Now two from two under rules for Henry de Bromhead, the mare is now a leading contender for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.

Impressive bumper winner Kaiser Ball recently provided a reminder of the smart horses that can be produced for the Costello academy, if we needed a reminder, and John Costello’s latest offering is Keep Him Company. The Walzertakt gelding won the five-year-old geldings maiden by five lengths comfortably, in the quickest time on the Kildorrery card.

Jonathan Fogarty, who sold Grade 3 scorer and Grade 1 second Complete Unknown at a previous renewal of the sale, is set to offer Jenny France. The daughter of Walk In The Park built on a promising debut to run out an impressive 14-length winner of a four-year-old mares’ maiden at Lingstown in November.

Grade 2 victor Better Days Ahead, who was narrowly denied in a Grade 1 at Christmas, was sold at the renewal by Warren Ewing’s Bernice Stables. Lazare Combo hails from the same stable, fresh from making a winning debut at Tyrella last weekend.

Smart honour roll

Jet Of Stars’ perfect start at Oldtown was particularly notable due to previous winners of that four-year-old maiden – subsequent Grade 1 victors Very Wood and Asterion Forlonge, as well as recent Grade 2 winner Jingko Blue. Denis Murphy’s €60,000 store sale buy is a Jet Away half-brother to Grade 1 chaser The Game Changer and Paddy Power Gold Cup winner Johns Spirit.

The last sale held by Tattersalls Cheltenham was topped by a mare, and one offered next week that has a bright future ahead of her is Harley Dunne’s Ash Hobbs. With two to jump in the four-year-old mares’ maiden at Ballycahane, she was travelling best of the field and soon quickened clear, as Derek O’Connor and J.P. McManus’ even-money favourite did her best to give chance. The winning margin was seven lengths, with that distance again back to the third.

Last month’s sales topper, unusually for a point-to-point sale, was British-trained, and the sole British horse in next week’s early entries is Karaka de Thaix. Offered by Dale Peters’ Manor House Farm, the four-year-old son of Cokoriko made a winning debut at Charm Park last Sunday.

The last of the 12 early entries is Alan Ahern’s promising four-year-old Mister St Eloi. Backed as if defeat was out of the question on debut, he unseated after being badly hampered, and was sent off even-money favourite on his second attempt last weekend. He was headed close home by well-related €80,000 buy Hardly Surprising, the pair finishing 14 lengths clear of the remainder.

Further entries for the sale will be taken from this weekend’s point-to-points in Ireland and the UK.