Cormac, Sean and Donnchadh Doyle of Monbeg Stables sold nine horses at Thursday's Tattersalls Cheltenham May Sale for a total receipt of £564,000.

The brothers, all leading handlers on the point-to-point circuit, are among the biggest spenders at the store horse sales and have produced top class jumpers in point-to-points, such as Bravemansgame, Monkfish and Topofthegame.

Selling under the Monbeg banner - along with another brother, Gearoid - the Doyles regularly top the boutique point-to-point sales and did so again on Thursday when they were responsible for six of the top 10 lots.

The market was headed by the four-year-old debut-winning point-to-pointer Sober Glory, the son of Mount Nelson fetching £110,000 and one of three lots bought by the session’s leading buyer Tom Malone.

The gelding, related to the Grade 1 Challow Novice Hurdle winner and multiple graded race performer Fingal's Bay, was sold by Cormac Doyle on behalf of Mount Eaton Stud, who paid €41,000 for the gelding as a foal at the Tattersalls November NH Sale in 2020.

Sober Glory was an impressive winner at Bartlemy on his career debut and Doyle said: “We always liked this horse – his work was very good at home and we were very confident going to Bartlemy. We have had a lot of luck with the May Sale and sold Monkfish here – we like to keep a nice one for it, the timing is good."

Malone said: “Sober Glory is a lovely horse and I have bought him on behalf of Brocade Racing to go to Philip Hobbs [and Johnson White]. He is by Mount Nelson who is doing very well but sadly not around anymore."

The agent also paid £70,000 for the Donnchadh Doyle Monbeg Stables-offered Tiptoptim, another son of Mount Nelson. "Hwas very impressive in his point-to-point and [rider] Rob James gave him a good old write-up. He was a seven-length maiden winner, and he has been bought on spec," said Malone.

Donnchadh Doyle sold American Jukebox to trainer Gordon Elliott and Eddie O'Leary for £100,000. A Jukebox Jury half-brother to the Grade 2 winner American Mike, the four-year-old gelding finished second on his debut at Stowlin at the beginning of May.

Elliott said: "This is a fine horse, he is not for any owner in particular, we will get him home first. We have the half-brother and this horse is similar, a bit smaller maybe. As a June foal, he is young horse not even four yet – we saw him earlier in the spring and liked him then."

Doyle, on crutches after a schooling incident seven weeks ago, said: "He ran well at Stowlin and he could be a very smart horse after a summer's grass – he will be a lovely horse in time.”

Crawford coup

Ross Crawford, consigning with his brother trainer Stuart Crawford of Newlands Farm, made the pinhooking return of the sale selling Marlacoo for £85,000 having purchased the gelding for just €1,250 at last year's Tattersalls Ireland July Sale.

The horse, a son of the young sire Wings Of Eagles, has subsequently won a Down Royal bumper and was bought by Highflyer today.

"That is what we are trying to do buy cheap, produce them well and, hopefully, turn a profit – to be fair he was very cheap on that day last July!" smiled Crawford. "He was probably a bit small as a store but he has grown since I have had him, he was also a bit raw, green and backward, and I had a bit of luck then, too.”

Crawford explained the decision to run the gelding in a bumper rather than go down the point-to-point route: "He lost a bit of time in the autumn because of a cold and his jumping was a little bit behind where it needed to be.

"He does jump well but, in those four-year-old spring point-to-points, the horses have to be on the money and he just wasn't streetwise enough – even in his bumper he was probably still a bit green."

A smiling purchaser Anthony Bromley said: "He has been bought for a syndicate, he will have a summer out on grass and a trainer will be decided later. Wings Of Eagles is getting a few winners on the board now and they look to have engines."

Of the 30 horses offered for sale on Thursday afternoon, 26 were sold. The average price of £47,346 was down 19% on last year and the median price of £43,000 was down 14%.

Matt Prior, Tattersalls’ associate director said: ““Noticeably, the market has stepped back a level, but, positively, nice horses are being sold as is evidenced by our strong clearance rate."

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