TWENTY-TWO lots have been catalogued for the Tattersalls Cheltenham January Sale, which takes place after racing on Festival Trials Day, next Saturday, January 25th.

Further entries will be taken from this weekend’s point-to-points, but of the preliminary entries, Starzand is an expected highlight. The Mary Doyle-trained bay made a promising debut last February, finishing second to the well-touted Goraibhmaithagat, who went on to make a winning rules debut for Colm Murphy.

Starzand returned to bolt up in a four-year-old geldings maiden at Dromahane, drawing 25 lengths clear to record the fastest time on the card. He continued a smart run for his sire Harzand, whose son Hello Neighbour made a successful hurdle bow in the Grade 2 Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Another who boasts the desirable achievement of having won a four-year-old maiden is Cinammon Roll, who justified short-priced favouritism on debut at Ballycrystal. Sam Curling’s charge carried the colours of Alan Harte, who had paid €65,000 for the son of No Risk At All as a yearling.

He is out of a five-time winner and half-sister to black type hurdle Luna Riska (No Risk At All).

Garrett Murphy’s Loaded And Locked and Donnchadh Doyle’s Mymilkman come off the back of their respective 1-2 in the five-year-old geldings maiden at Ballindenisk last weekend.

Bittersweet

Trainer Colm Ryan will no doubt have mixed feelings about selling his first winner Karate Kid, following his win in a two-and-a-half-mile bumper at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival. That day, Ryan noted: “He’s deadly to jump, so hopefully he’s got a very bright future.”

Runner-up on his sole previous start, when trained by owner John Hayes, the Spanish Moon gelding is out of a half-sister to Grade 1 Manifesto Novices’ Chase victor Arzal.

Another bumper winner from the festive period is Kilwaughter, whose debut win in a Down Royal bumper saw him beat well-backed point-to-point winner Theflyingking. The son of Milan is out of a full-sister to Ghizao, a Grade 1 chaser for Paul Nicholls, while the second dam is Group 1 Fillies Mile heroine Glorosia.

After the race, Stuart Crawford revealed: “I really, really fancied this horse. He was to go to Punchestown for the Land Rover Bumper or the Defender Bumper and got a wee bit of a knock a couple of days before it.”

Home team

British trainers are also set to offer a number of bumper horses, including Don Cantillon’s promising home-bred Step Ahead. Out of a dual listed winner by Old Vic, the Walk In The Park five-year-old finished second on debut in May and returned last month to finish third in a listed bumper at Ascot.

The winner Windbeneathmywings, now favourite for the Champion Bumper, was 14 lengths clear that day, but Step Ahead got within two lengths of the favourite Moneygarrow, who had won both his previous starts in a point-to-point and bumper.

The Debra Hamer-trained Freddiemissmolli is another well-related prospect, the Order Of St George filly being a half-sister to dual graded winner Forge Meadow. She outran her odds on debut in a Ffos Las bumper last month, finishing a length-and-three-quarters second to Paul Nicholls’ well-backed newcomer Gillespie.

Panjadrum is offered having confirmed his debut promise, Tom Ellis’s offering having run out a game winner of a four and five-year-old maiden at Chaddelsey Corbet next time out. The Blue Bresil gelding is out of the multiple Grade 2-placed Kayf Tara mare Mickie.

Sale flagbearers

While the above are expected highlights, there is plenty of value to be found, as proven by Val Dancer last month. Mel Rowley’s charge made it two from two this term, when landing the Welsh Grand National, the winning prize greater than the £60,000 Highflyer Bloodstock paid for the bay at the 2022 edition of Saturday’s sale.

He was sold by Michael Murphy’s Redbridge Stables, following his debut second in a five-year-old geldings maiden at Turtulla.

Tattersalls Cheltenham graduates as a whole enjoyed a profitable period after Christmas, with Potters Charm (£105,000 at the December Sale) adding a Grade 1 to his unbeaten record over hurdles, while Romeo Coolio (£420,000 at the Festival Sale) impressed in another Grade 1 at Leopardstown.