ONLINE auction house ThoroughBid is celebrating another big spring festival winner with Gracchus De Balme, who landed the Aintree Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase on Thursday.

Purchased for £12,500 at ThoroughBid’s July Sale last year, the nine-year-old had had three starts for his new connections before Aintree.

Recalling the day he was bidding on the horse, O’Shea said: “I fell in love with him when I saw his pictures on the ThoroughBid site, so I phoned up Joseph [O’Brien] and he said he’s a grand horse that was just too high in the handicap.

“Hannah [Roach] and I stood there following the bids, and his price kept on going up every few minutes, but we had a limit of £15,000 and thankfully we managed to get him for just slightly less. I probably would have even bid a little bit more as I loved him as soon as I saw him. He arrived at the yard four days later and the rest is now history!”

Gracchus De Balme is ThoroughBid’s second winning graduate of the race, having sold last year’s champion, Its On The Line.

ThoroughBid’s next sale takes place on Tuesday, April 29th.

Web: thoroughbid.co.uk/home