Former champion jumps jockey Richard Johnson was on front row bidding duty at the Tattersalls Cheltenham January Sale on Saturday when going to a top price of £230,000 for the impressive maiden winner Starzand.

The session saw the sale of 24 horses, achieving a clearance rate of 80% and generating a turnover of £1,667,000.

The average price stood at £69.458, with a median price of £62,500. These figures represented significant improvements on the 2024 returns.

Johnson was buying on behalf of owner Dave Lewis’s Gwent Holdings and the five-year-old gelding by Harzand will be going into training with Philip Hobbs and Johnson White.

"Dave is keen to have a few more, we bought last year, they have run well and he is keen to move forward again," said Johnson, who is helping Lewis with purchasing plans.

"Everyone wants winners at Cheltenham and that is where we want to get. This looks a lovely horse, and will be one for the future, he is a proper long-term three-mile chaser and it might take him two years for him to reach his potential."

Of the process of buying horses, Johnson admitted: "It is not as good as riding! But I love to see the horses go on to do well and have a future."

“Gwent Holdings has five horses with us and they have been running great,” said Johnson White, adding: “I wanted this horse since the moment I saw him, Richard saw him yesterday and liked him too, he was on both of our short lists.

"He is an exciting horse to go forward with. We will get him home and assess him, I would love to give him a run in the spring to keep things rolling on for next season. We will see how he comes out of this, it can be tough for them to win their point-to-point and then travel here – it takes a bit to get over it."

Starzand was consigned by James and Ellen Doyle’s Baltimore House Stables, the gelding bought as a three-year-old store horse at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale for €21,000.

He is the third horse to make over £200,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham January Sale and is the second-best priced lot ever sold at the sale.

The Down Royal debut bumper winner Kilwaughter, a five-year-old son of Milan, was bought in a private sale by Tom Malone for £120,000 from Stuart Crawford’s Newlands Stables.

Malone said: “He might go for one of the decent late-spring bumpers, he has been bought on spec, and I thought he had a lovely level of form. He is a beautiful horse with a lovely winning pedigree, and he came highly recommended.”

The gelding, a five-year-old half-brother to seven winners and from the family of the Grade 2-winner and Grade 1-placed Ghizao, was a €24,000 Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale foal and a €30,000 store purchase.

Tessa Greatrex of Highflyer Bloodstock went to £100,000 for the Colm Ryan Racing-consigned Karate Kid, who was purchased on behalf of Jim and Clare Bryce, owners of Rhonehurst Stables, the training base for Warren Greatrex.

"Jim and Clare had a runner here today, and I don't think they were initially intending to buy, but I saw the horse yesterday and recommended him," said Greatrex. "We were impressed with his bumper win, he beat some nice horses and he looks a smart horse for the future."

Karate Kid, a five-year-old by Spanish Moon and out of a Shamalgan half-sister to the Grade 1-winning chaser Arzal, was the impressive winner of his bumper at Leopardstown at the end of December for Ryan, who has only had a trainers’ licence since the autumn.

The Chaddesley Corbett-winning four-year-old British point-to-pointer Panjandrum, consigned by Tom and Gina Ellis’ G & T Racing, will be crossing the Irish Sea to join Gordon Elliott's team at his Cullentra Stables after the trainer went to £95,000 for the five-year-old son of Blue Bresil.

"I have been lucky buying from Tom and Gina before, this is a fine big horse with a pedigree and, hopefully, he will be lucky," said Elliott of the son of the multiple Grade 2-placed Mickie (by Kayf Tara), adding: "He has not got an owner as yet.”

"I am pleased with that," smiled Tom Ellis. "He won his maiden well, he is nice horse and is going to a good home – Gordon bought Touch Me Not from us. The British point-to-pointers have been flying and it is great – I think it is in part due to numbers as there are quite a few graduates going under Rules now."

Touch Me Not was a Grade 2 winner in the autumn and a Grade 1 runner-up in the Henry VIII Novice Chase in December. He was a £150,000 purchase by Elliott at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale in 2023.

Sales manager Shirley Anderson-Jolag said: “The Tattersalls Cheltenham January Sale has been highly satisfactory producing a clearance rate of 80%, a turnover over £1,600,000, alongside increases in both the average and medians, all figures which show a strong improvement on 2024."

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