THE smallest catalogue ever for the Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale, first staged in 2016, also resulted in the second smallest turnover.

However, a satisfactory clearance rate that saw just three of the 30 lots offered failing to sell, produced a fine average of £95,185, the second-best median ever of £80,000, and 10 lots sold for £100,000 or more.

Touted in advance as a likely sale-topper, Heron In The Park didn’t disappoint, and the gavel finally fell at £280,000 in favour of Damian Tiernan, though the bidding was conducted by former jump jockey Tom Morgan.

One of three lots sold on the evening from Donnchadh Doyle’s Monbeg Stables, the four-year-old Walk In The Park filly was also a target for underbidders Harry Derham and Ed Bailey.

“She has been bought as a racing and breeding prospect,” said Morgan. “She is for The Jekyll Partnership who owned [five-time winner] Mrs Hyde, and we are going to do down the same route as her – run in a bumper and hopefully get a bit of blacktype, and go from there. We have not made any firm plans yet, we just wanted to come and buy a nice mare as a breeding prospect. Damian had Mrs Hyde with Fergal [O’Brien] and had a lot of success, so we wanted to repeat that.

“We loved the way this filly travelled and jumped in her race and she has lots of residual value. One of those involved owns one of the best French jumping colts Nietzsche Has. He has gone to stud and she is likely to be mated to him further down the line.”

A half-sister to the Grade 2 Betfred Hurdle winner and Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle runner-up Glory And Fortune, Heron In The Park made a perfect start to her career at Borris House at the start of the month when running out a nine-length winner of a fast-run four-year-old mares’ maiden.

Denis Hogan

About half an hour later Frankie John came close to topping the sale when he sold for £275,000, Tom Malone outbidding Mouse O’Ryan for the son of Walk In the Park. He was consigned by Denis Hogan’s Boherna Stables. The trainer gave €115,000 at the Derby Sale last year for the gelding.

Hogan said: “He is a gorgeous horse. He was bought to come back here. Not every horse gets here, so to be here and get that sort of money is brilliant. He is owned by myself and John Mahon. We probably went a bit strong to buy him, you have to in order to get them. It has paid off today. When he ran, I was worried he might be green, which he was, but I liked the way he went to the line. Hopefully he goes on and does big things and the buyers come back again.”

Tom Malone said: “Denis was telling me about this horse for the last six months and been banging the drum about him. The horse was impressive at Boulta, when he passed one of Donnchadh Doyle’s, and to outstay one of Donnchadh’s when hitting the line, you have a good racehorse, there is no doubt about it. He didn’t pull up until the far fence, and I love that.”

Three for Elliott

Gordon Elliott took home three from the sale, and the most expensive of these was Sam Curling’s Cosmos D’Ainay. Aidan ‘Mouse’ O’Ryan bid for him and his offer of £165,000 was enough to win the day. An €85,000 purchase from France as a two-year-old, the son of Muhtathir recorded his maiden success at Borris House on his fourth start, but was extremely unlucky not to have done so earlier. He fell on his debut when travelling well, was beaten just over a length by Un Sens A La Vie, a horse that sold for £180,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham November Sale, and his saddle slipped on his third start.

Cosmos D’Ainay followed the well-related Kaka’s Cousin into the ring. The four-year-old daughter of Mahler, consigned by Sean Doyle’s Monbeg Stables. is out of a half-sister to the multiple Grade 1-winning Oscar Whisky. She sold to Ed Bailey Bloodstock and Jonjo O’Neill for £160,000. She just missed out on a maiden victory by a short head in a fast-run maiden at Boulta this month, having been purchased for €62,000 at the store sales last year.