News Cheltenham May Sale ends the Sales Season on a High

Cheltenham May Sale ends the Sales Season on a High

breeding

A record-equalling £200,000 mare, increased turnover and median, six six-figure lots and an 89% clearance rate were highlights of Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham May Sale.

On a day when most vendors would have achieved a profit, a 12.5% rise in median to £40,000 illustrated the strength of trade throughout the catalogue and the aggregate figure rose 30% to £3,206,000. Good ground at point-to-point meetings last weekend saw 19 wildcards join the sale, which resulted in 71 horses being offered (57 last year) of which 63 found new homes. The average remained consistent at £50,889. 

Heading trade was four-year-old filly Redhotfillypeppers (Lot 17), who won at Necarne earlier this month on debut, and became one of three horses from Donnchadh Doyle’s Monbeg Stables to break a six-figure sum yesterday. She was knocked down to Harold Kirk for £200,000, a price that equalled the best given for a point-to-pointer of her sex, set last year at the Cheltenham May Sale by Theatre Territory. Doyle said: “It’s great seeing mares making that kind of money, but there is now a good programme in place for them.” 
A close relative of Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up On His Own, Redhotfillypeppers will join Willie Mullins, said Kirk, adding: “She’s by Robin Des Champs, who has been a lucky sire for us, and she was very impressive when winning – it is hard to get mares that good.” 

Two graduates of last year’s Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale became further triumphs for Monbeg Stables – Secret Investor (Lot 28), who was bought as a store for €38,000 sold for £175,000 to agent Tom Malone, acting for Britain’s Champion Trainer Paul Nicholls, while Super Follo (Lot 64), a €30,000 store, was knocked down to trainer Noel Meade and agent Margaret O’Toole for £150,000. 
 
County Tipperary farmer Pat Coffey, who buys stores and places them in the care of County Wexford’s Denis Murphy for training to run in point-to-points, also enjoyed a memorable day at the ring. 
The Murphy-trained Athlacca maiden winner Lough Derg Spirit (Lot 37), a €45,000 Derby Sale store, made £190,000 to a bid from Highflyer Bloodstock Agent Anthony Bromley. Fending off interest from Noel Meade, Gearoid Costello and Gerry Hogan, Bromley said Nicky Henderson would now handle the four-year-old’s career. 

Drovers Lane (Lot 47) added to Coffey and Murphy’s good day by soaring in value from a €21,000 Derby Sale purchase into a £135,000 wining pointer. The son of Oscar joins Rebecca Curtis at her yard in Pembrokeshire. The vendor paid tribute to his trainer, saying: “Denis [Murphy] is a brilliant man with a great team.” 
 
Murphy’s Ballyboy Stables also offered the Bernardine Rocheford-owned Minella Rebellion (Lot 36), who made £90,000 when becoming another Bromley buy. 

Denis and Nora Ahern of Ballyknock Stables gained £100,000 for their homebred Milan gelding One More Hero (Lot 52), while several British point-to-pointers also sold for good sums. Steely Addition (Lot 67) was bought for just €3,500 at Tattersalls Ireland’s August Sale last year by Chris Dawson, who trained him to win a point-to-point at Hexham recently. Yesterday he sold for £45,000 to Devon’s Jan Buckingham, who gave a whoop of delight when the hammer fell – she revealed the gelding was her first ever purchase. 

Reflecting on the sale and the conclusion of the inaugural sales season at Cheltenham for Tattersalls Ireland, Director of Horses in Training, Richard Pugh, said: 
“The highlights of our first season of sales at Cheltenham ranged from a packed ring for our debut Sale in November, the versatility of the January Sale to move to February and produce such strong results, the Festival Sale producing the highest average of any Select Horses in Training Sale this season and the Bloomfields Dispersal lighting up the April Sale. To finish the season with a May Sale of this strength and a World record for a four-year-old Point to Point mare brings down the curtain on a great season. 
“On the track, Minella Rocco and Ballyalton flew the flag for us at the Cheltenham Festival along with promising performers Champers on Ice and Moon Racer who continue to show potential on the road to the highest level of National Hunt racing and from this season, TomnGerry, Big Meadow, Clondaw Cracker and It’s A Free Bee, all winners since sold at Cheltenham this season. 
“We would like to express our sincere thanks to all the vendors and purchasers who have supported Tattersalls Ireland on this new venture at Cheltenham and we can now look forward to sourcing new and exciting talent for our sale at the Cheltenham November Open Meeting.” 

Click here to view the Cheltenham May Sale results