CHELTENHAM, UK—A captive audience of some of jump racing's leading owners, along with their trainers and bloodstock agents, gathered in the parade ring after the final race of Wednesday's card for the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Festival Sale, which saw 15 young point-to-pointers sold for a total of £2,195,000.
Donnchadh Doyle's Monbeg Stables enjoyed a good evening, consigning two of the top three lots, including the most expensive horse of the sale, Killer Kane (Ire) (Oscar {Ire}), who was sold for £300,000 to Ross Doyle on behalf of trainer Colin Tizzard, the duo who claimed the three top lots for a total of £840,000.
On Saturday, the 5-year-old gelding (lot 21) made his debut at Ballycahane point-to-point, winning the maiden by five lengths before boarding the ferry for England. His dam Native Idea (Ire) (Be My Native {Ire}) has already produced the G1 Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner Go Native (Ire) (Double Eclipse {Ire}) and Killer Kane's new connections will be hoping that this will not be the last time he is seen in the Cheltenham winner's enclosure.
Colin Bowe has enjoyed notable success producing young jumping stars, including Samcro (Ire) (Germany), who won the opening Grade 1 contest earlier in the day. Another of Bowe's graduates from Milestone Stables, lot 15, Amarillo Sky (Ire) (Westerner {GB}), will also be joining Tizzard's Somerset stable after Doyle went to £280,000 for the 4-year-old winner of his sole point-to-point on Mar. 1.
This followed their earlier purchase of Shirocco's Dream (Ire) (Shirocco {Ger}) for £260,000, also from Monbeg Stables. The 5-year-old mare (lot 6), a winner and a runner-up in her two starts between the flags, is a grand-daughter of the consistent chaser Function Dream (Ire) (Strong Gale {Ire}) whose record as a broodmare includes the treble Grade 1-winning chaser Captain Chris (Ire) (King's Theatre {Ire}).
“She was second in a point-to-point to Rose Of Arcadia (Ire), who won again at Taunton on Monday and looks a really good mare. Hopefully this mare will be equally good,” said Tizzard, who did not disclose the name of the owner behind his purchases. “We don't have many mares in the yard but there are plenty of good races for them now.”
In total, 15 of the 24 horses offered changed hands at an average price of £146,333.
The coronavirus outbreak is bringing increasing uncertainty for bloodstock sales in the coming weeks and months. The European breeze-up season is set to start on Apr. 1 with the one-day Tattersalls Ascot sale. As of Wednesday, there had been no firm plans made to alter the sales programme but representatives of both Tattersalls and Goffs indicated that they will be keeping a watching brief as the situation unfolds.
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