Hipodromos y caballos - Racetracks and horses BloodStockReview2013 | Page 72

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N AT I O N A L H U N T S A L E S

Stores in vogue as
buyers eye source
Horses with proven form also remain in demand to
ensure another buoyant year by Tom Pennington

T

HE burning desire of several
well-heeled owners to have winners
at the jumps festivals, chiefly
Cheltenham’s jamboree in March, was the
driving force behind another buoyant year
in the National Hunt sales market.
As with previous years, horses with
proven form were in high demand, but there
was also a significant resurgence in the store
market, with a number of point-to-point
trainers looking to replenish their strings
for next year as well as owners and trainers
looking to buy more cheaply at source.
Brightwells

Brightwells at Cheltenham posted recordbreaking turnover in 2012 – up 26.4 per
cent to £11,357,300 – and the January
curtain-raiser got the company off to a
flyer this year. The auction was topped by
subsequent Punchestown festival bumper
winner Moyle Park, who was knocked down
to Willie Mullins and his regular buying
accomplice Harold Kirk for £250,000. That
price contributed to turnover of £1,542,000,
up a stunning 200-plus per cent on 2012.
At the sale’s conclusion, Brightwells’
head of bloodstock Matt Mitchell noted:
“The success of past graduates on the track
continues to attract a wide range of buyers
to these sales.”
The sale of impressive Fairyhouse
bumper winner On Blueberry Hill to Aiden
Murphy for £250,000 was not enough to

prevent figures at Brightwells’ premier April
falling just short of those posted in 2012.
Turnover dropped nearly three per cent to
£3,702,500, the average was down nearly
eight per cent at £64,956, but the median
grew 19.5 per cent to £52,000.
However, the May Sale saw an improved
set of figures compared with 2012, with
the average price increasing 13 per cent to
£40,698.
A pair of £140,000 Irish pointers stole
the show, with Brightwells stalwart Roger
Brookhouse securing the five-year-old
Presenting gelding Stellar Notion and
Gearoid Costelloe landing Red Devil Lads,
a four-year-old son of Beneficial who was
rated the highest point-to-pointer in Ireland
after winning at Templemore by 15 lengths.
A busy Brookhouse spent £395,000
on three lots in November, but it was not
enough to stop turnover falling nearly 18
per cent to £2,462,500. The average and
median were also down on 2012.
Goffs

It was always going to be difficult for this
year’s Goffs Punchestown Invitational Sale
to match last year’s impressive set of results,
which included a 100 per cent clearance rate.
However, the €190,000 paid for exciting
Cork bumper winner The Game Changer,
a son of Arcadio, by Mags O’Toole assisted
in pushing the average up a shade over three
per cent to £91,167.

Goffs’ flagship jumps auction, the Land
Rover Sale, ended with sweeping gains and a
record price of €215,000 paid by the Mullins/
Kirk axis for a Robin Des Champs gelding
related to high-class chaser The Minack out
of a daughter of Irish Grand National winner
Ebony Jane. The aggregate of €7,742,400
was a 40 per cent improvement on 2012.
Goffs chief executive Henry Beeby put the
phenomenal trade down to a catalogue that
“was as good as ever”.
DBS

The DBS Sale at Newbury in March was
headed by smart Irish point-to-point winner
Padge. The Flemensfirth four-year-old, who
beat subsequent Grade 3 hurdle-placed Very
Wood in a competitive heat at Punchestown,
was bought privately by Evan Williams on
behalf of leading owners William and Angela
Rucker for £160,000. Although the average
dropped there were increases in median and
turnover, with the latter up nearly 43 per
cent at £1,073,000.

MOST EXPENSIVE JUMPS HORSES SOLD AT PUBLIC AUCTION IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND IN 2013
NAME

AGE, COLOUR, SEX, PEDIGREE

SALE

VENDOR

BUYER(S)

Un Temps Pour Tout
Moyle Park
On Blueberry Hill
Midnight Thunder
Legacy Gold

4yo b g Robin Des Champs-Rougedespoir (Bonnet Rouge)
5yo ch g Flemensfirth-Lovely Present (Presenting)
4yo b g Flemensfirth-Mrs Malt (Presenting)
4yo ch g Beneficial-Peppardstown (Old Vic) 0
5yo b m Gold Well-Durgams Delight (Durgam)

DBS Hennessy
Brightwells January
Brightwells April
Brightwells April
Brightwells April

Selwood Bloodstock
Railway Stables
Camas Park Stud
Meadowview Stables
Newlands Farm

David Pipe
H Kirk/W Mullins
Aiden Murphy
T Malone/C Tizzard
Roger Brookhouse

PRICE

£450,000
£250,000
£250,000
£215,000
£210,000

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