Insatiable trade at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Sale as top lot sells for £305,000

The
2016 Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Sale witnessed voracious trade
from the start of the sale and right through to the Breeze-Up section with top
honours going to Cool Getaway selling for the venue’s record price
for a Point to Point horse of £305,000. A record number of six-figure lots were
sold for the first time since Tattersalls Ireland started hosting auctions
at the venue with nine lots selling for £100,000 or more. The overall aggregate
on the night finished at £3,178,300 with the aggregate for the Horses in
Training section producing a considerably increased figure of £2,454,500 (up
85%) with the median and average concluding on £68,000 and £87,661 (up 94% and
85% respectively). The National Hunt Breeze-Up section produced an aggregate of
£723,800 (up 152%) at an average of £40,211 (up 40%) and a median of £34,000
(up 100%).

The outstanding
lot at the final sale of 2016 at Cheltenham was Cool Getaway (Lot 15),
a Getaway gelding who was the highly impressive winner of a
four-year-old Maiden at Tattersalls Farm.  Closely related
to SHUTTHEFRONTDOOR and STRONG PROJECT, the Newlands Farm
consigned debut winner was the subject of ravenous bidding and was eventually
knocked down to agent Margaret O’Toole for a record-breaking price at the venue
of £305,000.   

Just three lots
earlier, Poker Play (Lot 12)
surpassed the quarter of a million-pound mark when being knocked down to Horse
Racing Advisory and David Pipe for £280,000. Pipe, who has experienced numerous
successes with Cheltenham Sale graduates including 2017 Champion Hurdle
contender MOON RACER, purchased the four and a half-length French winner
from Yannick Fouin.

Among the other
record-breaking six-figure lots was Arnaud Chaille Chaille’s Blue
Bresil gelding Max Do Brazil (Lot 37).
The four-year-old was second on his most recent start in a Listed Hurdle at
Auteuil and was knocked down to Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham
Sale regular patron David Pipe for £160,000.  In total, five French
consigned horses generated a total of £778,000 at an average of £155,600.

Closely following
in the list of top priced lots was Lot 24, King
Of Kilmeague. The King’s Theatre gelding who was second to the sale
topper at Tattersalls Farm and was knocked down to Kieran McManus for £150,000
when sold by Denis Murphy’s Ballyboy Stables.

The Breeze-Up
section was headed by Lot 66. Cap
St Vincent, a Muhtahir half-brother to Listed
Performer Wakeboard and was knocked down to Tom Malone after some
persistent bidding for £105,000. He was consigned by Johnny Collins’ Brown
Island Stables.The next top lot in the Breeze-Up Section was a gelding by
leading sire Kayf Tara, Lot 57 consigned
by Nicholastown Stud was knocked down to determined bidder Aiden Murphy for
£95,000.

At the conclusion
of the sale, Director of Horses in Training Sales at Tattersalls Ireland
Richard Pugh commented on the fantastic trade;

“Demand for
horses today at Cheltenham was phenomenal. To sell a record price for a point
to point horse at this venue of £305,000 topped off with a staggering number of
horses making £100,000 or more has truly capped off a wonderful year
at Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Sales. In total, 33 horses sold for
£100,000 or more at Cheltenham in 2016 which emphatically cements its
reputation as venue of choice for quality form horses. Sincere gratitude must
go to all our loyal vendors and purchasers and we now look forward to our next
sale at Cheltenham on 28 January 2017.”