Will Biddick finished second in a race, but came out a winner on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival.
Riding Git Maker (28/1) for Jamie Snowden, eight-time British champion Biddick finished runner-up to Ireland’s great point-to-point champion Derek O’Connor, who rode Inothewayurthinkin (13/8f), in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Chase for amateur riders, but he then scored at Tattersalls Cheltenham’s Festival Sale.
Selling a horse at the auction for the first time in his own name, Biddick reaped £160,000 for No Drama This End (grey, pictured above), a four-year-old who he trained and had ridden to victory at Badbury Rings last month. That was the son of Walk In The Park’s first run, having been bought by Biddick for £28,000 as an unbroken store in June at Goffs Arkle Sale in Ireland.
Dan Skelton was among potential buyers who put in a bid for No Drama This End, but the hammer fell in the direction of bloodstock agent Tom Malone, who was acting for Paul Nicholls. A former member of Biddick’s string, Il Pino, who won on debut and then joined Nicholls, runs at Kempton tomorrow (4.30) under Harry Cobden.
Following the sale of No Drama This End, Biddick said: “I’m dead chuffed. He did everything right in the prep and he won on soft ground in February. Any four-year-old that can do that is all right. He galloped right to the line and now he’s gone to the champion trainer.
“The page is there, he’s got the size and scope and he’s shown he can gallop. Paul was interested in buying the horse after his win, but for the sake of my business I had to put him through the ring.”
No Drama This End being shown to prospective buyers before the sale
Malone said: “Paul saw the horse at Will’s but Will has a business to run and had to offer the horse to the public at a sale. The horse was very impressive when he won and he has a massive pedigree.”
Of the 29 lots on offer at the sale, 27 were sold including 18 who made a six-figure sum. Trade was topped by the four-year-old filly Echoing Silence, a point-to-point winner in Ireland who sold for £410,000 on her way to a place with Henry De Bromhead. Her half-brother, Deafening Silence, won a point-to-point at Alnwick in December 2021 for the team of Tom Ellis and Gina Andrews, and has since won twice for Dan Skelton. One of those victories came in a Gr.2 novices’ hurdle at Sandown in December, which did his little sister’s valuation no harm.
Rip Wheeler, who Eamonn O’Donnabhain trained to win at Charlton Horethorne earlier this month, was also offered for sale last night, but was led from the ring unsold when bidding halted at £75,000.