Five-year-old mare Edith Pelham sold for £180,000 at Tattersalls Cheltenham’s February Sale yesterday, setting a record price for a filly or mare from Britain’s point-to-point circuit.
And after some 20 years of specialist sales of point-to-pointers she became the first British horse to top such an auction, a position which until now has been held by Irish pointers. Gloucestershire trainer Fergal O’Brien made the winning bid on behalf of Jane May, a new client at his yard, but a long-time owner and breeder who is based in Newmarket.
Edith Pelham sells for a record sum when knocked down to Fergal O'Brien (Debbie Burt)
The result was another sales ring high for G & T Racing, aka Gina Andrews and Tom Ellis, the husband-and-wife team based in Warwickshire. They bought the daughter of Blue Bresil at Goffs UK’s Spring Sale in 2023 for £40,000, and then Andrews trained her to win at Sheriff Hutton last month when ridden by her brother Jack (pictured top of page, pale blue colours).
After the mare had been led from the ring, Ellis, who had trained Edith Pelham until last spring when he gained a licence and handed responsibility of the yard’s pointers to his wife, said: “None of our horses were running particularly well in the spring last year. They didn’t finish races and so we turned them all away and we gave this mare time. They were finishing second and third when they should have been winning – the best thing for these young horses is time.
“She went to Sheriff Hutton, which is a stiff track and a good test of a horse. She’s a lovely model and a good mover and she did it well. I thought we might make £100,000 to £120,000, but she went down ever so well at the [racecourse inspection] yard and vetted very cleanly.
“The gap between British and Irish pointers is slowly closing, but it’s about numbers. We buy them the same way as stores and train them the same way, and the more we have through our hands the more good ones will follow.”
O’Brien said: “She’s come from a very good yard where she will have been well schooled and looked after. She’s by Blue Bresil and she reminded me of another lovely mare we have called Blue Betty. The right people were looking at her so we’re delighted to get her.”
Edith Pelham's new owner Jane May and trainer Fergal O'Brien (Ce)
Among those who made unsuccessful bids for Edith Pelham was Eddie O’Leary, who represents Gigginstown House Stud, the powerful Irish racehorse ownership entity which has been steadily buying British pointers over the past couple of years.
Andrews and Ellis also offered recent Duncombe Park runner-up Nice One Nelson, a £26,000 store purchase who they sold yesterday for £40,000 to former jockey Darren O’Dwyer, and while the Jack Teal-consigned Mooserwirt failed to sell in the ring he was subsequently bought for £36,000 by Dan Astbury representing the Stockton Hall Stables of Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero.
Full results can be viewed here https://www.tattersallscheltenham.com/sales/cheltenham-february-sale/4DCGI/Sale/CFB25/Main/