Nine young British point-to-pointers found new homes when Tattersalls Cheltenham staged its April Sale after racing yesterday.
It proved to be a successful occasion for Warwickshire-based Fran and Charlie Poste who sold two four-year-olds for profitable prices. Pragnell (Diamond Boy) who made a winning debut in a Dalton Park maiden race last month, was knocked down to Tessa Greatrex of Highflyer Bloodstock for £65,000, while Royal Infantry (Soldier Of Fortune) went to bloodstock agent Ryan Mahon for £60,000. The Postes also sold Smugglers Haven (Elusive Pimpernel) to trainer Mark Bradstock for £32,000 after she won a mares’ maiden race at Dingley. The trio are pictured above with Pragnell flanked by Royal Infantry (left) and Smugglers Haven.
Greatrex said: “I’ve bought him for an owner with horses at Charlie Longsdon’s. He is by a sire who is doing well at the moment with the likes of Impaire Et Passe and L’Homme Presse, and he won his only point-to-point nicely. Hopefully at four he can only progress.”
Bloodstock agent Ross Doyle took a shine to Tom & Gina Ellis’s Pep Talking (Pether’s Moon), who scored at Garthorpe after finishing runner-up at Hexham earlier in the season. Doyle’s bid of £54,000 proved decisive, while trainer Donald McCain posted an offer of £50,000 that reeled in Jo Aregeot Bey (Polarix) from Chris Barber’s yard. Trainers Lucinda Russell and Sam Thomas also registered bids for the grey, who won a 14-runner maiden at Cothelstone last month having been bought as a store at Goffs in Ireland for €16,000.
Pep Talking, who left Tom & Gina Ellis's yard after selling to Ross Doyle **Carl Evans
Jo Arengeot Bay was knocked down to Donald McCain following his win for Chris Barber **Carl Evans
Ratkatcha Racing turned a profit on the Bradley Gibbs-trained Nedzor (Soldier Of Fortune), who rose in value from his store sale price of €18,000 to £40,000 after a good run when second at Buckfastleigh. Tom Malone posted the winning bid for Nedzor, while Jerry McGrath’s offer of £10,000 secured the Gibbs-trained Melusine De Pail (Creachadoir) who won at the same Devon track.
Nedzor is trotted up by trainer Bradley Gibbs before going into the ring **Carl Evans
Josh Newman’s €8,000 investment in Tigga Time (Malinas) as an unbroken three-year-old was rewarded when the gelding won at Trebudannon and was then sold to Ryan Mania yesterday for £30,000. It was a similar story with Tony Ross’s Hutton Rudby winner Letthedustsettle (Pour Moi), who was bought unbroken for €11,000 and resold at Cheltenham for £32,000 to Plumbing World.
A further four British pointers were offered but were led from the ring unsold.