Jewel Hope and Bentraghhill led the way at €150,000 apiece during Thursday's Tattersalls Ireland May Point-to-Point & Horses-in-Training Sale.
The former, sold as lot 35 from Monbeg Stables after winning a point-to-point at Ballindenisk, caught the eye of Hamish Macauley Bloodstock. By Masar, he is a half-brother to a pair of stakes horses, including Hope Cross (Cape Cross), who was second in the GIII My Charmer Handicap and another half-sister is the dam of G1 Gold Cup-winning stayer Subjectivist.
Offered by Loughanmore Farms, Bentraghhill (Getaway) was snapped up by Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins. Lot 42 was placed at Fairyhouse in April. The gelding is a half-brother to a pair of graded-winning hurdlers in Party Central (Yeats) and Craigneiche (Flemensfirth).
Overall, 73% (65) of the 89 horses offered sold for a gross of €2,423,000. The average was €37,277 (-17%) and the median was €30,000 (-8%). In 2024, the number of lots sold was 16 from 23 lots offered (70%) for a gross of €718,500. From the larger 2025 catalogue, a trio of lots made six figures.
Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins said, “We welcomed a strong contingent of UK-based buyers, which continues to underline the appeal of Irish point-to-pointers on both sides of the Irish sea.
“This sale after two years is now a viable alternative for vendors, with the added advantage of selling in Ireland and removing additional travel costs. It would however be remiss not to acknowledge the selective nature of the trade and the clearance rate of 73%.
“I'd like to acknowledge the hard work of the bloodstock team in assembling a quality catalogue and supporting both vendors and purchasers throughout the sale.”
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