Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale

The 5-year-old gelding Crystal Island (Ire) (Crystal Ocean {GB}) (lot 29) topped Thursday's Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale when selling to JP McGrath Bloodstock for £205,000. He won on debut going three miles at Rathcannon and was consigned by Mossy Fen Stables. A €60,000 store purchase, his family features top-level winner J'Y Vole (Fr) (Mansonnien {Fr}). One of two lots to equal or clear the £200,000 mark, the point-to-pointer was joined at that tier by £200,000 buy The Irish Avatar (Ire) (Poet's Word {Ire}) (lot 7). The son of graded winner...

The 5-year-old gelding Disguisedlimit (Ire) (Mahler {GB}) (lot 25) took pride of place when selling for £150,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale on Thursday. Consigned by Monbeg Stables, he caught the eye of agent Tom Malone with Philip Hobbs and Johnson White after winning a Curraghmore point-to-point on Apr. 24. His dam is a half-sister to Bobs Worth (Ire) (Bog Back), a multiple Grade 1 winner at Cheltenham. He was purchased by Monbeg Stables for €70,000 out of the 2022 Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale. Monbeg also consigned the second...

One of eight six-figure lots on the day, Oak Grove (Ire) (Soldier Of Fortune {Ire}) (lot 13) took pride of place when selling for £250,000 to Fergal O'Brien Racing during the Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale on Thursday evening. O'Brien was buying the relative of Grade 1 winner Voler La Vedette (Ire) (King's Theatre {Ire}) for Chris and Deborah Giles, who already have a half-share in another O'Brien runner, Crambo (GB) (Saddler Maker {Ire}). "We have no plans as yet," reported O'Brien of the Rob James Racing-consigned 4-year-old who captured an...

American Mike (Ire) (Mahler {GB}) (lot 8), the 20-length winner of a maiden point-to-point at Cork on Apr. 10, topped the Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale relocated to Newmarket on Friday when selling to Bective Stud and Gordon Elliott for £195,000. Elliott, who is currently serving a six-month ban from training after a photo of him sitting astride a dead horse surfaced on social media in March, signed alone or in partnership for three of the top four lots at the sale. American Mike was sold by Monbeg Stables, and Elliott...

The return of point-to-pointing in Britain and Ireland has facilitated a number of recent winners to be entered for the Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale which, because of ongoing Covid restrictions at racecourses, will be held in Newmarket on April 23. Twenty-three young jumpers have been catalogued, 17 of which have won a point-to-point or bumper in the last few weeks, including the 5-year-old Takoda (Ire) (Doyen {GB}), who strolled to a 25-length victory on debut at Higham on April 2. Also catalogued is a Shirocco (Ger) half-sister to the Grade...