‘We were bang on the money’ - classy Clearpoint brings 75,000gns as home team stems international tide at Tattersalls

Trade at the head of the market on day two of the Tattersalls February Sale was dominated by those recruiting for overseas. The notable exception was the day’s top lot as Hampshire-based trainer Simon Hodgson went to 75,000gns for the talented sprinter Clearpoint. 

The four-year-old son of Ardad has won four races throughout his career, with the last two of those successes coming for Charlie Fellowes. He reached a peak official rating of 93 and changed hands having been declared for the Listed BetUK Kachy Stakes over six furlongs at Lingfield on Sunday. 

“I don’t know if he’ll run on Sunday, I’ll have to speak to my owner first,” said Hodgson, who signed the docket alongside the name of his client’s P C F Racing banner. “John Whelan has always been a big supporter of his trainers. 

“Over the last few years he’s lost a couple of good sprinters, horses like Silent Echo and Total Commitment, and he’s been looking to try and replace them. They were placed in Wokinghams and Stewards’ Cups so we were looking for a nice sprint handicapper. This was the only one at this sale that I thought was worth having a look at. I’d like his turf form to have been a little better but hopefully we’ll have a lot of fun with him.” 

Simon Hodgson: trainer bought top lot Clearpoint for 75,000gns Credit: Laura Green

Clearpoint was making his third appearance on the public market. He first fetched £100,000 from Blandford Bloodstock before heading into training for Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum. He won his first two starts at two for Richard Fahey but rather lost his way and was picked up by owner Paul Wildes at 22,000gns at the August Horses-in-Training Sale in 2023. He rediscovered his form for Fellowes, winning at Kempton and Wolverhampton, the latter effort in November earning him a career-high Racing Post Rating (RPR) of 99.

“We said he’d probably make between 60 and 80 thousand so we were bang on the money,” continued Hodgson. “My owner is in his 80s now but he loves going racing and when he gets a bee in his bonnet about a horse he usually buys. We bought a Mastercraftsman filly from Juddmonte in July; we paid 55,000gns for her [Angelica K] and she finished third in a maiden last week so he’s getting the bug for the summer. He’s on the bridle, so to speak!” 

Moore’s Encore

Agent JD Moore was busy throughout the session and his haul was capped by the 62,000gns First Encore, who was presented by Ed Walker Racing. The Rathbarry Stud-bred son of Acclamation carried the colours of Catherine Cashman to victory on his two most recent outings, with those wins coming over seven furlongs at Wolverhampton and Lingfield. He hit a peak RPR of 83 last time out. 

JD Moore: "We thought he’d possibly make more so we feel he’s good value at that price"Credit: Laura Green

“He’s a nice horse and his form is very consistent,” said Moore. “He’s for a client who’s had a lot of luck buying out of Tattersalls and he’ll be going out to Doha to hopefully continue winning out there. We thought he’d possibly make more so we feel he’s good value at that price.” 

Moore’s purchase was made on behalf of trainer Hamad Al Jehani, who won the Qatar Derby with the Wathnan Racing-owned Jeff Koons back in December. 

Moore was the third biggest spender at this year’s February Sale, with five purchases costing a combined 150,000gns. He also went to 50,000gns for Pagliacci from Sir Mark Prescott’s Heath House Stables draft. The three-year-old son of Gleneagles finished third on his last three starts in the Denford Stud silks. 

Clover shows his Character

The Barton Sales-consigned Character Testing is returning to Tom Clover after being sold to owner Michael Bringloe in a private transaction worth 58,000gns. The three-year-old son of Time Test was second on his first four starts and opened his account at the fifth time of asking with a length-and-a-quarter success over a mile at Southwell. 

Character Testing returning to trainer Tom Clover after his 58,000gns sale at Park PaddocksCredit: Laura Green

The 32,000gns yearling is out of a granddaughter of 1,000 Guineas heroine Sleepytime and boasts a career-high RPR of 79. 

“He’s a lovely horse and Mike, who’s an existing owner, expressed an interest so the horse is coming back to us, which is really pleasing,” said Clover. “The horse has plenty of size and there’s lots of improvement in him. He’ll probably benefit from being gelded so we might get that done now and then take a view on plans. 

"I think we can look forward to a really exciting campaign with him. He might be a horse who can step up to ten furlongs and might also suit a campaign abroad in time.” 

Middle Eastern money moves the market 

Also bound for the Middle East is Rayyan Bu Thaila who brought 55,000gns from Will Douglass of Charlie Gordon-Watson Bloodstock when offered by Jamie Railton. The unraced three-year-old son of Bated Breath was something of a collectors’ item in pedigree terms as he bears the suffix QA having been bred in Qatar. 

The colt was bred under the banner of Promenade Bloodstock after Meah Lloyd Bloodstock signed for the dam, the Listed-placed Facade, at 35,000gns in December 2020 when she was carrying the Bated Breath colt in utero. 

“He’s for a Qatari owner and he’s Qatari bred, so he qualifies for their local-bred races in Qatar,” said Douglass. “There was another horse yesterday [Lot 7, bought by JD Moore] who made 31,000gns that I was the underbidder on. I thought this was the nicer horse though so I expected he’d make more. It looked like I was bidding against other Qatari interests. 

"Some people like to have their horses born in Qatar then bring them over here to race. He’s been with Kevin Philippart de Foy. He’ll stay here for a bit and then ship back out to Qatar.” 

Rayyan Bu Thaila: Bated Breath colt is bound for QatarCredit: Laura Green

The very next lot into the ring fetched 50,000gns as Peter Harper secured the twice-raced Swing The Ring, another from the Railton draft. The twice-raced son of Not This Time finished fourth on both outings for De Foy, with an RPR of 71 achieved for the most recent of those performances. 

“He’ll go to Saudi Arabia and he’s for Sheikh Abdullah Salman Alsabah,” said Harper. “He’s nice and looks progressive. He fitted the bill and we hope he’ll do a job out in Saudi. He cost more than I thought, mind, but there you go. He’ll go straight over to Saudi and Sheikh Abdullah will decide who’ll train him once he’s arrived.”

Railton led the consignors’ table with 19 lots sold for receipts totalling 372,000gns. This was the first Tattersalls sale since the operation took on a new sponsor, the international currency trading organisation Orbis Exchange. Orbis will sit alongside Railton’s existing sponsor, David Ashby Underwriting. 

“Orbis have a total understanding of the racing and bloodstock industry and can provide an efficient and economical service to buyers and sellers,” said Railton. 

“Harry Wills, their head of bloodstock, will be at all sales to help clients with currency exchange. Jamie Railton Sales Agency were the first sales consignment to be sponsored and also the first company in Europe to use automated viewing systems. We'll continue to innovate and adapt to the ever changing marketplace.”

Final figures

The two-day sale produced a solid-looking set of figures, with the average improving by three per cent to 14,315gns while the median rose by four per cent to 7,250gns. With 83 fewer lots coming under the hammer (a 23 per cent decrease) turnover was always liable to drop, and aggregate sales duly fell by 31 per cent to 2,863,000gns. 

The clearance rate was slightly less healthy than 12 months ago, as 273 lots were offered and 200 sold at a clip of 73 per cent. In 2023 the clearance rate was 84 per cent as 298 sold from 356 offered. 

A horse leaves the ring on the first day of the Tattersalls February SaleCredit: Laura Green

At the close of trade, Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said: “The sale-topping 200,000gns Shadwell broodmare Taqaareed and the 125,000gns Juddmonte colt Retort were the obvious highlights of the 2024 Tattersalls February Sale. Taqaareed is the second-highest price at this fixture since 2018 and Retort is the third-highest priced colt in training ever sold at the Tattersalls February Sale, with both of them demonstrating the sustained domestic and international demand for quality breeding stock and horses in training. 

“As ever the overseas contribution has been notable. Buyers from throughout Europe and the Gulf region have been out in force, the 125,000gns colt Retort is heading to Australia and North African buyers have again been conspicuous. Domestic British and Irish buyers, both Flat and National Hunt, have been the mainstay of the sale, but the smallest February catalogue since 2014 has unsurprisingly produced turnover some way short of last year’s impressive figure and the clearance rate, while eminently respectable, has not matched the customary market-leading levels that we would aspire to at sales of this nature.  

“Nevertheless, the average and median have both held up well with small increases in both categories, and the National Hunt fraternity have a rare and immediate opportunity to look forward to, with the outstanding Andy and Gemma Brown Dispersal taking place this coming Monday at Tattersalls Ireland.” 

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