Arctic Bresil runs hot at £305,000 as Cheltenham sales back with a bang

After a 610-day hiatus that stretched back to the 2020 Festival, selling finally returned to the home of jumps racing on Friday with the Tattersalls Cheltenham November Sale. And boy was it good to be back.

In front of a packed crowd the fairly breathless session saw 14 lots break into six-figure territory and the market headed by the £305,000 Arctic Bresil, who went the way of Gerry Hogan after the agent had seen off the challenges of Aiden Murphy and Willy Twiston-Davies.

The four-year-old son of Blue Bresil had a somewhat unusual profile for a Cheltenham sales-topper, having run twice without winning for Sean Doyle.

He had, however, looked poised to make a successful debut at Curraghmore when unseating two out, before going down by just three-quarters of a length to the promising, and similarly pricey, Present Soldier in a red hot maiden at Tattersalls Farm just six days before he came under the hammer at Prestbury Park.

"He's a very impressive-looking horse with size and scope," said Hogan. "He was very unlucky the first day and ran a cracker the second day, so he's one you'd be excited about. It was a toss of a coin between him and the winner really but this horse just really filled the eye. He's a horse with loads to come. I'm not sure who'll train him yet but he'll come back to Ireland."

Gerry Hogan: 'We always think these horses will come cheaper but unfortunately they don't!'Credit: Debbie Burt

When asked if he felt Arctic Bresil might have cost slightly less considering he remains a maiden, Hogan said with a wry smile: "We always think these horses will come cheaper but unfortunately they don't!"

Doyle, who pinhooked the four-year-old from last year's Derby Sale at €62,000, was understandably thrilled with the result. He said: "I've not had a horse like him in years, he's just one of those horses who has everything. He was probably the best-looking guy at the party here so I'm over the moon.

"He was just a bit unlucky in his two point-to-points, he was going to win the first day and just had a little blip at the second last and then came out and ran second in probably the best maiden we've ever seen at Fairyhouse.

"I'm delighted with that though, it's brilliant, and I hope he's very lucky. I bought him at the Derby Sale from some of the best producers of young horses around in the Bleahen brothers."

Elliott and O'Ryan in action

Remarkably the first three home in the Tattersalls Farm maiden in question contributed £905,000 to turnover, as Present Soldier and the third, Master Chewy, also brought £300,000 apiece.

Present Soldier will switch from Denis Murphy's Ballyboy Stables to Gordon Elliott after the Cullentra House trainer and Aidan O'Ryan struck the first £300,000 bid while hidden away to the right of the rostrum away from the main bidding area.

"For us he was the star of the show," said O'Ryan. "He's for the KTDA Racing boys; they're brilliant fellas and they're on a savage run. Dave Page and Dave Rabson are supporting myself and Gordon through thick and thin. They're brilliant owners and they're both as game as a pebble.

"This is a gorgeous horse who came well recommended and it looked like a really good maiden he won, so hopefully he'll go and do good things for the lads in the future."

Elliott added: "I was there and saw him myself and he looks like a really nice horse. In fairness to Dave Page he watched the race later that night and was straight onto us."

KTDA Racing have had four runners with Elliott in the last two weeks and all four have won. The quartet includes Altior's half-sister Bellatior, the €300,000 Derby Sale top lot who made a winning debut in a Naas bumper, and the Kim Muir scorer Mount Ida, who landed a Listed contest at Clonmel.

The four-year-old Present Soldier, a son of Presenting and the Grade 2-winning Brian Boru mare Noras Fancy, was being offered for the second time, having been pinhooked as a foal by Richard Frisby at €33,000. The youngster, whose dam is a half-sister to the dam of The Bosses Oscar, was acquired privately by Murphy and Joey Logan after he missed the Derby Sale.

"I've brought two very, very nice horses here this evening," said Murphy, who also sold Chasing Fire to Aiden and Olly Murphy for £170,000. "I'd be very surprised if they don't both go forward in a big way as they're both serious horses."

Third time lucky for Twiston-Davies

Having been among the underbidders on Arctic Bresil and Present Soldier, Willy Twiston-Davies made it third time lucky when he struck for Master Chewy, who was offered by Pat Doyle's Suirview Stables having been beaten a length and a half by Present Soldier.

"He's been bought for the same people who own I Like To Move It [Anne-Marie & Jamie Shepperd]," said Twiston-Davies' father, leading trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies.

Master Chewy brings £300,000Credit: Debbie Burt

"We're very excited about him. The race he ran in looked like a good race and we'll hope he's the best of them! He'll probably run in a bumper but we'll get him home and have a think about where we'll go with him."

The four-year-old son of Walk In The Park made his third appearance on the public market by far his most fruitful. He was first signed for as a foal by Gerry Hogan at €28,000 but was then unsold at just £24,000 when offered at the Goffs UK Summer Store Sale.

Potter makes his mark

It took just six lots for the £100,000 barrier to be broken for the first time as James Potter, owner of Yorton Farm, and Harold Kirk, chief sales ring ally of Willie Mullins, clashed over Donnchadh Doyle's Smiling Getaway.

The former party was plainly in no mood to be denied, as some swift responses to Kirk's efforts kept the bid board ticking over at a rate of knots. A final £5,000 increase delivered from among the crowd in the heaving bidders' area saw the gavel come down at £235,000.

The daughter of Getaway boasts pedigree and performance, as not only is she out of an Old Vic sister to One Cool Cookie and In Compliance, but she made a successful debut with a ten-length romp at Loughanmore in late October.

The filly was making her second appearance at public auction, having been pinhooked by Doyle's Monbeg Stables at €52,000 from last year's Derby Sale.

"We haven't got a plan at the moment," said Potter after signing the six-figure docket. "She's a lovely young filly though and the beauty of having the stud at Yorton Farm is that fillies like her have their place after racing. She's going to be trained by Dan Skelton so he'll take her home from here tonight and assess her, then we'll work on a plan after that."

Expanding on the four-year-old's appeal, Potter said: "We went over to the stable yard earlier today and as soon as me and my daughter, Debbie, saw her we both absolutely loved her. She moved so well and I think the point-to-point she won was strong. I thought she'd make a few quid but we're happy to be taking her home."

Potter will have another sale to worry about early next month, as Goffs UK are scheduled to host the December Point-to-Point Sale at the historic Yorton Farm in Leighton just outside Welshpool on December 2.

Williams upgrades

Christian Williams has showcased his training talents by transforming bargain buys such as the 5,000gns Kitty's Light into high-achieving performers on the track.

After Friday's sale the Ogmore-by-Sea-based trainer can look forward to operating with some upgraded raw materials after his name appeared on the docket of three lots at an outlay of £405,000.

The pricest of the purchases, which were signed for alongside the name Gwent Holdings, was the £200,000 Not Long Left, a son of Presenting who finished runner-up to The Gunner Yeats for Donnchadh Doyle at Dromahane on Sunday.

"We absolutely loved him and we're trying to push on to the next level now so it's great to be able to buy a horse like him for the yard," said Williams. "I thought he was a bit unlucky in his point-to-point, he didn't jump the second-last great but he was highly recommended and he's a great stamp of horse.

"I won three races on Denman and he was by Presenting too so I've got a soft spot for the sire. It's great to be able to buy a nice type of horse so I hope he's lucky for us and his new owner."

Not Long Left was another four-year-old whose value was on a marked upward trajectory, having last been seen bringing €40,000 from Ballycrystal Stable at the Derby Sale, three years after he had brought the same price from Dromoland Farm at the Goffs November Sale.

Williams' other buys were the £105,000 Camulus, a Walk In The Park half-brother to Freewheelin Dylan who finished second on debut at Curraghmore for Denis Hogan, and the £100,000 Montgomery, who was secured in conjunction with Tom Malone having finished runner-up in a Worcester bumper for Tom Lacey.

Final figures

Last year's November Sale, which saw a much smaller catalogue headed by the €470,000 Ginto, was staged in Ireland at Fairyhouse, making direct year-on-year comparisons somewhat complicated.

However, turnover of £4,288,500 was up 44 per cent compared to the last Cheltenham renewal of the November Sale in 2019. The average price of £85,770 was down by eight per cent compared to that renewal, while the median of £63,500 was also down by the same amount.

Some 54 lots were offered and 50 found a buyer for a clearance rate of 93 per cent.

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