Back to the top for Hobbs as Sandhill Stables swoops for £160,000 I See The Sea at Tattersalls Cheltenham

A new era at one of British jump racing’s most famous yards signalled a welcome return to the head of an auction leaderboard for Philip Hobbs as he signed for the £160,000 I See The Sea at Friday's Tattersalls Cheltenham May Sale.

Since March, the licence at Sandhill Stables near Minehead has been a joint one shared between Hobbs and his long-serving assistant Johnson White. 

There have been a few rather quieter years since the likes of Rooster Booster and regular seasonal totals of a century or more, but a fresh outlook, for all that White has known his boss for more than 30 years, could yet be a step back towards those glory days.

The final price of Donnchadh Doyle’s son of Affinisea, a €48,000 Derby Sale purchase, tied him with the Denis Murphy-consigned Binge Worthy, who is bound for Gordon Elliott, at the head of affairs.

I See The Sea had been a solid second on his debut at Bartlemy at the beginning of the month and had caught the eye of both business partners.

"We both independently made lists when we got the catalogue and our lists were very similar," said White.

"We both looked at the horse together, we both liked him, both wanted to train him, which is obviously a major part of the job. We’re looking forward to getting him home and seeing him get on the course next season, stepping up from what he’s already done point-to-pointing."

White is realising an ambition he has held since he began working for Hobbs as a teenager and is enjoying it so far.

"A lot is the same but, equally, there’s more responsibility," he said. "Coming here to the sales and that sort of thing, joining those decisions. I haven’t done much of the sales work before but I’m going racing a bit more, which is good, just getting out and about a bit more, bumping into people." 

Hobbs explained I See The Sea was bought for a client in the yard that he could not yet disclose. 

"He’s got a good pedigree," he said. "Apparently he was nearly not going to run and just came right at the right time, so hopefully there’s improvement in time."

Binge Worthy: sold to Gordon Elliott and Aidan 'Mouse' O’RyanCredit: Debbie Burt

Elliott and agent Aidan 'Mouse' O’Ryan are very much more regularly in this position. Binge Worthy, who is out of a winning half-sister to the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Minella Indo and had scored on his debut at Dromahane, was more of a last-minute decision for the formidable operation.

"We just bought him on spec - we thought he’d make an awful lot more," said O’Ryan. 

"He’s going to go to Gordon, so he’s for sale. We actually went to see him work and school a couple of times, so we’d been keeping an eye on him. The sire [Walk In The Park] speaks for itself and the vendor speaks for itself. It’s a lovely pedigree, that Carrigeen family keeps on giving."

Hamish Macauley was briefly responsible for buying the top two lots in the sale, signing up six-figure purchases from the Doyle brothers’ Monbeg Stables.

The agent could not disclose any plans for Cormac Doyle’s Walk In The Park gelding Foxy Walk, bought for £145,000, who had got very close to winning at Dromahane last time and is a half-brother to the very capable staying hurdler The Bosses Oscar.

Foxy Walk takes his turn around the sales ring at Prestbury ParkCredit: Debbie Burt

"It’s a bit of a slow-maturing family, but I thought he was the nicest horse here today," he said. "As he matures he'll be very good – his two brothers were beaten on their first starts, too."  

Macauley’s slightly earlier purchase was the other six-figure lot. Donnchadh Doyle’s Irelands Call made £100,000 after a victory at Grennan and is another feather in the cap for Overbury’s young sire Jack Hobbs.

"He was a very nice horse and he’s been bought to go to America for Leslie Young and an owner called Gill Johnston, who has had horses in England in the past with the likes of Nicky Henderson," he said.

"We thought he’d suit. His point-to-point was on quick ground, he jumped like a stag and showed plenty of pace. He’s not too big either, 16’1 or 2, so we’re really happy to get him."

With a sign to buy tickets for the 2024 Cheltenham Festival displayed prominently on the track and the British and Irish point-to-point seasons soon drawing to a close, this was a final opportunities for consignors to offer their late spring winners before the cycle begins all over again, from next week’s store sale at Doncaster to the Derby and Arkle events in Ireland.

This event had not been held at Cheltenham since 2019, making comparisons a little difficult, but the average of £58,181 and median £50,000 were both decent improvements on that.

All in, 36 out of 37 lots - a clearance rate of 97 per cent - were sold for £2,094,500. That total pushed overall turnover for the jumps season to a record high.

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