Martin Keighley goes to £46,000 for Hereford bumper winner Mikimoto at the ThoroughBid March Sale

ThoroughBid's March Sale was topped on Friday by the promising Mikimoto, a once-raced winning son of Scorpion who went the way of Martin Keighley for £46,000. 

The four-year-old, whose other sales ring adventure came when going unsold at £9,500 at the Goffs UK January Sale in 2020, was a two and a quarter-length winner of a bumper on his debut at Hereford last Sunday, winning in the colours of Shropshire-based trainer Henry Daly. 

Keighley said: “We had the second in the race Mikimoto won at Hereford and we thought that he was a decent horse, so I was interested when I saw him in the sale. 

"I think £46,000 is a more than fair price, and being able to sit here in my office bidding made the whole process very easy. It’s my first time using the platform and it was all very straightforward. 

“Although he’s only four, I believe he’s not a backward horse at all and he’ll probably go for another bumper before going over hurdles next season.”

Martin Keighley: new trainer of MikimotoCredit: Edward Whitaker

Mikimoto is the second foal out of the winning hurdler and bumper performer Keshi Pearl, a Kayf Tara half-sister to the Daly-trained Pearlysteps - who was runner-up in the Peter Marsh Chase in 2012 - and from the family of dual Champion Chase winner Pearlyman.

Fellow trainer Ben Clarke went to £30,000 to secure Peel Bloodstock's three-year-old Ellie's Warrior, a daughter of Walk In The Park out of the Grade 2-winning chaser Noras Fancy. 

Ellie's Warrior's Soldier Of Fortune half-brother, Present Soldier, was the winner of a Tattersalls Farm four-year-old maiden in November 2021 before selling to Gordon Elliott and Aidan O'Ryan for £300,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham November Sale. Fourth on his rules debut at Naas in January, the gelding makes his second start for Elliott at Leopardstown on Sunday. 

Ronan McNally's trio of The Jam Man, Vee Dancer and Dreal Deal all went unsold. 

James Richardson, CEO of ThoroughBid, said: “We’re really pleased with the sale of Mikimoto, who was last seen winning his bumper just five days ago. 

“Ben Clarke, who purchased Cheltenham Festival-bound Elegant Escape through us last year, looks to have bought a nice Walk In The Park filly for £30,000, so she could be one to keep an eye on and we’d like to wish him the best of luck once again.”

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