Miss Heritage one of the stars of the show at Goffs UK's August Sale

The National Hunt market continues in rude health, particularly for well-credentialled breeding prospects such as Miss Heritage, who will take centre stage when coming under the hammer as Lot166 during the Goffs UK August Sale, which kicks off at 10am in Doncaster on Wednesday.

The eight-year-old won six races during her career, including two bumpers while under the care of David Elsworth. But it was for Lucy Wadham that the daughter of Pour Moi scaled her highest peak, as her four victories over hurdles were capped by a 15-length romp in the Grade 2 Yorkshire Rose Mares' Hurdle this year.

And it is not just an accomplished race record that Miss Heritage has going for her, as she possesses a pedigree replete with black type. Her dam, the Alhaarth mare Haretha, is out of the German 1,000 Guineas heroine Walesiana and is therefore a three-parts sister to Zahrat Dubai, winner of the 1999 running of the Group 1 Nassau Stakes.

As if all that wasn’t enough to tempt any prospective purchaser, Miss Heritage will be offered in foal to Nathaniel, sire of major Flat talents Enable and Desert Crown and an increasingly prolific source of high calibre jumpers having supplied the likes of Burning Victory, Concertista and Zanahiyr.

“She’s been with us for about six weeks and she’s let down and is looking great,” said Mimi Wadham of WH Bloodstock, who consign the mare on behalf of the Miss Heritage Partnership.

“She’s a lovely model who’s very correct with a stunning head on her. She’s athletic, a good mover and is just about 16 hands and very attractive, so hopefully she’ll appeal to plenty of breeders.

Miss Heritage: Grade 2-winning hurdler is in foal to Nathaniel and will be offered at the Goffs UK August SaleCredit: Goffs UK

“She’s been covered by a slightly more dual-purpose stallion so she could appeal to both Flat and jumps breeders, but with this new National Hunt juvenile programme coming into effect she looks ideal for those National Hunt breeders trying to produce a more precocious, earlier type of horse.

“The store sales have been very strong again so hopefully breeders have lined their pockets and will be ready to go again.”

Another area of the National Hunt market that has run hot lately is the point-to-point sector, and the August Sale catalogue also features a host of unexposed types with eye-catching form credentials from some of the most successful handlers in the game.

Michael Goff’s Moate Stables sends a six-strong draft to Doncaster, headed by Some Scope (74), a four-year-old son of Telescope who recorded a comfortable success on his debut at Tralee, and Kaituna River (100), a five-year-old by Ask who struck first time out at Dromahane.

Denis Murphy’s Ballyboy Stables will offer five lots, including Fortuitous Find (76), a 17-length winner of a five-year-old maiden at Tralee, and Theatrical Light (123), a four-year-old daughter of Leading Light who finished a promising second on her debut at Punchestown.

Four graduates of Colin Bowe’s Milestone Stables academy will come under the hammer, each boasting recent winning form, including Montmartre Abbey (81), who looked to have a bright future when scoring cosily on debut at Tralee, and the four-year-old filly Shiroccosmagicgem (109), a daughter of Shirocco who opened her account at the second time of asking at Dromahane.

Another lot with a winning debut to his name is Townhill (101), the four-year-old son of Presenting from the family of Royal Regatta and Three Musketeers who won at Loughrea for Sam Curling and owner Wilson Dennison of Loughanmore Farms.

The 282-lot catalogue also contains a selection of stores, including 43 jumps-bred two-year-olds, with the juvenile section added in support of the new Junior National Hunt Development Hurdle race programme, which will be open exclusively to three-year-olds from October to December this year, and four-year-olds from January to April.

Among the sires represented in the two-year-old section are leading names such as Blue Bresil, Doctor Dino, Doyen, Getaway, No Risk At All and Yeats.

Tim Kent: 'We feel we’ve got a good bunch of two-year-olds and it will be interesting to see how they get on'Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

“The inclusion of the two-year-olds has followed conversations with the TBA, who are bringing in the three-year-old hurdle series later this year,” said Tim Kent, managing director of Goffs UK.

“Obviously if that’s going to work then there needs to be a sales feed for those races, and the idea is that these two-year-olds could be running in those races at the end of next year.

“We feel we’ve got a good bunch of two-year-olds and it will be interesting to see how they get on as there’s been a good reception for them from both pinhookers and trainers. We saw a number of them before the sale and we’re cautiously optimistic.”

Expanding on his wider expectations ahead of the one-day sale, Kent said: “The horses-in-training section of the catalogue has come together well so we’re excited to be offering those horses, and there are some very decent National Hunt mares in there too, who seem to be going well.

"As ever, there’s also the non-select group of three-year-old stores. However, there are a number who were offered places in earlier sales but couldn’t go for whatever reason.

“We all know the store market has been very strong so we’d be hopeful there are a number of trainers who haven’t managed to buy their stores up to now, but fingers crossed they will like what they see on Wednesday and can get their orders filled.

"There are some nice horses if people are prepared to have a look, and there aren’t huge numbers so that’s easy enough to do.”

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