‘I turned down £600,000 for him – was I disappointed today? Not even slightly’ – Gordon Elliott moves for David Maxwell Dispersal top lot

El Cairos lived up to his headline billing at the David Maxwell Dispersal at Tattersalls Cheltenham on Friday, bringing the hammer down at £410,000. 

Bidding opened with an online play of £200,000 before the likes of Dan Skelton and Dan Astbury threw their hats into the ring. Aidan ‘Mouse’ O’Ryan was responsible for just a solitary bid, but that £10,000 increase proved the most decisive contribution as the upwardly mobile talent was knocked down in his and Gordon Elliott’s direction. 

“Obviously he’s the standout here and I’m delighted to get him,” said O’Ryan. “I thought we’d have to give a bit more for him, especially when you see what point-to-pointers are making. He looks like he’s a lot further on than one of them too. I don’t know whether people stayed away or what, but that was my only bid. Put it this way, I think if you tried to buy him privately in different circumstances, you’d have no chance of buying him for that price. He’d make double.”  

Big Read with David Maxwell:

'I know what people said about me - but I didn't care because I wasn't going to jock myself off my own horses' 

El Cairos first advertised his talents with a first-time-out victory in a Curraghmore four-year-old maiden for trainer Jim O’Neill. His first visit to a sales ring saw the son of No Risk At All bring €58,000 from Richard Frisby as a foal. That value increased to €200,000 on the back of his success between the flags when agent Jerry McGrath signed the ticket at the Goffs Punchestown Sale. 

That transaction saw El Cairos transferred to Gary and Josh Moore. He duly hacked up on rules debut in a Newbury bumper, winning by six and a half lengths. His next start came in the Champion Bumper, where he was beaten into a highly creditable fifth behind Bambino Fever. 

His most recent outing came at the Punchestown Festival where he compromised his chance of victory by hanging badly left after taking up the running approaching the final furlong. He ultimately finished a length-and-a-half second to Alan King’s Baron Noir.

Lot 10 sells for £410,000 to Gordon Elliott and his team CheltenhamCredit: Edward Whitaker

“I’m delighted to get him and the lads are delighted too,” continued O’Ryan. “He’s for Dave Rabson of KTDA Racing and obviously he goes to Gordon’s. He looks a racy sort, he’s not a big slow horse. You would think he’d be a two-miler and we need a couple of those. We hope he’ll give us some nice days in Ireland and then hopefully bring us back here in March.” 

Asked about how the decision to move for El Cairos came about, O’Ryan said: “We’d been talking about him for the last couple of weeks, like we discuss things all the time. I’d actually been trying to get Dave to buy a juvenile hurdler in Newmarket next week but I suppose I won’t have to now!” 

El Cairos’ future potential is underpinned by an appealing pedigree. Not only is he by one of the hottest sires around, he was bred by Eric and Maryse Aubree from Linda Queen, a half-sister to Paul Nicholls’ Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices' Chase scorer Hinterland. Another of the dam’s siblings, Lofte Place, has bred three black type talents, including the Listed-winning and Grade 1 performers Placenet and Thrilling. 

O’Ryan’s assertion about El Cairos costing more on the private market proved spot on, as Maxwell made a typically frank admission in the aftermath of the sale. 

“If ever the people who bought El Cairos are worried about what they paid for him, I can truthfully tell you I turned down £600,000 for him three weeks ago,” he said. “I’d told Tattersalls I wouldn’t sell anything before the sale because I didn’t want to hollow this out. Was I disappointed? Not even slightly, because they’ve done a magnificent job here and it’s all part of the theatre of the sport. It’s got to be done in an exciting arena.” 

The 17-strong draft generated ring turnover of £2,257,000 and an average price of £132,765. While those rate thoroughly respectable figures Maxwell, who has been forced to retire from riding his own horses on medical grounds after suffering his fourth broken back, said the venture had “never been about money.” 

David Maxwell: 'Never in the entire time I’ve looked between the ears of a horse has this been about money'Credit: Edward Whitaker

Asked for his emotions after the final lot had left the ring, he said: “Truthfully, I did my grieving for the riding six or eight weeks ago when I had to make the decision. I’ve been wrestling with it all over the summer and, as if right on cue, as I was watching the horses go through the ring, the tingling down my left arm from the spinal injury started again. 

“Who I really felt for today is the lads and lasses who look after these horses. If you ask the horse who owns them, they won’t say ‘the lunatic in the red and brown who’s ridden me a few times’, it’s the guys and girls who feed them and muck them out. I’m really excited to watch these horses being professionally ridden because I’ve always slightly felt I was holding them back - but we’re about to see!” 

He added: “This has never been about money. Never in the entire time I’ve looked between the ears of a horse has this been about money. Noel Fehily and David Crosse [who presented the horses] were getting quite wound up, but I said ‘Guys, calm down!’ This is about the sport and the horses, and that’s cool.” 

Derham ‘relieved’ as Just Ennemi returns at £320,000

“It’s a cliche that’s overused in racing but he really could be anything,” said auctioneer Matt Hall when Just Ennemi came into the ring early in the piece. Trainer Harry Derham went to £320,000 to find out how good the lightly raced five-year-old could be, having seen off the attention of David Phelan and an online underbidder. 

Derham would know better than most the level of talent Just Ennemi possesses as, despite remaining unraced in Britain, the son of Kamsin has been at his Lambourn base throughout this season. 

“I’m relieved!” said Derham. “Horses of his potential and talent are not commonplace in a young trainer’s yard, or in any yard for that matter. We’d done all the waiting and all this year it’s felt like we were building towards this season with him. It’s been a bit of a stressful old time but I’m very pleased he’s coming back. 

“He’s for some existing owners, it’s not one man or woman, and I’m very grateful to them. Obviously it’s a lot of money but I felt his French form was pretty strong, especially considering the money you pay for Irish point-to-pointers. I’ll get him back to mine and I can’t wait to run him in a novice chase. He’s a proper horse.”

Just Ennemi sells to Harry Derham Racing for £320,000Credit: Jason Bax

Just Ennemi won two of his three starts in France for Dominique Bressou. He debuted at three with a 19-length victory stroll at Argentan. That wide-margin win prompted a private transfer to Maxwell’s silks, but he disappointed on his first start for his new owner when a well-held sixth of nine in the Prix Ventriloque. 

He put that blip well and truly behind him following a 189-day break as he was last seen comfortably landing the Prix Cadoudal at Auteuil. He has not been seen on a racecourse since, but did make the switch to Derham ahead of the 2025 campaign. 

Those French performances have resulted in an official handicap mark of 128. 

Just Ennemi certainly has the pedigree to rate higher as he is out of Aubane, a daughter of Cadoudal who won a brace of Listed contests over hurdles, namely the Prix de Chambly and the Prix Sagan. 

Aubane has bred seven winners at paddocks, with Just Ennemi a half-brother to the Grade 2 scorer Perfect Impulse. Another sibling, the Listed-placed Sacral Nirvana, is now better known as the dam of On The Go. The dual Grade 1 winner, whose top-level scores came in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris and the Prix Maurice Gillois, is closely related to Just Ennemi as both are by late German Derby winner Kamsin. 

Jury off to Bowen at £250,000

Off The Jury will make the switch from Alan King’s stable to Mickey Bowen’s yard after agent Dan Astbury struck a bid of £250,000. 

The six-year-old son of Jukebox Jury is one of the highest rated maidens in the country having last been seen finishing runner-up in the valuable Grade 3 European Breeders' Fund Novices’ Handicap Hurdle Final at Sandown. That effort saw his official mark raised to 131. 

The full results from the David Maxwell dispersal

“He’s been bought for an existing client of Mickey’s,” said Astbury, who added the name Martin Gowing to the docket alongside his own and the trainer’s. “Hopefully he can take the owner to some big days. 

“He can go for a maiden hurdle and then straight for a Graded novice. He’s battle-hardened over hurdles and hopefully that’ll stand him in good stead. I loved his profile and hopefully he can give us a lot to look forward to.” 

Astbury added: “You can’t normally buy a horse like him. You can buy pointers but horses with such a high level of proven form and the chance of giving the owners some big days out straight away don’t come along very often.” 

Two more join 200 club

Five lots fetched north of £200,000, with Fergal O’Brien striking a bid of £220,000 for In D'Or, a three-time winner for Venetia Williams. The name Jane May appeared on the docket of the seven-year-old son of Nidor. 

Agent Gerry Hogan also got involved at the head of affairs when going to £210,000 for Midtown Manhattan. The youngster is unraced under rules but won a Ballysteen four-year-old maiden for Colin Bowe. 

That six-and-a-half length score saw the son of Order Of St George knocked down to Noel Fehily and David Crosse at €205,000 at this year’s Goffs Punchestown Sale. Friday was the four-year-old’s third turn in the sales ring, having been pinhooked by Bowe’s Milestone Bloodstock at €40,000.

“I actually underbid him at Punchestown and have followed him here today,” said Hogan. “He’s a striking horse and he came very well recommended in Ireland and I know Noel Fehily liked him a lot too. He vets very well, he’s a lovely horse with loads of potential. He’s been bought for an existing client and I’d say he’ll go back to Ireland.” 

Another of Maxwell’s Punchestown Sale purchases was Risky Obsession, who was sourced through Fehily and Crosse for €170,000. The four-year-old son of No Risk At All made a winning start between the flags at Ballyknock for Matthew Flynn O'Connor and was signed for on Friday by owners Craig and Laura Buckingham, who stood beside Dan Skelton during the action, at £190,000. 

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