'The aim is to plug the gap in the market with the January Sale'

Selling returns to Prestbury Park on Saturday, albeit from a slightly different location, with the boutique Tattersalls Cheltenham January Sale being hosted from the owners' and trainers' marquee after racing.

Cheltenham has not staged an auction in January since 2015, albeit an event called the January Sale took place in February 2016 and 2017, but Richard Pugh, Tattersalls' director of horses in training sales, said the company felt the time was right to reintroduce the sale.

View full Tattersalls Cheltenham January Sale catalogue

"Things at Cheltenham are really strong at the moment, especially in terms of the graduates," he said. "We had a choice of four Grade 1 winners to put on the front of the January Sale catalogue - Envoi Allen, Notebook, Slate House and Battleoverdoyen - which shows how strong it is.

"Trade has been backing up the racecourse results too and we've a nice fit-for-purpose catalogue for Saturday. There'll be 16 or so horses going through the ring and they're all from a good select level. The timing seems right and the aim is to plug the gap in the market with the January Sale."

Pugh said the smaller catalogue was a central factor in the decision to host the event in the owners' and trainers' marquee, rather than the sales pavilion which is home to the majority of Cheltenham's auctions.

Richard Pugh: 'Spoke with the Tanaiste Leo Varadkar on Thursday.'Credit: Patrick McCann

"At our normal numbers, it's enough to make a show that lasts two, maybe two and a half hours," he said.

"But we knew this was more likely to be around the 45 minute mark with a smaller quantity of horses - obviously the four-year-old maidens haven't started in Ireland yet - so it seems more logical to keep the action where clients are already."

He added: "We've taken bids from the owners' and trainers' before during the Festival Sale. The core of the action there tends to be in the parade ring, but we've had someone down there for the last two years and have taken bids so it's road tested in that regard."

The sale is scheduled to begin at 4.55pm.

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