Gordon Elliott leads £200,000 search for glory from time-honoured roots

The Costellos tend to know what a good horse looks like, with the County Clare family's late patriarch Tom responsible for sourcing the likes of the exceptional Best Mate.

John Costello, one of his five sons, made an immediate impact in the Tattersalls Cheltenham ring as he was responsible for the April Sale top lot Search For Glory, who was bought by Gordon Elliott for £200,000.

It had otherwise been a quiet year for a man who brings young stores through in the fashion of his father, with the son of Fame And Glory, who even has the mighty Remittance Man on his page, jumping forward with a debut win at Quakerstown last Sunday.

"He's the first horse I've ever sold or shown here," said John Costello. "My son Conor rode him, it was his fourth winner but he'd broken his collarbone six weeks previously and had only been passed fit to ride that Sunday, so it was a great result.

"He won like a very nice horse, which we have thought he is for quite a while. We've owned him since he was a foal, we bought him privately from his breeder Pat Connell, who I also bought the Grade 1 winner Ballyadam from.

"He's a super athlete, a horse that has been a little slow to mature - ours have been off colour through the year - and when he gets a summer on him, he'll be a beautiful horse."

John Costello had not brought a horse to the Cheltenham sales ring before his £200,000 topperCredit: Debbie Burt

On the family history, he added: "Tom was my dad. He sold six Gold Cup winners that won eight Gold Cups, and five or six Grand National winners.

"We've been lucky over the years, we sold two Cheltenham Festival winners this year, my brother Tony sold [National Hunt Chase scorer] Stattler and I sold [Albert Bartlett winner] The Nice Guy.

"We'd sell most of ours as three-year-olds but two years ago this horse's sire Fame And Glory wasn't quite in fashion, but it's turned out to be a good result."

Hayes in Cotswold dreamland

Limerick farmer John Hayes is having a charmed experience at Cheltenham from just two broodmares as his arresting bumper winner Shanbally Kid caught the attention of Irish National Hunt racing's two powerhouses to bring in £190,000.

Hayes had watched with delight as Richard O'Brien produced the Presenting gelding to blow away a field containing representatives from the likes of Willie Mullins at Clonmel last week, which was one of the factors which emboldened the champion trainer's right-hand man Harold Kirk to see off the Mouse O'Ryan and Elliott axis to buy him.

"I do think he's a proper horse," said Hayes. "I think I got too fond of him, I wasn't going to sell him cheap but I think he sold well enough! We thought he would do well in a bumper and that was only eight days ago. It's all happened so fast."

Shanbally Kid: went the way of Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins for £190,000Credit: Debbie Burt

Explaining the background to producing Shanbally Kid, who had failed to sell twice as a younger horse and is out of the unraced Kalanisi's Lady, he continued: "My brother and I bought the dam at Tattersalls Ireland [in 2015 for €12,000]. She wasn't in foal and I wanted to send her to a proper stallion, and this is her first foal.

"The family has always had an interest in breeding but we've got only a couple and the other mare bred Strictlyadancer, who has won a couple of times at Cheltenham this season for Christian Williams.

"We're mainly farming beef cattle. Simple enough; I didn't ever think I'd get here."

Kirk added: "I was impressed with what I saw in his bumper, and we think the one he beat of ours [Polo Lounge] is a nice horse.

"He's going to Willie Mullins for an existing owner and I think he'll be a nice one to go jumping with."

Kirk was not finished as not long later he signed for Colin Bowe's dashing grey I Will Be Baie, a recent winner at Taylorstown from the family of Irish National-placed Marcus Du Berlais, for £150,000.

"It's one of the best families in France and his sire [Crillon] is one of the best French stallions," said Kirk. "Poliglote is a very good broodmare sire, so I just love the pedigree."

I Will Be Baie will join the Willie Mullins stable from Colin Bowe for £150,000Credit: Debbie Burt

Bowe was also responsible for consigning Goodtimecrew, a Walk In The Park filly out of a sister to the high-class dual-purpose performer Wicklow Brave. Second on her debut at Ballyknock, she was knocked down to Kevin Ross at £135,000.

"She has been bought for Harry Fry," the agent revealed. "Her sire speaks for himself and it's a lovely pedigree. Harry has done well with fillies and hopefully she'll do well for him."

Peters in fine order

Rising star British point-to-point operator Dale Peters received a huge accolade, not to mention a handsome profit, with the news that his charge Byorderofthecourt will join the Paul Nicholls stable as a £120,000 purchase.

A jockey-trainer for the last decade or so, Peters has been in a rich run of form between the flags but had considered this Court Cave gelding to be "different gravy" compared with others to have passed through his Sawtry stable.

He had bought Byorderofthecourt for a snip £20,000 at last year’s Goffs UK Spring Store Sale, and prepared him to win what had been considered to be a smart standard of maiden point at Mollington less than a fortnight ago.

Peters, who led the four-year-old from the family of the likes of In Compliance and Mount Benbulben around the ring himself, confirmed this was his biggest commercial success to date.

"I don’t think he’s dear at that price," he said, with his hands full as he accompanied the strapping individual back to the stables.

Dale Peters with his recent winner ByorderofthecourtCredit: Debbie Burt

"He’s still a bit of a boy and is the nicest we’ve had. From day one he has been easy to do and we were always planning to run him as a late four-, five-year-old. He has taken it all so well. Hopefully we can buy a few more now."

It was Tom Malone who struck the final successful bid from the back of the arena. "He is just a lovely individual and Dale did very well to get him for £20,000," said the agent.

"I saw the race, Alan Hill was very sweet on his horse and the pair pulled well clear. He looked like the sort of horse that is only going to improve, and he’ll go to Paul Nicholls."

Pipe makes his point

David Pipe had taken note of a Lingstown event which had produced the exciting Barry The Butcher and £400,000 Aintree sale-topper Croke Park.

He combined with Malone for the £155,000 Man At Work, who had fallen at the last in that race, and the trainer said he had an owner in mind.

Jenny Walsh, a rhyming and training couple with her husband Benny, who produced the Workforce gelding through their Crossgales Stables, said: "He looked like he was going to be second and we did think about running him again but he didn't need to. He's a model; he has it all."

Elliott and O'Ryan were likewise undeterred by the shambolic mishap incurred by Timmy Tuesday, who had run out on his debut at Ballyarthur.

"I don't really know what happened, he was just very unlucky - when they got racing they went the wrong side of the doll," explained Wexford trainer Andrew Latta, who had bought the Mahler gelding in a partnership for €10,000 as a foal and realised a share of £125,000 for his troubles. "But I'm very happy and he's going to a good home."

O'Ryan said: "Andrew had been talking about him for several months, so he was well recommended. He has been bought for David Barnard, who owns horses like Minella Crooner with Gordon."

This has not habitually been the most fiery of this type of sale in terms of hefty headliners, with the jumps season proper reaching its conclusion, but trade held up favourably compared with years gone by.

All-in, 52 of 61 lots sold for an aggregate of £3,506,000 and a clearance rate of 85 per cent. The average was £67,423, marginally up on last year's £67,125 from a smaller catalogue, while the median was up two per cent on 2021 at £53,500.

'Fabulous reflection of demand'

Tattersalls Cheltenham head of sales Matthew Prior said: “We have enjoyed a tremendous Tattersalls Cheltenham sales season with some outstanding results both in the sale ring on the track.

Matthew Prior: delighted with Friday's sale and the Tattersalls Cheltenham season as a wholeCredit: Laura Green

“To achieve a seasonal record-breaking turnover is a wonderful result and a great recognition of the strength in depth of the Tattersalls Cheltenham sale division – we have sold 73 horses for over £100,000 across the six sales, which is a fabulous reflection of the demand from the National Hunt buying bench.

“The season’s highlight in the ring has to be the record-breaking Cheltenham December Sale that produced an aggregate of £5,584,000, the highest turnover ever achieved by a bespoke point-to-point sale.

“Tattersalls Cheltenham graduates continue to shine at the highest level and since June 2021 we have enjoyed watching nine Grade 1 winners in action - such stars as Envoi Allen, Shishkin, Sir Gerhard, Chantry House, Bravemansgame and Ferny Hollow."

He added: “We now look ahead to our inaugural Tattersalls May National Hunt Sale to be held on Thursday, May 26 at our headquarters at Park Paddocks in Newmarket.

“Alongside the customary point-to-pointers and horses in training, the sale will feature a section of store horses as well as the part-dispersal of Ann and Alan Potts Ltd. We look forward to seeing you all in Newmarket.”

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