Hits and misses - a history of expensive pointers at auction

Flemenshill eclipsed the previous auction record for a point-to-point horse when he sold to Tom Malone and Joe Tizzard for £480,000 at the postponed Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham January Sale on Thursday.

He already has promising form in the book, having beaten the highly touted Derby Sale top lot Defi Bleu to win between the flags at Oldtown this month, and his new buyers certainly think he looks the part.

So how have other expensive point-to-pointers at auction with similarly alluring credentials fared for their new owners?

PRESENTING FOREVER (form)
Breeding Presenting-Forever Bubbles (Roselier)
Sale Bought by Howard Johnson from DBS Spring Sales in 2008 for £370,000

This half-brother of Champagne Fever was developing in a useful chaser for Andrea and Graham Wylie – he finished second to Midnight Chase in a Listed handicap at Cheltenham – but died after a fall at Doncaster aged only seven.

SAMCRO (form)
Breeding Germany-Dun Dun (Saddlers' Hall)
Sale Bought by Gordon Elliott from Goffs UK Aintree Sale in 2016 for £335,000

It is early days, but the Gigginstown House Stud colourbearer has justified the faith put in him by winning both his bumper starts for Elliott, including a Listed contest at Navan on his last start in December.

ON RAGLAN ROAD (form)
Breeding Flemensfirth-Dawn Bid (Mazaad)
Sale Bought by Howard Johnson from DBS Spring Sales in 2008 for £320,000

Won between the flags at Dundrum before beating none other than Dunguib to win a Punchestown bumper prior to his sale to Johnson. Subsequently won a Hexham novice hurdle by a street and finished fourth in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham, but fell twice in big races and made few appearances for new owners Andrea and Graham Wylie.

COOL GETAWAY (form)
Breeding Getaway-Coolnacarriga (Saddlers' Hall)
Sale Bought by Mags O'Toole from Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham December Sale in 2016 for £305,000

Won a point at Tattersalls Farm by three lengths in December, three weeks before his big-money sale at Cheltenham, and is yet to make his debut for new connections.

ALISIER D'IRLANDE (form)
Breeding Kapgarde-Isati's (Chamberlin)
Sale Bought by Roger Brookhouse from Brightwells Cheltenham April Sale in 2014 for £300,000

Won by seven lengths at Templemore for Willie Codd before being purchased by Brookhouse. Philip Hobbs trained him for his next two starts, when he was third in an Ascot maiden hurdle and well beaten when stepped straight up to the Grade 2 Leamington Novices' Hurdle. He then joined Henry De Bromhead, for whom he trotted up in a Thurles maiden hurdle and has won novice chases at Naas and Leopardstown. Has struggled against the best of his peers, but has managed a third to Tell Us More in a Grade 3 chase at Naas.

OLD KILCASH (form)
Breeding Urban Ocean-Brierfield Lady (Montelimar)
Sale Bought by Boher Bloodstock from Brightwells Cheltenham April Sale in 2012 for £300,000

Defeated future Grade 2-winning hurdler Creepy by 12 lengths when he won his point at Horse and Jockey, but did not reach the same heights himself. Trained by Shark Hanlon for Barry Connell, he won only one of his seven starts under rules, a maiden hurdle at Downpatrick.