Big-money buys: how did the four previous record-breaking jumps purchases fare on the track?

Ringing the tills in the sales ring has never been a guarantee of success on the track but both Lady Bamford and Nicky Henderson will have been all too aware of that when paying €1.4 million for Palladium. Here, we look at the careers of the four previous most expensive jumps horses bought at public auction.

• Adonis aim for Palladium after €1.4m buy eased to 16-1 for Triumph despite winning on hurdling debut 

Royal Rosa - £372,000 (2003)

When Graham Wylie decided to get into buying jumps horses in the early 2000s he did nothing by halves. It was as a wedding present to wife Andrea that he instructed trainer Howard Johnson to go for broke to obtain Royal Rosa, the winner of three out of four starts in bumpers for Henderson and the Million In Mind partnership, culminating in a Grade 1 at the Punchestown Festival.

During his novice hurdling season he landed a Haydock Grade 2 at the expense of Fundamentalist, who went on to beat another Wylie-owned favourite the following month at the festival in Inglis Drever. 

He looked a potential star when chasing home Iris's Gift at Aintree while still a novice that April, but injury made sure that he never got within 10lb of that Racing Post Rating of 157 in 23 subsequent starts.

Garde Champetre - £556,500 (2004)

Almost certainly the most fondly remembered purchase on the list is Garde Champetre, whose greatest successes came in the cross-country sphere. 

Remarkably it was the Million In Mind gang which again cashed in, following his Grade 1 novice hurdle defeat of Monet's Garden at Aintree when trained by Paul Nicholls.

Timmy Hyde paid a price which would stand as the record for 15 years on behalf of JP McManus and the former French bumper winner went to Jonjo O'Neill, proceeding to score once in nine attempts.

Garde Champetre and Nina Carberry on their way to Cheltenham successCredit: Edward Whitaker

'King of the Banks' Enda Bolger was charged with rekindling the flame, and sent him out to win six times at the Cheltenham cross-country course — twice at the festival — while he also claimed four wins over the Punchestown banks. 

Interconnected - £620,000 (2019)

Darren Yates has made headlines in recent months by announcing that he is to gradually exit the sport, beginning with the private sale of his Challow winner The New Lion to McManus. 

It all looked very different when trainer Phil Kirby gave the winning bid for Interconnected, who had previously cost Mike Grech and Steve Parkin £220,000 after winning a Larkhill point-to-point by 20 lengths. He then went back in the ring as the two sought to dissolve their partnership, having finished second on his sole start for Nicky Henderson.

Interconnected failed to win in five starts under rulesCredit: Edward Whitaker

Sadly for Yates and his wife Annaley, Interconnected failed to win in three more runs over hurdles and a solitary start over fences for trainer Dan Skelton. 

Caldwell Potter - £633,000 (2024)

If the news that Grech and Parkin were to disperse their stock caused excitement in 2019, then the decision and Andrew and Gemma Brown to send their entire string to the sales in February 2024 was of an altogether different magnitude.

Caldwell Potter and Harry Cobden at Windsor last FridayCredit: Edward Whitaker

Caldwell Potter, a Grade 1 winner at Leopardstown over Christmas and a sibling to such talents as Brighterdaysahead and French Dynamite, was touted as a future Gold Cup winner and Gordon Elliott fought to keep him in his yard before being outbid by Highflyer's Anthony Bromley, who secured him for €740,000.

After a pleasing start to his chasing career for Paul Nicholls when winning at Carlisle in October, he has been well held in subsequent starts by Jango Baie at Cheltenham and Gidleigh Park at Windsor. 

He still has time on his side but Nicholls said after Caldwell Potter's latest defeat: "Harry [Cobden] got off and said he's a very nice horse but not a champion, and I'd echo that."

Read more . . .

Adonis aim for Palladium after €1.4m buy eased to 16-1 for Triumph despite winning on hurdling debut 

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