New Records Set at May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale

The Tattersalls Ireland May Point-to-Point and Horses in Training Sale continued the record-breaking trend set by last week’s outstanding Tattersalls Ireland Breeze Up Sale by posting its own raft of best-ever results.

A record seven lots sold for €100,000 and above, headed by the €210,000 top lot, the highest-priced horse sold to date at the May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale, which is now in its third year.

Today’s turnover of €2,208,000 is the second-best achieved at the sale, while the average price of €40,145 was an eight per cent increase on 2025’s figure.

The session’s top lot Dan De Champ (Lot 15) was one of the day’s expected highlights and the Redbridge Stables-offered four-year-old, a winner on debut at Ballindenisk on May 17, lived up to expectations. He was bought by Tom Morgan for Damian Tiernan’s CDL Racing with Ian Ferguson the underbidder.

“I have bought a few from Redbridge before and I always tell Michael [Murphy] that if he has a nice one to let me know,” reported Morgan. “I respect his judgement because he always buys a nice foal and works hard at it. I watched the video of this horse and liked what I saw – he jumped great. He will have a break now and we will look to getting him back for the autumn. There looks to be plenty more to come, and he goes to Emmett Mullins.”

A son of the young Glenview sire Old Persian, Dan De Champ, who was purchased by Redbridge Stables as a foal for €15,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale, was ridden to his debut win by Darragh Higgins, and he said: “We liked him a lot before his race, and we thought he’d be hard to beat. We dropped in, tipped around and picked it up after the second last. He gave me a good feel.

“He has never been flashy in his work, but was always there for you and is very genuine.”

Lucinda Russell and Paul McIvor purchased the Jim O’Neill-trained Saint De Gemix (Lot 26), who finished second in the same Ballindenisk maiden.

“I loved the way he walked and how he went in his point-to-point,” said Russell, the docket signed under her name and that of advisor Paul McIvor. “I have not got an owner for him as yet, I have a couple in mind, though. He will have the summer off now and look to the autumn.”

The four-year-old son of Gemix was bought as a store for €23,000 by consignor Cametigue Horses at last year’s Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale.

The winners of both divisions of the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale 4yo Geldings’ Maiden at last weekend’s Tattersalls meeting were trained and sold by the session’s leading consignor Donnchadh Doyle of Monbeg Stables, both horses selling for €120,000.

Naturalenergy (Lot 16), a son of Affinisea, was bought by bloodstock agent Ryan Mahon for champion UK trainer Dan Skelton.

“He is a nice horse who did it very well,” said Mahon. “He’s a big raw horse, Donnchadh has done well to get him there. I am looking forward to getting him back and he will be a nice horse for the winter. I am not sure who he is for at the minute, there are a few people, and it will be up for discussion.”

Mahon added: “He is a big, scopey, loose mover, and a chaser in time. We have done well with the sire and we are very happy to get him.”

Naturalenergy was originally purchased as a foal at the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale 2022 for €8,000.

Bingo Bus (Lot 18), a gelding by Nirvana Du Berlais and a €23,000 store horse purchase in France, is heading stateside having been bought by Dan Astbury for US connections.

“I was determined to get him,” reported Astbury. “He was the horse we picked out, and he will go out to Tom Garner in America. He won on quicker ground at Tattersalls at the weekend and looks the perfect type for America. I saw him do a very good piece of work a few months ago and liked him then.”

Commenting on the conclusion of the sale, Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins said:

“Following the success of the first two editions of this sale, once again there are plenty of positives to take from today’s trade. It was encouraging to see the heightened demand for graduates from the Irish point-to-point field. There was quality across both sections of the catalogue, and those that had the form horses were well rewarded.

“We’ve seen a record seven lots sell for €100,000 or more, a record top lot with Dan De Champ being sold for €210,000. And it is also encouraging to see the average rise to €40,145, an increase of eight per cent on 2025.

“We are grateful to our vendors for supporting the sale, and to our Irish and UK purchasers. The May-Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale has quickly established itself as an important addition to the National Hunt sales calendar, and it gives Irish vendors the opportunity to sell on home soil, at a key time of the year. We hope we can build on this progress made next year.”

“We now look forward to the Derby Sale, Ireland’s Premier Store Sale, which takes place on the 24th – 26th June.”