Top Prices For Four-Year-Old Pair Bentraghhill and Jewel Hope

The second renewal of the one-day Tattersalls Ireland May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale showed continued progression on the sale’s inaugural year, with a substantially larger catalogue that featured 75 point-to-pointers and 33 horses in training.

The session was headed up by three six-figure lots, one more than last year, including two horses that fetched €150,000 apiece.

Bentraghhill (Lot 42), a son of Getaway sold by Loughanmore Farms for owner Wilson Dennison, was bought by agent Harold Kirk and trainer Willie Mullins.

The once-raced four-year-old gelding was third at Fairyhouse in April for trainer Cormac Abernethy and Kirk said: “He is a gorgeous horse and we have bought so many Grade 1 winners from Wilson Dennison, at least eight or nine individual Grade 1 horses.

“This horse ran fantastically well for a big horse on his first run, he was only beaten three lengths. He has a lot of filing out to do, he has a good pedigree and is a beautiful model. He will go to grass now; he needs time.”

Bentraghhill is out of the Definite Article mare Itsalark, dam of the Grade 2-winning hurdler Party Central, and the Grade 3 winner Craigneiche.

It was the second time the gelding has been sold in the Fairyhouse sale ring having been purchased as a yearling by Ian Ferguson at the Winter Flat & National Hunt Sale in 2022 for €40,000.

Jewel Hope (Lot 35) became the first six-figure lot sold in the session when bought by Hamish Macauley Bloodstock.

From the first crop of Masar, Jewel Hope was the stallion’s first Irish point-to-point runner and winner when coming home 25 lengths clear at Ballindenisk on his second career start earlier this month.

Purchased at last year’s Tattersalls July Sale by Monbeg Stables for 25,000gns, the four-year-old gelding is a half-brother to nine winners of which two are black-type Flat performers and includes Reckoning, the dam of the Grade 1 Ascot Gold Cup winner Subjectivist.

The sale’s leading purchaser Macauley, who also bought Crystal du Berlais (Lot 3), a daughter of Crystal Ocean for €75,000, said: “Jewel Hope is bred to be a top-class Flat performer and he’s a fine big horse. He did it very well the other day, and plans are being finalised.”

Bloodstock agent Tom Malone purchased Ellie Marie (Lot 92) for €100,000. This mare finished second on her debut in a four-year-old mares’ maiden at April’s Tullaherin meeting for handler Andrew Slattery.

“Willie Slattery called her a good filly three months ago and even though she was beaten, she hit the line hard,” said Malone of the Walk In The Park four-year-old. “I would say it will stand up a good maiden in time, so I am happy to get her. She will come home to me now and we will get her sold.”

Malone will be taking two horses back to his farm for resale – the agent also purchased the Dawstown point-to-point winner Inishbofin (Lot 46) for €85,000.

Sold by Sam Curling’s Skehanagh Stables, Malone said: “He is a lovely, big strong horse and Sam has liked him along the way. He was fourth at Dromahane on his debut in a very good maiden, and then went and won next time out at Dawstown.”

By Maxios and a Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale graduate, the four-year-old gelding is out of the Yeats mare Kendon, a half-sister to Scarlet And Dove, the multiple graded-winning chase mare, and Lets Go Champ, a Grade 3 winner over fences.

The session produced a turnover of €2,423,500 with 65 horses sold at a clearance rate of 73 per cent, an average price of €37,277 and a median of €30,000.

British-based trainers were busy throughout the session, with over half the horses purchased set to travel over the Irish Sea to continue their careers in Britain.

Commenting on the results of the May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale, Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins said:

“This was only the second edition of the May Point-to-Point & Horses in Training Sale, and it was good to see solid interest for the four-year-old winners and the Robcour horses within the Horses in Training section. It was obviously pleasing to see the turnover grow significantly on last year.

“We welcomed a strong contingent of UK-based buyers, which continues to underline the appeal of Irish point-to-pointers on both sides of the Irish sea.

“This sale after two years is now a viable alternative for vendors, with the added advantage of selling in Ireland and removing additional travel costs. It would however be remiss not to acknowledge the selective nature of the trade and the clearance rate of 73 per cent (whilst an improvement 2024) underlines this.

“I’d like to acknowledge the hard work of the bloodstock team in assembling a quality catalogue and supporting both vendors and purchasers throughout the sale.

“We now turn our focus to the Derby Sale, Ireland’s premier store sale, which will take place on June 25th and 26th, with Part II set for June 27th.”