FLEMENSHILL smashed the record price for a point-to-pointer on Thursday night when he sold to agent Tom Malone and Joe Tizzard for £480,000 – some distance clear of the previous record of £370,000 set in 2009.

The sale generated fireworks from the moment the Oldtown winner, a son of Flemensfirth, stepped into the ring, Malone lighting the sale arena with an opening salvo of £250,000. He faced competition from a number of sources, most notably Kieran McManus, but with an order for Alan and Ann Potts in his books he was to have the final say, the gavel falling at an exceptional figure.

The subject of desire was most impressive when winning his maiden less than a fortnight before the sale from Colin McKeever’s yard. The astute vendor was Wilson Dennison, a renowned producer of top-class National Hunt performers, and this half-brother to four winners, out of a half-sister to the Grade 1 winning chaser Strong Flow, was sourced for him by Ian Ferguson.

After his record-breaking purchase, Tom Malone commented: “We are delighted to have got him. He is a big, raw horse that was extremely impressive on his debut and ticked every box. It was very hard not to like him.”

On a night when the sale aggregate more than doubled, the average advanced by 46% and the median grew by 25%, there was consistently strong demand for quality lots at this deferred Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham January Sale. Four in five of the lots offered were sold, and following Flemenshill on the list of best prices was On The Blind Side who sold to Highflyer Bloodstock for £205,000. Bought as a foal for €20,000 by Paul Cashman’s Rathbarry Stud, the five-year-old son of Stowaway beat three subsequent winners when landing a 17-runner maiden at Kilfeacle three weeks ago. He was the last lot in the ring.

Malone looked to have sealed the deal with this one too when he bid £200,000, but Tessa Greatrex had one more throw of the dice and secured him for an owner of Nicky Henderson.

On the Blind Side is the first runner for his dam who is a Supreme Leader half-sister to the Cleeve Hurdle winner Knockara Beau.

Bought for only €9,500 having just turned a yearling, Bitingthebullet won on his debut in a point-to-point last weekend at Punchestown for James Doyle who sold him from Monbeg Stables. That victory was quickly cashed in when he sold to Evan Williams for £170,000 on behalf of William and Angela Ricker.

This was not the only valuable graduate of Sunday’s point-to-point as the runner-up to Bitingthebullet was Getareason, and he was sold by Warren Ewing and Barry and Paula Geraghty for £140,000. Harold Kirk was likely of the opinion that the gelding was unlucky at Punchestown, having suffered interference, and he will now join Willie Mullins to continue his career.

Ewing and the Geraghtys had another good sale when the Scorpion four-year-old Sending Love, a five-length winner at Kirkistown last weekend, was also acquired by Kirk, this time for £130,000. This was a great reward for the €5,200 invested in him as a foal. His dam is a half-sister to Dato Star.

Matt Coleman made a number of significant purchases. Heading the list was the £145,000 Frozen Fire four-year-old Frozen Flame who was second recently on his point-to-point debut for Ashleigh Murphy, having cost a mere €1,800 at the Tattersalls Ireland August Sale last year.

Minutes later the agent’s bid of £120,000 secured the recent Punchestown bumper winner Oakley Hall, a son of Milan and closely related to Jessber’s Dream.

Timmy Hyde’s Camas Park Stud is most famously associated with producing Group 1 winners on the flat, but the family’s roots are always close to National Hunt racing and they sold the Flemensfirth five-year-old Planet Nine, winner of a Thurles bumper a week earlier, to Gerry Hogan for £135,000. This full-brother to Noble Endeavor will now join Rose Dobbin.

Mags O’Toole completed a private sale on behalf of Gordon Elliott for Sir Carno, consigned to the sale by Emmanuel Clayeux. The four-year-old Lucarno gelding was third on his hurdling debut at Pau in France last month and he cost the agent £70,000.

Another French-bred to sell prominently was Philip Wheatley’s Naas maiden hurdle winner I See You Well, that victory coming on his third start. Seamus Mullins won the battle for him at £65,000.

Caroline McCaldin consigned Loveherandleaveher on behalf of Declan Lennon and this Tyrella mares’ maiden winner caught the attention of Highflyer Bloodstock and sold for £62,000. The daughter of Winged Love was impressive when winning by a dozen lengths on her second start, having been runner-up at Tattersalls Farm on her debut.

A pair of five-year-old geldings realised £60,000. Ben Pauling gave that amount for the Darsi gelding Battys Dilemma and this relation to Pomme Tiepy won at Ballyvodock on his debut by two and a half lengths,

Donnchadh Doyle sold Celtic Rising, a four-length debut winner at Dungarvan, for the same sum to Roger Brookhouse and this son of Curtain Time is from the family of the Welsh Grand National winner Monbeg Dude.