IRISH point-to-point form proved its worth at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham April Sale yesterday. Heading the trade for these graduates was Claimantakinforgan, a five-year-old French-bred son of Great Pretender who made amends for slipping up on his debut at Inch by coming out five days later and running out a five-length winner of a four-year-old maiden point-to-point at Loughanmore. He was the subject of lots of competition before falling to Highflyer Bloodstock at £110,000 (€139,700), having cost £18,000 less than a year ago.

He was offered by Donnchadh Doyle from Monbeg Stables, as was Sean Doyle’s wild card entry Monbeg Oscar who five days before the sale was an impressive winner on his debut at Oldcastle. This Oscar half-brother to Hoopy was marginally the most expensive of Evan Williams’ purchases at £90,000 (€114,300) and he was bought for €17,000 last June.

Horses from Colin Bowe’s Milestone Stables are regularly among the headline makers at the sales and yesterday was no different. Evan Williams had to go to £85,000 (€107,950) to secure Report To Base, a two-length winner of his debut point-to-point at Dromahane a fortnight ago. The four-year-old son of Westerner is out of a winning half-sister to Marcus Du Berlais and from a family full of top notch performers in France. The gelding was purchased at the 2015 Derby Sale for €32,000.

Later in the day Bowe also sold his wild card entry and Ballyarthur point-to-point winner Ramses De Teillee to Shark Hanlon for £60,000 (€76,200). This French-bred son of Martaline is a full-brother to one winner and a half-brother to three other winners over jumps in France and he more than doubled his purchase price 11 months ago.

Wonderoftheworld was runner-up at Loughbrickland on his debut last weekend but the performance of this John Paul Brennan-handled son of Beneficial was eye-catching enough to persuade Gerry Hogan to go to £80,000 (€101,600) to buy him. The four-year-old is from the family of Chinrullah and Trapper John and was a bargain buy at last year’s Derby Sale at €10,000.

The Sean O’Brien-trained Impulsive Star has a 100% record, winning his point-to-point in mid-March at Ballyarthur by 15 lengths and turning out a fortnight later at Cork to win the two-mile, three-furlong bumper. Highflyer Bloodstock’s bid of £78,000 (€99,060) secured this six-year-old son of the Yorkshire Cup winner Busy Flight. He cost O’Brien €7,000 in 2013.

A wild card entry for the sale was An Siltean and he was offered from Denis Murphy’s Ballyboy Stables. The five-year-old Milan gelding won at Oldcastle last Sunday on his only start and is out of a half-sister to the Grade 2 winning chasers Lord Who and Measureofmydreams. He was one of a couple of purchasers by Highflyer Bloodstock for Harry Fry and cost them £68,000 (€86,360).

Sean Treacy recently sent his wife Geraldine’s Theatre Wine out to land a bumper at Wexford at 33/1 but she will now join Gordon Elliott after the Meath trainer paid £58,000 (€73,660) for her. Homebred by the Treacys out of their good racemare Mistletoeandwine, the initial plan was to send her for the mares’ bumper at Punchestown.

The third lot into the ring was Listen To The Man, a six-year-old daughter of Court Cave who won her bumper at Wetherby in February having landed a point-to-point two months earlier at Tattersalls Farm. She was third in a listed bumper on her only other start and Mark Boothright’s mare will stay in the Dan Skelton yard after the trainer paid £55,000 (€69,850) for her.

Tom Malone may have secured a bargain when his bid of £55,000 (€69,850) was enough to buy Redbridge Stables’ Anchor Man who was runner-up on his only start in a point-to-point at Lingstown. The four-year-old Stowaway gelding divided Daklondike and Another Stowaway that day, and that pair sold recently for £140,000 and £80,000 respectively. Another Man was sold last June for only €2,000.

Francois Doumen sent the five-year-old Lauro mare Soiesauvage to the sale and this 10-length winner of a mile and seven-furlong flat race at Fontainebleau recently caught the eye of Gary Moore who paid £52,000 (€66,040) for her.

Highflyer Bloodstock were prolific buyers as ever and among their captures was Abbotswood, a five-year-old son of Stowaway who won a point-to-point in March at Curraghmore for handler Vincent Halley. He was placed on his only other run back in January and sold for £50,000 (€63,500).

Donald McCain has been active at the sales this year and he paid £50,000 (€63,500) for Derrynane, another of the wild card entries. This Paddy Twomey-trained five-year-old son of Oscar has been placed on both of his most recent starts, beaten a length or less at both Navan and Fairyhouse. He is a half-brother to the Grade 2 chase winner King High.

BLOOMFIELDS DISPERSAL

The sale received a major boost when John Ferguson announced that his Bloomfields operation would disperse their horses and these were offered in two parts.

The first group contained many well-known winners, but it was a placed son of Beneficial that proved to be the best of them on price. The five-year-old Wenyerreadyfreddie was runner-up in a bumper at Doncaster in March and Highflyer Bloodstock paid £95,000 (€120,650) for this relation to Bradbury Star.

Five-time winner Commissioned was sold to Nick Bradley and Jason Kelly for £65,000 (€82,550) and among his hurdle successes was a victory at Cheltenham. He was runner-up in the Grade 2 Adonis Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton three years ago.

The first lot in the Bloomfields dispersal was the Raven’s Pass six-year-old Aqalim. This most consistent performer in bumpers and over hurdles sold to Select Racing Bloodstock for £55,000 (€69,850).

Shortly afterwards his stable-companion Berland, a hurdle and flat winning son of Cape Cross, was purchased by Atlanta Hall Racing LLC for £50,000 (€63,500).

The last lot in the sale was purchased by Ian Williams for £70,000 (€88,900) and was the Teofilo five-year-old London Prize, a bumper winner last year and runner-up this year on his only other start.

A pair of geldings with very different race records in the second group sold for £58,000 (€73,660) each. First to the mark was the Street Cry seven-year-old Three Kingdoms, a Grade 2 winner over fences and he was purchased by bloodstock agent Bobby O’Ryan. Richard Spencer and Rebel Racing also paid the same amount for the Meydan Group 2 winner Excellent Result, a six-year-old son of Shamardal.

With the Bloomfields Dispersal being conducted without reserve, the sale had a clearance rate of 93% for the 87 lots offered.

Only six lots were unsold and the 81 lots traded made a total of £2,726,800, an average of £33,664 and recorded a median of £28,000. The 47 Bloomfields lots contributed £1,180,800 of the turnover and averaged £25,123.

One of the unsold lots was The Minch and he was listed as not sold at £240,000 (€304,800).