THE frenzied trade witnessed at Newmarket on Tuesday and Wednesday carried over into the National Hunt sector on Thursday evening when Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham staged their April Sale after racing.

Last year this sale was boosted by the dispersal sale of almost 50 horses from John Ferguson’s Bloomfields stables, making comparisons largely irrelevant.

This time the sale stood on its own merits and produced some wonderful trade, with just over £3 million worth of stock changing hands. Once again it was Irish point-to-point form that headlined the business on the night.

Matt Coleman made a single purchase, the sole offering from Willie Murphy’s Ballycurragh Stables. The five-year-old Global Citizen is a son of Murphy’s own stallion Alkaadhem and a full-brother to the Grade 2 performer A Hare Breath. He recently was a facile winner at Bellurgan Park and Matt Coleman’s final bid of £275,000 was enough to secure him for an owner with Jonjo O’Neill.

Ironically, it was Coleman who was responsible for the purchase of Group 2 winner Alkaadhem (by Green Desert) to stand at the Carlow stud and the stallion is also responsible for The Organist and Moylisha Tim. Tom Malone was the frustrated underbidder for Global Citizen.

The better of two lots sold by Timmy Hyde was the four-year-old Milan gelding Brewin’upastorm, a winner on Sunday at Quakerstown and a late entry to the sale. Bought by Hyde for €35,000 at the Goffs Land Rover Sale last year, he repaid that investment with interest when selling to Ryan Mahon for £250,000 and he will join Dan Skelton to race in the colours of Barbara Hestor.

Gordon Elliott goes into Punchestown with a strong lead in the trainers’ championship and he will have two more strings to his bow next season after Thursday’s sale. He paid £250,000, in the company of Mags O’Toole, for Mr Lingo, a Curtain Time (Sadler’s Wells) half-brother to the Galway Plate winner Bob Lingo, and this Josh Ryan-consigned four-year-old won a maiden at Dromahane on his only start. He was unsold at last year’s Derby Sale at €11,000.

Shortly afterwards Elliott was back in the fray and splashed out £235,000 for Jerry Cosgrave’s Loughanmore debut winner Battleoverdoyen. The four-year-old son of Doyen is out of a French-bred mare who won four times over jumps.

NOTABLE PURCHASES

Another trainer to make two notable purchases was Evan Williams and Chooseyourweapon was the more expensive of these at £210,000. This was well ahead of the €30,000 the four-year-old son of Flemensfirth cost at Goffs last June and his value was boosted after he was an eye-catching winner for Donnchadh Doyle on his debut at Inch recently. The gelding’s grandam was the Power Gold Cup winner Love The Lord.

Evans then paid £170,000 to secure the best of five lots sold from Denis Murphy’s Ballyboy Stables. This was Tossapenny who won at the same Inch meeting as Chooseyourweapon and this four-year-old son of Presenting was six lengths clear of his rivals on the day. He was yet another who sold at Goffs last June, costing Patrick McCormack €31,000 on that occasion.

Mags O’Toole teamed up with the in-form Noel Meade and secured two six-figure lots. One of these was another sent to the sale by Denis Murphy, the four-year-old Oscar gelding Active Force. He won his maiden at Courtown by six lengths and a bid of £165,000 was enough to acquire him for the Meath trainer’s yard. New connections will be hoping he can emulate another Oscar graduate from the same academy, the Grade 1 winner Finian’s Oscar. Active Force cost Patrick McCormack €25,000 at Goffs in 2016.

Minutes earlier O’Toole and Meade gave £140,000 for another Courtown winner, Donnchadh Doyle’s Beneficial four-year-old Heroesandvillains. He was winning at the third time of asking and is a son of the smart Grade 2 winning chaser Keys Pride, a daughter of Bob Back. He was a €40,000 buy at last year’s Derby Sale.

Denis Murphy’s trio of six-figure lots was completed by the best-priced mare or filly in the sale, Princess Roxy. This four-year-old daughter of Midnight Legend, sire of the Gold Cup winner Sizing John, is out of a half-sister to smart National Hunt winner Mwaleshi, Crossbow Creek and Candy Creek, and she won her maiden at Bellurgan Park with ease. Kevin Ross gave £115,000 for her, well ahead of her £5,000 purchase price at the Goffs UK Spring Sale last May.

Virginia Considine did well at the Aintree Sale and she hit the mark again this time with Strike In Milan, runner-up to Minella Trooper at Inch on his only start. Roger Brookhouse augmented his team for next season when securing this five-year-old Milan half-brother to three winners for £105,000.

Two lots sold for £100,000 apiece. First to that figure was Brian Hamilton’s Oldcastle maiden debut winner Onefortheroadtom, a son of Fair Mix and out of a multiple winning French-bred dam. Kieran McManus was the purchaser of this €12,500 Tattersalls Ireland August Sale graduate when bought by Patrick Turley.

Later trainer Tim Vaughan gave £100,000 for Terence O’Brien’s four-year-old Westerner filly Copper Gone West who landed her maiden at Inch by 10 lengths.

Director of Horses in Training Sales at Tattersalls Ireland, Richard Pugh, was understandably buoyed by the trade: “We couldn’t have anticipated more successful results tonight and these results reflect the fierce demand for point-to-pointers. We are delighted to see that every sale brings new buyers, but what is also evident is the familiar faces who are returning to the Cheltenham sale confident that they can secure a quality form horse.”