There is nowhere like Cheltenham to stoke dreams of big-race success, as was apparent at Thursday’s Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale, which saw four horses reach the £400,000 mark, one of which set a new record price of £530,000.

Of the 28 lots offered, 26 sold, 18 of which fetched six-figure prices. The average price of £170,192 was a new high for the Festival Sale, while the median price of £145,000 matched the third-highest since the sale began in 2016.

Gordon Elliott, joined by Eddie O’Leary, signed for £530,000 top lot Monster Truck, who produced a massive return on the €90,000 paid by Monbeg Stables for the bay at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale.

The high regard in which Cormac Doyle held Monster Truck was evident at Lingstown last weekend, where he was sent off the even-money favourite for the four-year-old maiden, which he won by two and a half lengths.

Elliott bought a total of three lots on the night, combining with Aidan ‘Mouse’ O’Ryan to buy Harzand four-year-old Profit In Pocket for £160,000, and worked out a private deal to purchase Blue Bresil gelding Blue Rebel for £100,000.

The sales topper was one of three lots catalogued by Goliath Du Berlais; the other two both fetched £400,000. The Grade 1-winning son of Saint Des Saints has gone from strength to strength for Haras de la Tuilerie, where his first crop – now five-year-olds – were bred off a fee of €7,500, which rose to €20,000 this season.

Cormac Doyle must be one of the young sire’s biggest fans, as he also sold one of his daughters, Palinca, for £400,000 on Thursday evening. An impressive debut winner at Lingstown, she too produced an enormous profit on her store price, having been sourced from Brown Island Stables’ draft at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale for £32,000.

The Mariga family’s Coolmara Stables bought the half-sister to two blacktype winners and are sending their new recruit to join The Big Westerner at Henry De Bromhead’s.

Profit maker

Willie Mullins and Harold Kirk came away with two buys on the night, their biggest spend of £400,000 brought by Pat Doyle’s smart newcomer Monzon Sport. The €67,000 Derby Sale buy marked a perfect start for Simon Munir and Isaac Souede’s new trading venture Jet Bloodstock, whose ‘double blue’ colours he carried to a 20-length success at Borris House earlier this month.

The other £400,000 bid of the night came from Dai Walters, as the owner of Yorton Farm-based stallion Cracksman invests in future mares for his new recruit. That’s what lies ahead of Jezebel Eyes, who won the same mares’ maiden at Ballycahane previously won by Echoing Silence.

Both were trained by Sam Curling, who picked up Jezebel Eyes, a daughter of Motivator, for €25,000 at the Goffs Arkle Sale.

Matthew Flynn O’Connor was another handler with cause for celebration, as his €75,000 Goffs Arkle buy resold to Hamish Macauley and Olly Murphy for £205,000. The Cokoriko gelding Helios Forlonge made a promising start at Lisronagh at the end of February, finishing a close second to Seanchai, who was retained for £130,000 at the same sale.

Helios Forlonge, like the other top four lots, was bred in France. All five were also by French sires.

The sixth highest-priced horse continued a terrific week for Kedrah House Stud, as they consigned Berkshire four-year-old Cleverfox with handler Adam Leahy. Kirk and Mullins gave £180,000 for their offering, who looked a sure-fire winner on debut before unseating on the flat between the final two fences.