THE northern racing and point-to-point scene received another boost at Cheltenham recently when three of the top four lots at Brightwells’ sale were consigned by yards in the region.

The Stuart Crawford-trained Twentytwo’s Taken topped the session when knocked down to Peter Molony’s Rathmore Stud for £150,000. The six-year-old King’s Theatre mare, who has joined the David Pipe yard, won her first bumper at last year’s Boxing Day meeting in Down Royal.

The bay then followed up at Fairyhouse on the first day of February and, on her first start of the new season, rounded off her three-race career in this country when second in a listed mares’ bumper at Navan last month.

In all instances Twentytwo’s Taken was ridden by Steven Crawford in the colours of Siobhan Mackinnon who bred her out of the Persian Mews mare Persian Desert. The last of the dam’s seven recorded produce is a 2010 Kalanisi filly.

Crawford’s Newlands Stables also consigned the £80,000 Gordon Elliott Racing buy General Principle. Roy Wilson’s five-year-old Gold Well half-brother to Bella Man Mou impressed when winning his maiden first time out at Kirkistown last month under Steven Clements.