THERE was much speculation this week from the Sunday to Thursday on what price Douvan’s brother Jonbon would make after his easy debut win between the flags.

The four-year-old had the pedigree, the looks and the easy victory to put him in the rarefied air among the highest-priced pointers and he topped anything we’ve seen to date at £570,000 in the Goffs UK sale at Yorton Farm when bought by J.P. McManus.

It’s a tremendous boost for the pointing fields in a time when many are looking to France for ready-to-go jumpers, and further faith that the top end of the market is still there, after a worrying six months, for a potential top-class jumping horse.

And kudos to Ellmarie Holden’s team after sending Sir Gerhard on his way to Cheveley Park for £400,000 last year.

Those outside the sport may be taking a breath at the monies involved. Among Cheveley Park Stud’s top purchases are Envoi Allen (£400,000), Malone Road (£325,000), Ferny Hollow (£300,000) and Ballyadam (£330,000).

Noel Moran has also entered the fray with Grand Roi from the Goffs UK Summer sale costing £400,000 and last month his Bective Stud picked up Ginto for €470,000 and Gringo D’Aubrelle for €270,000.

Cheveley Park had what you would call a successful Cheltenham Festival last season but the efforts of Ferny Hollow, Envoi Allen, A Plus Tard and Allaho returned them the sum of £168,704.

It must take a bit of processing to those outside the sport, in these strained times and when so many on the flat are appealing for more prize money, that a jumping gelding will have a market value of half a million.

A quick look through some recent big priced horses can make you wince at the luck involved.

My Whirlwind topped the 2019 Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale when knocked down to Nicky Henderson at £400,000 and described as a “chaser in the making” in his Racing Post stable tour, has still to appear for J.P McManus.

And before things closed in on us in March, the Cheltenham December Sale supplied the highest-priced pointer of the year as Henrietta Knight threw in £450,000 bid to secure the four-year-old Gallyhill, an impressive winner of a Kirkistown maiden, now in training with Nicky Henderson for Michael Grech. That was one of eight six-figure prices registered at Cheltenham on that Friday evening and a total of 10 pointers sold for £300,000/€300,000 or more during 2019.

And among the top-priced lots from 2018 include Envoi Allen (£400,000), Andy Dufresne (£330,000), Malone Road (£325,000), Chantry House (£295,000), Asterion Forlonge (£290,000) and The Big Breakaway (£360,000). Two of the owners who accounted for those purchases, J.P. and Joe Donnelly, were responsible for the two top places in prize money won at the Festival.

Other big-money buys from recent times have gone on to achieve high-level success, such as Samcro (£335,000) and Finian’s Oscar (£250,000), but on the otherside we also had the loss of Flemenshill (£480,000) from the 2017 sales.

The Big Breakaway (£360,000) from Goffs Punchestown 2019 is in many people’s 10 to Follow for this season but Goffs UK Aintree Sale-topper Papa Tango Charly, a £440,000 buy, has yet to win on the track.

By contrast, the world’s best horse for 2020, Ghaiyyath cost €1.1 million; that’s a double Jonbon. You could have found a classic winner in Kameko for $90,000.

Indeed, if you were offered Malone Road, Dlauro, Papa Tango Charly as a package now I’m not sure they would come close to matching Jonbon’s price.

As a breeder and producer, you have to be eternally grateful that so many are willing to part with so much, on little evidence, to hope to win jumping biggest prizes.

If we want a bit of faith that big money doesn’t buy success, remember the Brightwells Sale in December 2013. Tell Us More topped the sale at £290,000.

Gordon wanted him, Willie got him. He won just £56,600 on the track. Sold for £80,000, Gordon got a four-year-old horse called Tiger Roll and a place in everyone’s hearts and racing history.