Eoghain Ward

ONLY two weeks ago two four-year-old maiden winners, Finian’s Oscar and Poli Roi, were sold for £250,000 and £300,000 respectively at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham November Sale.

Such demand for potentially top-class youngsters is being driven by the success of four-year-olds on the track in recent weeks which has been significant.

The quality of four-year-old maidens at Glenbane and Tattersalls last Sunday looked high-class and it is likely that their connections will also be seeking high prices before passing their promising youngsters on to new owners.

In the current climate, this expectation can be fully justified as the level of ability required to win a four-year-old maiden is averaging ever higher and is regularly reaching graded levels in many instances.

An example at Tattersalls Farm last Sunday, saw the opening division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden won by Cool Getaway, who cost his owner Roy Wilson €40,000 as a store at the Land Rover Sale, and the runner-up, King Of Kilmeage, was also a €40,000 purchase as a three-year-old from the Derby Sale.

Half an hour later Slate House romped home in the second division of that maiden. He was purchased as a three-year-old for €44,000. These three youngsters are closely related to World Hurdle winner Big Buck’s, Irish Grand National first Shutthefrontdoor and Grade 1 winner Double Symphony respectively.

In the last few weeks, four-year-old maiden winners Road To Respect, Rathnure Rebel, Baltazar D’Alier, Monbeg Notorius, Champagne Classic, Arctic Skipper, Alpha Des Obeaux, Monbeg Worldwide, Tell Us More, Attribution, Hardline, Dounikos, Old Grangewood, Benechenko, Report To Base and Samcro have all been winning at a high level on the track.

IRISH POINTERS

What is interesting is that up to the mid-point of this week, 26 track winners in the month of November alone can be accredited to horses who won an Irish four-year-old point-to-point and indeed many of that 26 were winners last season.

That final trio within the track winners were three of Colin Bowe’s 17 spring four-year-old maiden winners.

Interestingly, of those four-year-old successes which were accrued between February and May, six have already won for their new connections on the track, and a seventh, One Forty Seven, passed the post in front on his debut at Uttoxeter before being demoted to second in the stewards’ room.

Samcro has easily been the most impressive of that group when running out a wide-margin winner of the bumper at Punchestown on Sunday for Gordon Elliott and Gigginstown House Stud, having made £335,000 when headlining the Goffs UK Aintree Sale last April.

These horses which topped the sales last season are living up to their early reputations and, indeed, those who are reputed to have sold for large sums privately are also delivering.

Samcro is joined by Claimantakanforgan, who topped the Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale, and Report To Base was also a leading lot at that sale.

Despite having not yet run for new connections, Getabird, who topped the Goffs Punchestown Sale, was recently pinpointed by Rich Ricci as one of his leading bumper hopes for the year.

In recent seasons, Tell Us More, Drumlee Sunset and Champagne Classic are three four-year-old maiden winners, secured for six-figure sums, who have been seen to good effect on the track this month.

When expanding that base to include the likely pricey private sales, many more will be in that sort of bracket.

LAST SEASON’S FORM

Last season’s four-year-old form in particular is working out and supporting the view that the depth and quality within these races is reaching unparalleled levels.

Between last Friday week and Monday no fewer than eight races inside the rails were won by last spring’s four-year-old point-to-point graduates, with Elegant Escape, who, interestingly, had chased home Samcro in what was one of last season’s top maidens at Monksgrange in April, showing his gameness when recording his second track success of the season at Ascot on Saturday defeating fellow spring four-year-old maiden graduate Laser Light.

Many shrewd punters will likely be scanning the four-year-old maiden entries in the coming weeks awaiting the reappearance of Gorse Hill, a horse who was lying a close third behind that pair at Monksgrange on his debut, before crashing out at the final fence. Michael Goff’s Flemensfirth gelding has recently received his hunter certificate for the new season and will have gone in many horse trackers as a result.

The results on the track in recent weeks have demonstrated that Irish points are currently seeing maidens for youngsters which are of an exceptional level and the prices being secured should not be a surprise to anyone on the evidence above.