SELECTIVE trade was the order of the day when Tattersalls staged the Cheltenham February Sale on Friday.

Last year’s aggregate of 4,298,000gns was never going to be challenged, and a large number of horses were led out unsold, though many later changed hands privately. Twelve of the 38 lots offered were the subject of a private sale.

The standout came a little more than halfway through the session. Korkoran is a four-year-old by No Risk At All, and he won on his debut at Ballinaboola this month for Colin Bowe Racing.

Bidding opened up at £100,000, but the gavel fell in favour of Ed Bailey Racing and Harry Derham at £240,000, with Tom Malone the underbidder.

Korkoran won the same race as the two-time Cheltenham Festival Grade 1 winner Envoi Allen did on his debut for the same team six years ago. Envoi Allen was owned then by Walter Connors who also sold this horse.

Connors said: “Seamus Murphy bought him privately for me as a foal. It is a wonderful family and we were for a long time hoping to get one from that stud farm.

“We have been fond of him all along, and the sire needs no introduction. He is a middle of May foal and we thought he would not run until April, but he has come to hand. Colin has done a great job and we are lucky he keeps a couple of boxes for us each year.”

Derham said: “Ed [Bailey] has been following this horse for a long time. He is a beautiful model, a good athlete and to have done what he done this early in his career, the type of horse he is strikes us that he must be pretty smart. You look at him and think what a horse you will be in two years’ time.

“He is for Ian Barrett, a new owner to me. He wants to get a real high-class team of horses, and owns Emaraaty Ana with Jamie Osborne who won in Qatar last weekend, and he wants some nice NH horses, too. Jamie Osborne recommended me which is very nice of him. Ian is really enthusiastic about it.”

Barratt is a partner in the London office of the law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. He was a founding member of the ‘Melbourne 10’ syndicate who were regular visitors to Laytown with Jamie Osborne-trained runners a few years ago.

CLONDAW General, a five-year-old son of Milan, from Mick Goff’s Moate Stables won a competitive maiden on his point-to-point debut at Cragmore last month, and the €48,000 store purchase soared in value to £150,000, purchased by Kim Bailey.

He is from the family of Grade 1 winner Coko Beach. Goff said: “I wish Kim Bailey the best with him. I really think this he will be a graded horse in time. He is a proper horse, and I have loved him from day one. I can’t talk him up enough, he is a beautiful horse.

“He did not run as a four-year-old as he is tall, was weak, and he needed to mature into his frame. He is improving every day, he has a very good mind, he is very sound and correct, and I know he will have a very big future.”

Kim Bailey added: “He won’t run again this spring. We will ride him around a couple of weeks and then will turn him away. He is for an existing owner in the yard. He looks a lovely horse, his video is very good. He is an eye-catching horse. This sort of horse does not grow on trees. That was my last bid, and probably one more than I had planned, but luckily the owner was on the end of the phone.”

Talented family

Gordon Elliott added Jacob’s Ladder a son of Mount Nelson, to his team for £110,000. Winner of a five-year-old maiden at Oldtown last weekend, travelling well throughout, he was consigned by Ian Buchanan of Tullybeg Stables and is from the talented family of the Grade 1 winners Cooldine and Blow By Blow. Jacob’s Ladder is a Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale graduate, bought by Buchanan for €27,000.

Bloodstock agent Jerry McGrath was acting for trainer Ben Pauling for a number of purchases, chief among them being the five-year-old The Jukebox Kid who won on Sunday at Tinahely. He was sold by Monbeg Stables’ Cormac Doyle for £130,000, and Doyle also won with and sold The Jukebox Kid’s half-brother Yeah Man who last weekend won the Grade 3 Grand National Trial Chase at Haydock Park for Gavin Cromwell.

The four-year-old Karma Police, a son of It’s Gino, won on his debut when successful by six lengths at Kirkistown for Mick Goff. His Lavirco dam Albain Champenoise is an unraced half-sister to Mysoko, a Grade 3 winner and Grade 1-placed over fences in France. Karma Police was purchased by Jerry McGrath Bloodstock for Noel Fehily Syndicates, and cost £105,000.

Dave Crosse, who works with Fehily, said: “We don’t know where he is going yet, we will get him home today and we will have a sit on him tomorrow.” Fehily added: “We are delighted we got him. We watched the video, saw him yesterday and liked him.”

UNSOLD in the ring, the €105,000 store purchase Jakar Du Moulin from Donnchadh Doyle’s Monbeg Stables was the subject of a private transaction when Paul Nicholls and Tom Malone combined to conclude a deal for £175,000. The five-year-old son of Kapgarde won at Bellharbour on his debut at the beginning of the month.

Big Zouk, a five-year-old by Milan and a winner at Oldtown last weekend for Denis Murphy’s Ballyboy Stables, sold to agent Bobby O’Ryan for £160,000. He was a €55,000 store purchase at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale and was purchased by O’Ryan for trainer James Ewart who is based in Scotland.

Ewart said: “I think he is an old-fashioned chaser. We liked the way he won, he was headed after the last and he looked as though he was going to get beat, but he found again and he won going away. He is the sort of horse you dream about having. I have bought him for a new owner to racing, and hope he brings them a great deal of luck.”