DAYS before being crowned champion National Hunt owner for the 23rd time, and days after winning a 10th consecutive title in Britain, J.P. McManus made a rare appearance at a sale when attending the Goffs Punchestown Sale on Thursday.

He was a man on a mission, to bolster his position as the greatest owner the game has even seen, and he added two four-year-old geldings to his impressive armoury of talent for a combined spend of €820,000. He equalled the Punchestown record when spending €500,000 on Denis Murphy’s Walksonseas, a son of champion sire Walk In The Park out of a Presenting mare, and a winner at Lisronagh last weekend.