THE Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham May Sale concluded with rises in the median of 4% to £41,500. The aggregate finished on a substantial figure of £2,281,000, with the average finishing on £49,587 and the clearance rate ending the day on a healthy 82%.

Seven horses were sold for £100,000 or more, an increase on 2016's results, and two horses claimed top honours of the day, selling for £130,000 a piece.

Kerry Lee, who purchased two lots in total, signed for Lot 12, Storm Control, for £130,000. The September Storm four-year-old gelding was the impressive 20-length winner of a four-year-old maiden at Lisronagh under the tutelage of handler Donnchadh Doyle.

Matching top lot was fellow Monbeg Stable runner Rio Quinto (Lot 53). Placed on both his point-to-point outings, the son of Loup Breton was much sought after in the sales ring and was eventually knocked down to Stratford-based agent Aiden Murphy with a matching top price of £130,000.

Agent Tom Malone was very active again, as is the norm at the sale, having purchased Grade 1 winner Finian's Oscar and Grand National Hero One For Arthur at the venue. He signed for Lot 55, Moonshine Bay from Denis Murphy's Ballyboy Stables, for £120,000. The Milan gelding produced an impressive eight-length victory at Loughrea.

Tom Malone also secured the next highest price on behalf of current Grand National-winning trainer Lucinda Russell.

Lot 34, Simone, a half-sister to the mighty Simonsig, delivered a winning Punchestown bumper performance and was narrowly denied blacktype when beaten by a short-head for third place in the Grade 3 Mares Bumper. Consigned by Shane Nolan Racing, she is a promising mare and she sold for £105,000.

At the conclusion of the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham May Sale and the conclusion of sales at Cheltenham for the 2016/17 season, Richard Pugh, Director of Horses in Training Sales at Tattersalls Ireland commented: "The sales season here has been truly exceptional.

"To sell the highest-priced point-to-pointer ever, when Flemenshill fetched £480,000 at the January Sale, and then breaking more records when Maire Banrigh became the most expensive point-to-pointer of her sex when sold at the Festival Sale for £320,000, cemented the justifiable sentiment that Cheltenham is the industry leader for selling point-to-pointers and form horses.

"Today's sale has yet again produced pleasing figures, with seven horses exchanging hands for £100,000 or more and a considerable rise in the median."

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