JUST days after he came within a head of winning all three Grade 1 races at Fairyhouse, Gordon Elliott signalled his hunger for more success with seven purchases at last Friday evening’s Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale.

His shopping list came to just over £1 million, headed by £280,000 buy What’s Up Darling, a wild card entry. On the same afternoon that Elliott’s Teahupoo defeated Honeysuckle at Fairyhouse, What’s Up Darling was winning a point-to-point maiden at Quakerstown in Co Clare.

The Shirocco five-year-old gelding, out of a winning Flemensfirth mare, was sold by John Costello, who said after the sale: “It is a relief as there is five years of hard work gone into this horse. I have had him since he was a foal; he has been a beautiful horse all the way through. I bought him from his breeder Billy Mangan; he breeds some beautiful foals. I wouldn’t be here tonight without the hard work of my sons Ronan and Conor.”

Elliott said: “He is a lovely horse, the video was very good, we have been lucky with the vendor, and hopefully he is a nice horse going forward. I am not sure yet who will own him; we will get him home first.”

Elliott and bloodstock agent Aidan O’Ryan paid £220,000 for another wild card entry, Rainbow Trail, a four-year-old French-bred son of Davidoff from Donnchadh Doyle’s Monbeg Stables who finished second on his debut at Corbeagh House last Sunday week.

The gelding was sourced in France by Peter Vaughan of Moanmore Stables, costing €33,000 at Arqana, and turned a nice profit when selling seven months later at the Derby Sale for €80,000.

Well ahead

Doyle also sold the Lingstown winner, Simple Getaway, to Gareth Maule of Gwent Holdings for £180,000, well ahead of his €52,000 purchase price at the Derby Sale last year. The four-year-old son of Getaway is from the family of Wither Or Which, Alexander Banquet and Silver Birch. He will be trained by Christian Williams.

O’Ryan and Elliott also handed over £200,000 for Boston Town, winner of a Tinahely maiden for handler Colin Bowe last month. This four-year-old Flemensfirth gelding, out of a winning half-sister to Ballabriggs, will race for Dave Page’s KTDA Racing. KTDA stands for keep the dream alive. Bowe purchased the gelding for €50,000 at last year’s Derby Sale from Johnny Collins’ Brown Island Stables.

Quantum Storm, a five-year-old from Terence O’Brien’s yard, was Elliott’s other six-figure purchase, this time accompanied by Eddie O’Leary. The Dromahane runner-up cost £165,000 and was bought on behalf of Noel and Valerie Moran’s Bective Stud. From an exceptional family, that of Galmoy and Direct Route, the gelding was a bargain buy by O’Brien, costing just €23,000 at the Derby Sale, €1,000 less than his foal price.

Pinhooking touch

The pinhook result of the evening went to the O’Donovan family from Mallow, Co Cork. They bought a Mahler gelding for €10,000 at the 2021 Tattersalls Ireland August Sale and, now named Shanagh Bob and the impressive winner of a Ballindenisk point-to-point last weekend, he was sold for £200,000 to David Minton of Highflyer Bloodstock.

Shanagh Bob was trained by John O’Donovan and his son Chris rode the four-year-old to victory at Ballindenisk. Chris said: “Me and my girlfriend [Joanna Walton] ride out in the morning for a variety of people, and do the horses in the evenings; sometimes they nearly need headlights on! The whole family is involved. Thank God it has worked out well. It is brilliant when it pays off.

“People tell you that you are going to get this and that, but you never know until they go in. Our biggest result before sold for £60,000. We are very happy.”

Of Shanagh Bob, he added: “He has always from day one looked a good horse; we are thrilled. He has never put in a bad piece of work, from day one he has been a pleasure. He was in very early and it was luck! Hopefully, he goes on to do some great things.”

Minton said: “I have waited for him, I loved the horse yesterday, and I love him even more today. His performance last Sunday was very good. Nicky [Henderson] won with a Mahler today, so he is very up on Mahler.”

Disappointment

An expected sale highlight that failed to materialise was that of Scandisk Park. Trained by Ellmarie Holden, and placed on both his point-to-point starts, the four-year-old Walk In The Park half-brother to Hurricane Fly was unsold at £295,000. He had been acquired last year at the Derby Sale for €200,000.

Meanwhile, Jayne McGivern, the owner of Golden Horn, purchased one of the sire’s daughters, via an online bid, for £160,000.

Bought at last year’s December Sale for just 10,000gns by Rae Guest, Kutaiba won a three-year-old bumper at Huntingdon in November, and she could well enjoy a rendezvous, sometime in the future, with Nathaniel. She is out of a Dansili half-sister to the champion and dual Group 1 winner Taghrooda.

Simon Davies of Dahlbury and Jerry McGrath combined to secure Ah Whisht from Ross O’Sullivan for £145,000. Set to join Tom Symonds to continue her training career, the Necarne debut winner, a five-year-old daughter of Getaway, is from the family of Altior, and she will eventually join the Dahlbury broodmare band. Bred by Mary McCann at Hartwell Stud in Kill, Ah Whisht won in the colours of Ross’ wife, Katie Walsh.