Korkoran's win came in the same maiden won by two-time Cheltenham Festival Grade 1 winner and Tattersalls Cheltenham February graduate Envoi Allen, who is aiming for a repeat victory in next month's Ryanair Chase.

Now an eight-time Grade 1 winner, Envoi Allen was owned as a young horse by pinhooker and consignor Walter Connors, also the producer of Korkoran.

He said, “Seamus Murphy bought Korkoran privately for me as a foal. It is a wonderful family and we have for a long time hoped 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 earlier than expected. Colin has done a great job and we are lucky he keeps a couple of boxes for us each year.” 

Derham, who took out his trainer's licence last year, was in the news earlier this month when spending close to €500,000 on smart chasing prospect Imagine and talented race mare Mollys Mango at the Caldwell Dispersal, was visibly delighted to bag another big-priced recruit to his yard.

He said, “Ed has been following this horse for a long time, he is back and forth to Ireland all the time. The horse is a beautiful model, a good athlete and to have done this so early in his career, the type of horse he is, strikes us that he must be pretty smart – to be performing to that level already would bode pretty well. You look at him and think what a horse you will be in two years' time.” 

Of the horse's owner, Derham outlined, “He is for Ian Barratt, a new owner to me and who is wanting to develop real high-class team of horses both for the Flat and National Hunt codes–he owns the Jamie Osborne-trained Emaraaty Ana who won in Qatar last weekend. Jamie recommended me, which was very nice of him. Ian and his family are really enthusiastic, let's hope they are lucky.”

The Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale produced a solid afternoon's trade which saw 34 horses sold for an aggregate of £2,469,500 with a strong clearance rate of 89%.

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