Trainer Tom Lacey paid £205,000 for Piper Park (Ire) (Walk In The Park {Ire}) (lot 39) to top the first edition of the Tattersalls Cheltenham November Sale since it was rebranded under the Tattersalls Jockey Club Sales banner on Friday.
Consigned by Harley Dunne Racing, the 4-year-old filly was one of nine horses to make £100,000 or more. An October maiden winner at Umma House, she is out of a full-sister to Grade 3 hurdle winner Blacklough (Ire) (King's Theatre {Ire}). She was a €58,000 purchase by Dunne and Rob James out of the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale last term.
“I was hopeful she'd make that as she's a beautiful filly,” said Dunne. “She was well entitled to make that, but you just don't know when you come here. I'm absolutely over the moon for everyone involved in her and all the lads in the yard. She was going down well so I was hopeful she'd get to that kind of money, but you never know until you get into the ring.”
Another filly, the former €55,000 store horse and now-maiden winner Honky Tonk Highway (Ire) (Milan {GB}) (lot 8), was knocked down for £165,000 to Ryan Mahon/Dan Skelton Racing earlier in the day from the consignment of leading vendor Colin Bowe Racing's Milestone Stables.
Lot 23, the gelding Saint Kristobal (Fr) (Jeu St Eloi {Fr}), was picked up for £155,000 by Tom Malone and Paul Nicholls. Part of Warren Ewing's Bernice Stables, the 4-year-old was a winner at Tattersalls in October and is out of the listed-placed mare Belle Josee (Fr) (Merlin Mago {GB}).
Held at Cheltenham Racecourse, the sale featured point-to-pointers and horses-in-training, with 31 horses sold of 41 offered (76%) for a gross of £2.3 million. The average and median both declined to £74,194 (-13%) and £58,000 (-9%), respectively.
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