Familiar faces fight it out during Trull House Stud dispersal

The dispersal of fillies and mares from Richard Kelvin-Hughes's Trull House Stud - including Hora, the dam of Cleeve Hurdle fancy Thomas Campbell - proved the highlight of a thrilling second and final session of the Goffs UK January Sale.

With Henry Beeby commandeering the dispersal, Michael Hyde - who bought Tinahely maiden runner-up Dontbitedabait for £68,000 during Tuesday's session - stretched to £130,000 from his position in the gateway to secure Hora's three-year-old Fame And Glory filly, after the price rose up in £5,000 increments.

Hora, a 14-year-old Hernando mare, has produced four winners from four runners, headed by Listed handicap hurdle winner Thomas Campbell. Hora's pedigree also has Flat leanings as she is a half-sister to Prix Du Cadran winner Invermark and sires Craigsteel and Inchrory, both of whom are Group performers.

"She's a well-bred filly and hopefully she'll be lucky," said Hyde.

The filly became the third six-figure lot of the sale. However, this year's top three have sold for £630,000 in total whereas last year's corresponding trio sold for a combined £300,000.

Hora herself took to the ring nine lots later, with Anthony Bromley going to £95,000 to secure her from his position on the steps.

"Most of the mares I bought were for James Potter [part-owner of Mountainous when he won the 2013 Welsh Grand National] to go to Yorton Farm, and they'll be used to support his stallions," said Bromley.

Highflyer Bloodstock purchased seven fillies and mares in total from the Trull House Stud Dispersal, offered jointly by Little Lodge Farm and Mill House Stud, for an outlay of £369,000 and an average of £52,714.

Bobby McCarthy of Beeches Stud, perched with George Mullins in the corner of the auditorium to the left of the rostrum, acquired Aurore D'Estruval, the first lot to sell immediately after the dispersal was concluded. The eight-year-old Nickname mare is a Listed-winning hurdler and was second to Irving in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle.

"She has been bought to be covered by my stallion Ocovango," said McCarthy. "I have bred plenty to him and he gets very good-looking foals. She was a very good racemare, who was runner-up in the Fighting Fifth."

Eight of the top ten lots formed part of the dispersal, with Bromley of Highflyer also signing an £80,000 docket for the prolific Grade 2 hurdle winner Chomba Womba and a £60,000 docket for Grade 2 chase scorer My Petra.

Matt Coleman of Stroud Coleman also landed the winning £74,000 bid for Hora's yearling Authorized filly.

"We've bought her for a client to race," said Coleman. "The mare is four from four."

Haggas strikes for Kayf Tara colt

No sires have done as well with their early yearlings at this sale as Kayf Tara in recent years, with his son out of the Grade 2-placed hurdler Lifestyle knocked down to Michael Haggas for £52,000.

Offered by Richard and Sally Aston's Goldford Stud, who also sold a Kayf Tara colt foal for £50,000 at last year's sale, the foal first caught the eye of Haggas at the TBA National Hunt 'Stars of Tomorrow' Foal Show at Bangor racecourse.

"I saw him at the Bangor foal show, when he won the foal class, and I loved him then," said Haggas, who also acts as jockey agent for the likes of William Buick and James Doyle.

"He's done nothing but improve since then, and he'll be going back to Goldford Stud and return to a sale somewhere. He's been with David Ford, who's done a terrific job with him."

Shantou colt a Catwalk model

Best Mate's trainer Henrietta Knight stretched to £48,000 for the Shantou colt out the placed hurdler Catwalk Babe, a sister to Grade 3 handicap hurdle winner Doctor Harper, in turn out of a half-sister to the Galway Hurdle winner Cloone River.

"We've bought him to resell him. I think he's a cracking yearling," said Knight. "He was the nicest yearling in the sale today. He's a lovely pedigree - I love anything out of a Presenting mare. His pedigree has everything - Kayf Tara, Supreme Leader and two with black type. He's got everything ahead of him."

The late Presenting has firmly established himself among the elite jumps broodmare sires. His daughters have produced the likes of Death Duty, Might Bite, Presenting Percy and Somersby - the latter was trained in the earlier part of his racing career by Knight.

Shantou, a 25-year-old son of Alleged, continues to ply his trade at Burgage Stud in County Carlow at a €10,000 fee.

British- and Irish-breds fly the flag for French sires

Although Martaline, Kapgarde and Montmartre may stand in France, it was their British- and Irish-bred offspring who featured prominently on Wednesday, with Goldford Stud also selling a British-bred Martaline colt, from the family of top-class hurdlers Cyborgo and Hors La Loi III, for £48,000 to Oak Tree Farm.

"He'll be returned for resale as a three-year-old, hopefully," said Williamson of Oak Tree Farm. "The sire speaks for himself, good pedigree and a lovely horse. He has a great action, a lot of quality to him and hopefully he goes the right way."

Jack Hobbs had plenty of admirers on WednesdayCredit: Sarah Farnsworth / Goffs UK

Newcomers Dartmouth and Jack Hobbs popular at stallion parade

Having been the place to be on Tuesday, Barn A was a hive of activity again on Wednesday thanks to the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association's National Hunt Stallion Showcase and subsequent silent auction of stallion nominations.

Shade Oak Stud's Dartmouth and Overbury Stud's Jack Hobbs, two recent recruits to the British stallion ranks, proved immensely popular, as did Yorton Farm's Blue Bresil - now a Grade 1 sire following the success of Mick Jazz in the Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas.

Also present was Derby runner-up Dragon Dancer, who was recently recruited from France by Nunstainton Stud in Durham, where he stands at a £1,500 fee.

"We've had a lot of interest in Dragon Dancer at Goffs here today," said Chris Dawson of Nunstainton.

"Hopefully he'll be well received by British breeders as he's a son of Sadler's Wells like Black Sam Bellamy. We've five mares booked into him already, including a Listed mare, so all being well, we'll kick on from here and he'll be successful at stud."

By the 3pm deadline for bids in the silent auction, Chris Dawson has snapped up a Blue Bresil nomination for £3,500, Robert Waley-Cohen had gone to £3,200 for a Jack Hobbs cover, while John Perris secured a nomination to Might Bite's sire Scorpion for £2,000.

Another bargain hunter, Jason Smith, ended up with five nominations - Clovis Du Berlais, Dartmouth, Pether's Moon, Telescope and Universal his sires of choice.

"We started a little racing club called We Enjoy Racing," said Smith.

"We've got a couple of mares and will look at a couple more mares to go forward. The club is only new, but we do have a Group and Listed winner in Vent De Force. Grand horse, lovely thing, won races all over from Sandown to Maisons-Laffitte.

"We've a super speedy three-year-old filly named Invincible Pursuit and a two-year-old Coach House filly out of Cheap N Chic who we bought at Doncaster. She's a super little horse."

Read our in-depth guide to this year's intake on stallion talent here