'I think he's a superstar' - Highflyer swoops for Jet Powered at 350,000gns

Thursday's Tattersalls Online National Hunt and Point-to-Point Sale came to an action-packed climax when three of the ten lots on offer sold for six-figure sums, with Borris House four-year-old maiden victor Jet Powered topping the sale at 350,000gns to Highflyer Bloodstock.

By one of the fast rising young National Hunt sires in Jet Away, Jet Powered came home eight lengths clear of the field last Sunday and subsequently became the most expensive of the stallion's progeny to sell at public auction.

It was also a major result for Cormac Farrell and Anna Calder’s Leamore Horses operation in County Wexford.

"It’s a very nerve-racking experience, especially as you’ve got that five minutes at the end, and you’ve no idea who’s bidding," Farrell said. "At least when you’ve got a live auction, you can sort of see what’s happening.

"I do think he’s an absolute superstar. His work had been spectacular and his performance last Sunday was breathtaking."

Farrell selected Jet Powered, who was bred by Francis Whelan, for €45,000 at last year’s Tattersalls Derby Sale on behalf of Douglas Taylor, the man behind the likes of Samcro and a partner in Arctic Tack Stud-based Jet Away.

He added: "Douglas gave me the remit to go out and find him the nicest Jet Away that I could, and this is what I got. I only bought one, and I do think I did buy the nicest one. He was a standout, and I don’t think he was expensive for what he is.

"Douglas is working so hard to make sure that his stallion works, I think he’s going to be a huge success as he covered so many lower-grade mares and produced good horses. This one was probably the first proper horse with a big pedigree to come online. Douglas was very keen for him to go to a big home and he is, he’s going to a be a flagbearer for the stallion, which is essential too.

"He’s just a super-exciting horse. We only train a handful of point-to-pointers every year and to get a result like this is huge."

Minton, who said that he allowed Highflyer partner Anthony Bromley to administer the keyboard and mouse duties, explained that Jet Powered was bought for "established owners with Nicky Henderson".

"On what we’ve seen and the pictures that we were sent over, he looks a really, really nice horse, and his time was very quick," he said. "I know two or three people who have seen him before and the reports back were that he was a lovely individual."

Jet Away's popularity shows no sign of waning either having covered 279 mares this year, and among his top progeny include the Grade 2-placed bumper winner Brandy Love, who made an eyecatching winning debut over hurdles just under an hour later at Naas for Willie Mullins.

Jet Powered is the fifth foal from the winning bumper mare Cloghoge Lady, a daughter of Presenting who has also produced Graded-winning chaser Westerner Lady and the dual-winning chaser and hurdler Sapphire Lady from three winners and four runners to date.

Halka Du Tabert: impressive point winner sold to Rathmore Stud's Peter Molony for 260,000gnsCredit: Tattersalls

Another impressive Borris winner in Halka Du Tabert was the focus of an intense online bidding battle when selling to Peter Molony of Rathmore Stud for 260,000gns.

Consigned by James Doyle's Baltimore Stables, the daughter of Balko was an £18,000 private purchase from last year's Goffs UK Mixed Summer Sale and she duly rewarded her connections here with a six-figure price tag.

Halka Du Tabert was also an imperious winner of her sole start for Mary Doyle, romping home by a country mile in the second division of the four-year-old mares' maiden, and looks set to head to Gordon Elliott.

Molony said: "She was incredibly impressive when she won, she won very easily and in the fastest time of the day under no pressure. She jumped for fun and she looks to have a fairly serious engine.

"She'll come back to Rathmore for a month or two to have a break and she'll eventually end up with Gordon Elliott."

She is the fifth foal out of the French Listed-winning chaser Naska and a full-sister to another French winner in Damara Du Talbert.

Consigned by Donnchadh Doyle, Madmansgame was a pre-sale standout due to his cosy Boulta success, but also as a half-brother to the dual Grade 1-placed hurdler Gentlemansgame, who is set to make his anticipated chasing debut over the Christmas period.

Madmansgame: 'He has the makings of a top-class staying chaser and he comes from a very good stable.'Credit: Tattersalls

In making 250,000gns to Mullins and Harold Kirk, the son of Blue Bresil fetched a price that duly reflected his previous and new connections' faith.

Kirk said: "He's a beautiful horse, Willie saw him at Donnchadh Doyle's before the sale and loved him. He has the makings of a top-class staying chaser and he comes from a very good stable. He came highly recommended by Donnchadh and Blue Bresil is a very good sire.

"He could probably run in a bumper in February or March time and then go jumping next season."

The four-year-old was also making a sizeable profit for Doyle, who had picked up the athletic grey for €80,000 from Liss House at last year's Tattersalls Ireland Derby Horses in Training Sale.

Bred by Yorton Farm and the Luck family, he is the fifth foal out of the unraced Grainne Ni Maille, a Terimon half-sister to Listed EBF Mares' National Hunt Novices' Hurdle Final winner Ryde Back, a three-time winner for Henderson.

Six individuals sold for turnover of 940,000gns, a record for the firm's online auctions, resulting in a fine average of 156,667gns and a median of 146,000gns. It wraps up the year for Tattersalls, which returns for an online breeding rights auction on January 19.

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