Thompsons take home £325,000 Malone Road at Aintree Sale

Days after snapping up leading Randox Health Grand National candidate Seeyouatmidnight, David and Patricia Thompson of Cheveley Park Stud continued to make their mark on the National Hunt sphere when agent Tom Malone went to £325,000 to secure Malone Road at the Goffs UK Aintree Sale on Thursday.

The son of Kalanisi was seen most recently at the end of last month winning a three-mile point-to-point at Loughanmore for Stuart Crawford.

Out of the winning Zaffaran mare Zaffarella, he is a half-brother to the winners Ravenhill Road and Windsor Avenue.

Malone said: "He couldn't have been more impressive in his point-to-point. He missed the last three fences but still won on the bridle. Both of his brothers failed to hit the track at four years old and it bodes well that this guy did. He's to go into training with Gordon Elliott."

It is not the first time that Malone has secured a horse on behalf of the Thompsons at auction this year, having gone to £400,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham February Sale to snap up Colin Bowe's exciting prospect Envoi Allen.

For Crawford, who offered the four-year-old through his operation Newlands Farm, was celebrating his biggest success in the ring to date and said: "It was a great result. He's a very nice horse and it's great when you bring a horse like that and have a bit of faith in him and other people like him. That's what dictates price in the end.

"There was a lot of interest after he had run in his point-to-point. You come here and hope that you can get the best possible price for him and that's what happened tonight. With a bit of luck he can go on and become a very good horse.

"At this stage he ticks all the boxes and it'll be a few years before he wins a Gold Cup but hopefully he's got all the credentials to do that."

McManus takes home Platinum

Elsewhere on Thursday, Roisin Hickey's winning pointer Champagne Platinum was one of a flurry of lots to fetch six figures when he sold for £250,000 to Kieran McManus earlier in the auction.

By the same sire as Willie Mullins' four-time Grade 1 scorer Champagne Fever - Stowaway - the four-year-old had caught the attention of prospective buyers when winning his debut point-to-point at Quakerstown by an impressive six lengths.

Out of the unraced Roselier mare Saffron Holly, Champagne Platinum is a half-brother to the winners The Chazer and Lismakeery.

Thomond O'Mara, Hickey's husband, was delighted with the result and said: "He was an exceptional horse and I hope he does well for his new connections. He's a Derby Sale store horse and he's always done everything right."

Murphy lit up by Light

The highest-priced filly of Thursday's trade was Denis Murphy's Little Light, a four-year-old daughter of Walk In The Park snapped up by agent Aiden Murphy for £200,000.

The filly has had two runs between the flags this year and had finished runner-up on her last start at Loughanmore last month. Out of the placed Lit De Justice mare Luna Rossa she is a half-sister to five winners in France and features Group 1 scorer Apple Tree in her pedigree.

Murphy said: "She's been bought for JP Magnier. She's a nice filly who has a great walk but a trainer for her has yet to be decided."

Tizzard stocks up

Colin Tizzard, meanwhile, was busy reinvesting funds from Finian's Oscar's impressive victory in the Grade 1 Manifesto Novices' Chase on Thursday when he went to £170,000 to secure Faustinovick, another of the early lots to capture the imagination in the Aintree winner's enclosure.

The Ellmarie Holden-trained four-year-old finished second behind Andy Dufresne, form which appears strong considering that winner was subsequently sold at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Festival Sale for £330,000 to Gordon Elliott last month.

Colin Tizzard is all smiles during the Goffs UK Aintree SaleCredit: Sarah Farnsworth/Goffs UK

A four-year-old son of Black Sam Bellamy, Faustinovick boasts a stellar pedigree with his family featuring dual Group 1 winner Cormorant Wood, champion older stayer Rock Hopper and most importantly, multiple jumps performer Inglis Drever.

Tizzard said: "I've bought him on spec. He's by Black Sam Bellamy, a sire who is producing beautiful horses and he is the nicest horse that I've looked at all day. We've got to keep moving and he's the type of horse that we want to be buying."

Ewing's double delight

Warren Ewing's Bernice Stables had a strong sale when two of his lots sold for a combined total of £300,000 on Thursday. The first of those to make six figures was Blazer's Mill, bought by Tessa Greatrex of Highflyer Bloodstock on behalf of an existing client.

The son of Westerner, whose only start to date saw him finish second in a Tyrella point-top-point last month, is from the family of Grade 1-winning hurdle Palette and 2015's Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Coneygree.

Greatrex said: "I love a Westerner. He's a lovely horse and the first two in the race look like good horses."

Towards the end of the sale Ewing's Soldier At War, runner-up in a three mile point-to-point at Loughanmore in March, capped off the day when selling to Aiden O'Ryan and Gordon Elliott for £140,000.

Strong results

The insatiable demand for point-to-pointers was evident for all to see during the course of the sale with 13 horses fetching six figures - up on the seven that sold for £100,000 or more in 2017.

That contributed to a strong set of results by the close of trade with 21 lots sold from 24 offered for a total of £2,417,000 - up 33 per cent from £1,815,000 in 2017.

The average increased 14 per cent from £100,722 to £115,095 and the median rose 16 per cent from £86,000 to £100,000.

Goffs UK managing director Tony Williams said: "The results from this sale have been outstanding and now in its third year, the Aintree Sale has cemented its place as a leading outlet for top-class pointers and form horses with significant rises in every statistic.

"Graduates such as Samcro, Black Op, Topofthegame and Blackbow have driven all the leading National Hunt buyers to Aintree's winner's enclosure and we wish them all the very best with their purchases.

"We would also like to thank our vendors who have given us another top-class catalogue and we now turn our attention to the Doncaster Spring Sale which will offer another quality line-up of pointers and horses-in-training."

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