No going concerns as high-class Irish pointers head to Cheltenham

The first of the serious National Hunt season's boutique auctions takes place after the last race on Friday's Cheltenham card, with around around 60 horses scheduled to go through the ring across from the grandstand at the Tattersalls Cheltenham November Sale.

While unpredictable ground has been a theme of jumping in Britain, Tattersalls' director of horses in training sales Richard Pugh reports no such problems in the Irish point-to-point scene, where the majority of those catalogued have already been able to showcase their ability.

"We've been a little bit spoilt the last few years with the quality that's been coming to these sales, so more of the same and we'll be happy with that," said Pugh. "Good quality stores performing in point-to-points and coming to us, that's a good place to be.

"We've had earlier than normal rain and a good consistent level of rain all the way through, which has led to probably the nicest ground we've had for a prolonged period running into a November sale.

"Sometimes in October it would be a little drier than you'd like, whereas this time from nearly day one it's been as stress-free a run-in to this sale as I can remember. We're in the sort of numbers that have become the norm for this sale, based on point-to-points that feed into it."

There are a handful who obviously draw the eye. Mahon's Way (lot 8), a son of Walk In The Park bought for €80,000 at the Derby Sale, did not put a foot wrong for Denis Hogan on his first start at Lisronagh last weekend. That same meeting produced Marie Harding's Shantou mare Lake Road (13), who skipped away in style.

The same could almost, but not quite, be said for Martaline gelding Tullyhill (22), for Wilson Dennison and Colin McKeever, who went through the last fence at Moira and would otherwise have won by much further.

Denis Murphy's Working Away (33), a daughter of Workforce, had obvious credentials being out of a sister to top hurdler Grangeclare Lark, before adding to her attraction by winning a maiden at Tattersalls in a brisk time.

Richard Pugh of Tattersalls is hopeful that the catalogue standard is well up to scratchCredit: Laura Green

One unexpected name among the usual list of practitioners in this sphere is that of Classic-winning Flat trainer Ralph Beckett, whose Self Inflicted Sid (2) was a winner of a 1m6f novice at Nottingham late last month on his second start. The homebred son of Sixties Icon is named after a cult character from an episode of the TV series Minder.

Three horses fetched more than £300,000 at this sale last year and Pugh can look to an exemplary list of graduates from auctions held at Cheltenham in November and December, which includes Shiskin, Chantry House and Sir Gerhard, and Grand National heroes One For Arthur and Tiger Roll.

He feels that trainers and owners are now happy to source horses in early winter and then give them a little time to adjust to new routines, while the Irish season was lengthened in order to provide more such opportunities for commercial prospects.

"I'd always say the reason these sales exist is because of the autumn season, it's given that outlet," he said.

"I think autumn has also become more competitive, the purchaser knows that, and for me there's a little less racing with the quantity of horses - there might be four meetings on a Sunday in March but in the autumn there might be one or two, you've got to go and win and there's no hiding place."

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