'She's ready to kick on' - winning Irish pointer Criquette heads to Alex Hales

Wednesday's concluding horses in training and point-to-point section of the Goffs UK January Sale saw Jerry McGrath adding the largest spark when signing for Baltimore Stables' winning point-to-pointer Criquette at £52,000.

Placed on her debut at Ballycrystal, the five-year-old daughter of Crillon improved for that effort when winning at Borris House last month. She was knocked down to the recently retired Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey and new Goffs UK employee, and is bound for Oxfordshire trainer Alex Hales.

"She’s been bought for owner Stewart Brackenbury's son Ben to ride, she’ll be campaigned in bumpers and then go over hurdles next season," said McGrath, who has quickly been finding new avenues after a long-term battle with injury.

He said of the future: “I’ve been buying and selling for a bit now but I really upped it after the injury: I’m really looking forward to the future and it’s great to be associated with a top company.”

The filly's consignor, Baltimore's James Doyle, said: "She improved plenty from her first run to her second and she's a mare ready to kick on with now."

Criquette is out of the once-raced Lost World mare Lost Maiby and is a half-sister to the French Listed hurdle-placed Lost In Montmartre. Under the second dam, herself a Listed-placed performer, is Prix William Head Chase victor Vision De Maitre, while the third dam is Prix Dormans and Prix de Cluny winner Camarange.

Her sire is best known for the exploits of his dual Champion Hurdle-winning son Buveur D'Air, along with Boyne Hurdle scorer Diamond Cauchois and Sussex National winner Christmas In April.

I Am Gonna Be also took the ring by storm when selling to Derek O'Connor, on behalf of Michael Scudamore, for £37,000.

Maike Magnussen's supplemented daughter of Barely A Moment has twice been placed in her points, including when second at Carrigarostig this month.

The five-year-old's dam, the placed Sabrehill mare Janet Lindup, has produced the winning hurdler Blackson Zulu and is in turn out of Galtres Stakes winner Tartan Pimpernel.

The Jackdaws Castle-consigned Uisce Beatha took the lead earlier on in the session when making £21,000 to Christian Leech. A son of Yeats, the nine-year-old is a four-time chase winner who has also scored over hurdles during his time with Joseph O'Brien and then Padraig Roche.

Uisce Beatha, who was bred by Aidan Sexton and sold to O'Brien for €100,000 at the Goffs Land Rover Sale in 2016, is the eighth foal out of the unraced Hataana and is a half-brother to black-type performers on the Flat and over jumps, including the versatile Desert Cry.

Access Granted sold to Denis Moylan for £20,000 after a timely maiden point win at Boulta in November for handler Ian Donoghue.

I Am Gonna Be is knocked down to Derek O'Connor for £37,000Credit: Goffs UK

The six-year-old son of Presenting was offered by Donoghue and proved popular in the ring. A €16,000 store when picked up by Harley Dunne and Denis Murphy at the Tattersalls Ireland May Sale, he is the first foal out of the unraced Scorpion mare Kate's Legacy, who hails from the family of multiple black-type French National Hunt performer Talego.

Statement

Goffs UK managing director Tim Kent said: “It has been a very satisfactory start to the 2022 sale calendar – we had to cancel this sale at Doncaster last year and offer the foals as part of the Doncaster August Sale, so it’s great to be back.

"The number of National Hunt foals catalogued for yesterday’s opening day was the highest in recent years, so we would like to extend a big thank you to the vendors who supported the sale and made yesterday in particular a success."

He continued: “We are all starting to see things return to normal, which bodes well for our Aintree Sale, which we were forced to cancel in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions, and we are very much looking forward to returning to the Aintree Grand National Festival in April to offer some world-class Irish and UK pointers after racing on Thursday, April 7.”

Overall on Wednesday 50 lots from 58 offered sold, for a clearance rate of 86 per cent and turnover of £392,700. The average was £7,854 and median £4,750.

Over the two days, 176 of 253 lots offered sold at a clearance rate of 70 per cent for an aggregate of £1,812,800, an average of £10,300 and median of £7,000.

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