Put The Kettle On set for hot date with Planteur after £380,000 sale to Davies

Put The Kettle On, the only mare to have won the Queen Mother Champion Chase, was the first lot into the ring for the Goffs UK Aintree Sale on Thursday - and she produced a boiling hot start to proceedings.

Buyers were not messing about, with the first bid coming in at £200,000, and they rattled along quickly enough until Henry Beeby’s gavel eventually came down at £380,000, with Anthony Bromley of Highflyer Bloodstock having the final say. Eddie O’Leary, standing with Noel Moran of Bective Stud, was the underbidder.

Bromley was acting on behalf of Simon Davies of Chapel Stud, the owner of Trueshan’s sire Planteur, along with two other stallions at the Worcestershire stud, Bangkok and Walzertakt.

Davies said: "My heart is still pumping. It’s more than we wanted to pay but a mare like this is a collector’s item. She'll go straight to Planteur and hopefully she'll get in foal.

“It's great to get a mare of this class for him, they don't come along very often. It's about building up the quality for him, he'll have more mares than last year; 75 so far and hopefully we'll get him to 100."

Simon Davies, who owns Trueshan's sire Planteur, and Anthony Bromley celebrate buying Put The Kettle OnCredit: Edward Whitaker

It was, surprisingly, a first visit to Aintree for the eight-year-old Put The Kettle On, who has been a frequent traveller to Britain ever since she won the November Novices’ Chase (formerly Racing Post Arkle Trial) at Cheltenham in 2019. Four months later she landed the Arkle itself and was also to collect the Shloer Chase before her historic and defining moment back at the Cheltenham Festival.

The mare had not seemed quite in the same vein of form for Henry de Bromhead this season but has been a remarkable servant to her connections, the One For Luck Racing Syndicate. By Stowaway, she was bought for what now looks a bargain €22,000 by Keith Phelan from breeders Butlersgrove Stud at the Goffs Land Rover Sale, given she went on to earn connections more than £420,000 in prize-money. She retires as the winner of nine of her 20 starts.

Park proves top lot

Seven lots later, an even more intense bidding battle ensued, this time for the four-year-old Croke Park, a son of Walk In The Park who had got off the mark at the second time of asking at Dromahane on Sunday.

Croke Park, who topped the Goffs UK Sale at £400,000, with Paddy McCarthyCredit: Sarah Farnsworth/Goffs UK

Consigned by Denis Murphy’s Ballyboy Stables, it took Gordon Elliott £400,000 to acquire his services.

Having cost €47,000 as a foal at Goffs December Sales and €150,000 at the Derby Sale he is making more money at each step of the way

The trainer said: “He looked like a lovely horse and came well recommended by Denis Murphy and his team. He's by the sire of the moment and is very well named too. He's for an existing owner in the yard.”

Elliott later went to £180,000 to secure Cato Capone, who was runner-up to Encanto Bruno - sold for £210,000 here - on his debut at Ballynoe. The son of Notnowcato was offered by Sean Doyle and is out of a Roselier full-sister to Grade 1 winner Alcapone.

Murphy, who has previously sold Grangeclare West for £430,000 to Elliott at Tattersalls Cheltenham, added of Croke Park and his price tag: "That's my best result here. He had traffic problems first time, then quickened up well last time. He's a big horse so to have run twice in three weeks and do what he did, he has a bright future."

Eddie O'Leary signing for Croke ParkCredit: Sarah Farnsworth/Goffs UK

Authority for Britain

One of the potential star turns looked to be another from the nursery of Ellmarie Holden, producer of the likes of Jonbon and Sir Gerhard. Her stable's costly store purchase Act Of Authority had made a dream start on his debut at Lisronagh.

The son of Authorized, who had gone to the trainer’s father Paul and Michael Shefflin for €145,000 at last year’s Goffs Land Rover Sale, went the way of Alex Elliott for £200,000.

Elliott would not disclose the owner but revealed the four-year-old would be trained in Britain, adding: "To win the way he did I thought was a bit out of the ordinary. He could easily drop back and be a Champion Bumper horse, and with hopefully more big prizes down the line."

Bruno proves a knockout

Last month’s Ballynoe winner, the aforementioned Encanto Bruno, was another to prove popular, with Derek O’Connor going to £210,000 on behalf of an owner with John McConnell.

The four-year-old son of Mahler was offered by Yellowford Racing, with trainer Colin Motherway securing a nice profit having snapped him up for €20,000 last August.

Motherway said: "It's my first time in Aintree, so that's great! He wasn't a massive horse but he was just a lovely mover and I liked him. He's been great from day one."

National trainer on the mark

Belclare winner Deep Cave, a four-year-old son of Court Cave, was consigned by Ciaran Murphy’s Charlestown Racing and he took the eye of Henry de Bromhead to the tune of £235,000.

Deep Cave winning at Belclare for Ciaran MurphyCredit: Healy Racing

De Bromhead said: "He's for an existing owner in the yard and came well recommended."

On his now former stable star Put The Kettle On, he added: "She's been an amazing horse and it was great to see that she's going off to pastures new for her new career."

Deep Cave was a good result for Murphy, who saddles Enjoy D'Allen in the Grand National on Saturday, and he said: "He didn't sell at the Derby Sale so the breeder, Sarah Allen, sent him to me to go point-to-pointing. It's a brilliant result for them."

Classic result for in-form James

Fresh from steering Win My Wings to victory in last Saturday's Scottish Grand National, Rob James had more cause to celebrate at Aintree when selling his Monksgrange maiden winner Classic Anthem for £200,000 to Peter and Ross Doyle on behalf of the Tizzards.

Classic Anthem and Rob James on their way to victory at MonksgrangeCredit: Healy Racing

The first-crop son of Affinisea is out of a daughter of the very smart Snitton Lane, and the jockey rode him himself to score in fine style late last month. He finished alone when his sole remaining rival, No Time To Wait, crashed out at the penultimate fence.

James, and Craig Casey who rides out for the Ayr big-race winner at his Wexford base, bought Classic Anthem between them for €36,000 at last year's Derby Sale.

Ballybeg Boss won his maiden at Castletown the day after James's Ayr triumph and the four-year-old Libertarian gelding from the family of The Grey Monk was bought by Donald McCain for £50,000.

It was a triumphant return for the sale after a Covid-induced two-year hiatus, with 27 out of the 31 lots on offer selling for an aggregate of £3,556,000. The sale returned an average of £135,407 and the median was £95,000.

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