'He fits the bill' - Grandero Bello lands first ThoroughBid Point2Rules bonus

Grandero Bello scooped the first £5,000 ThoroughBid Point2Rules bonus with his debut success for Eddie and Patrick Harty in a Punchestown maiden hurdle last weekend.

The six-year-old son of Great Pretender topped ThoroughBid's Christmas Sale in December when purchased by the father and son team for £50,000 from the Monbeg academy, for whom he was a six-length winner of a Boulta maiden.

ThoroughBid offers a £5,000 bonus for any point-to-point winner in the UK or Ireland sold through their platform who then goes on to win their first race after the sale under National Hunt rules.

Under the rules of the scheme, 60 per cent of the bonus goes to the winning owner with the remainder split equally between the trainer and stable staff at Mulgrave Lodge. Josie Reed and Robert Caddick are the successful owners who will receive the lion's share of the first bonus after Grandero Bello carried their silks to victory.

“We actually bought him on Barry Geraghty’s recommendation," explained Patrick Harty. "Josie and Robert were on the lookout for a nice young horse in Ireland and this lad fit the bill perfectly."

“He’s a big horse with a lot of scope but he doesn’t always turn up at home on the gallops, so we were just hopeful of a good run. We’ll try and turn him out a couple of times before the ground starts to dry up but whatever he does this year he’ll improve for it. He clearly stays well and is fluent in his jumping from his point-to-point days, so in time he’ll make a nice staying chaser."

The next ThoroughBid sale takes place on Sunday, March 6, and Patrick Harty is already anticipating buying more bonus prospects from the comfort of his Curragh office.

“Trainers are creatures of habit, and we hope there will be some more nice types at the March sale, because the regular sales experience can be a bit of an all-day slog so to be able to bid from the comfort of your own office with a cup of coffee or glass of wine is no bad thing.”

The company also offers an extra £10,000 bonus for any graduate of a British point-to-point sold by ThoroughBid who goes on to make a winning debut under rules in the UK or Ireland following their sale.

James Richardson, CEO of ThoroughBid, expressed his pleasure at the immediate impact the bonus has made: “We announced the new Point2Rules bonus at the back end of November and it’s great to see it's already having an impact. We’re delighted that we haven’t had to wait long to see the first horse go on to claim the prize, and would like to congratulate Eddie, Patrick and connections on a horse who looks to have a very bright future.”

“We were very excited when Monbeg Stables wanted to use ThoroughBid to showcase this exciting prospect and we don’t think it could have worked out better for them."

Read more

Falmouth Stakes heroine Snow Lantern retired and booked to visit Dubawi

'Better at home? You just can’t beat a good winter’s day out jump racing'

Star siblings among Arqana attractions as Deauville springs into life