Bobs Worth's nephew Disguisedlimit makes £150,000 headline appearance

Eleven years after Bobs Worth’s defining victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, just 100 yards away from the Tattersalls sale ring, one of his closest living relatives proved the biggest attraction at Thursday’s April Sale.

Nicky Henderson’s gentle-natured and popular chaser had been the first horse since Flyingbolt in the 1960s to win three different races in consecutive years at the showcase meeting and would run in a couple more Gold Cups before a few seasons of cosseted retirement back at Hillwood Stud, where he would spend his off-seasons.

Philip Hobbs and Johnson White would surely settle for even one Cheltenham Festival win from Disguisedlimit (25), a Mahler gelding out of one of Bobs Worth’s unraced half-sisters. They snapped him up for £150,000 through agent Tom Malone, who said the purchaser was an existing client at the training partners’ Somerset stable.

The five-year-old €70,000 Derby Sale purchase was sent off favourite for Donnchadh Doyle on his debut at Curraghmore last weekend and justified a positive ride by Rob James to win by five lengths.

Malone said: "He's a lovely, big, scopey chaser, Rob James won on him and rode him like a proper stayer. The horse came well recommended by Donnchadh Doyle. 

"I've had some luck with Mahlers and this horse probably has a bit of pace – in every stage of his race he travelled well. He won well and did his job well."

Two lots later, Malone would follow up with My Kiwi Girl (27), a daughter of Walk In The Park from the family of Catch Me and Cash And Go who had won for Ciaran Fennessy at Quakerstown. 

Tom Malone made two quick plays during the afternoonCredit: Debbie Burt

The £80,000 purchase was bought for the same owners behind Kerryhill, the easy winner of the Grade 2 River Don Novices' Hurdle at Doncaster in January, and is set to be trained by Nick Alexander.

April is not seeing the optimistic weather appropriate for county cricket, or the Guineas and Punchestown festivals on the horizon, and it remains difficult for auction houses to assemble catalogues which are knee-deep in promising point-to-point winners. Some youngsters are thought to be being sold privately and others are likely to be held back for the autumn.

Few beyond active buyers braved another chilly, miserable afternoon and trade, while not disastrous, was not especially inspiring. 

Nicky Henderson says hello to Giantsgrave, later knocked down to Jerry McGrath for £92,000 Credit: Debbie Burt

The average had dipped ten per cent last year even without a £250,000 leading act, and was down one per cent further this time, to £59,964 from £60,592. The median dropped 12 more per cent to £44,000. All in all, 28 of 37 lots sold for £1,679,000  from a far smaller catalogue to 12 months ago, and at a clearance rate of 76 per cent.

Affinisea cooking for Fry

Harry Fry is responsible for one of the brightest young prospects by Affinisea, with Anno Power scoring under a penalty in a bumper here at last week’s April meeting, and he was behind the interest in the £140,000 second-best in the overall standings, a son of the Whytemount Stud stallion.

On The Bayou (13) had made his debut at Castletown-Geoghegan in County Westmeath the weekend before last, bounding clear to score by eight lengths in a manner which brought the admiration of Kevin Ross, who proved most determined to get him as he cast the decisive bid.

The €55,000 Derby Sale purchase somewhat exotically has an Indian 1,000 Guineas winner under his third dam, but has more pragmatic attraction too as the son of a dual winner over hurdles.

Kevin Ross (darker jacket with catalogue) during inspectionsCredit: Debbie Burt

"Harry’s been lucky with the sire as Anno Power looks as if she’s a very good filly," said Ross.

"I just really liked the individual and he came highly recommended by Pat and Sean Doyle. It was the way he jumped the last; he jumped it like a fresh horse."

The third of a trio to reach six figures was the result of a private sale after he came out of the ring. 

Denis Murphy's Fortune De Mer (11), a Doyen four-year-old who had looked particularly unfortunate not to have picked up a win in two tries, is heading directly to the Dan Skelton stable after agent Ryan Mahon negotiated a £105,000 fee.

The Atlantic Road

Jumping is nothing like as widespread around the world as the Flat, but interest from North America remains conspicuous.

The figures that enthusiastic owners are prepared to pay for top-of-the-ground individuals was demonstrated by Hamish Macauley occupying top spot on £92,000 in the dawdling early stages.

Malinas gelding Rucker Road (9), from the Matty Flynn O’Connor finishing school, is from the family of Fighting Fifth Hurdle winner Countrywide Flame and arrived after a victory at Ballycrystal.

"He’s been bought for Leslie Young," said the agent. "Leslie wanted to buy him after he finished third in his first point-to-point and she was even keener after he bolted up last weekend."

Hamish Macauley was talent-spotting for US-based trainer Leslie YoungCredit: Debbie Burt

He added: "Malinas goes well out there. Leslie has one that has won and I bought another one for a different trainer called Merry Maker and he was the chaser of the year in America.

"This horse should go on the ground there and has been bought to go hurdling, although he could end up timber racing out there."

North Yorkshire-based Jack Teal, who has a team of 20 point-to-pointers, was perhaps even happier with the purchaser of Kalypso'chance (17) than the £85,000 figure that the recent Corbridge winner landed on. 

The son of Masked Marvel was bought by master horseman Roger Marley, who is building up an association with Teal, and was knocked down to trainer Gordon Elliott.

"When you’ve got guys like that interested in your horse, it’s great," said Teal. "It puts a smile on your face."

Tattersalls’ associate director Mathew Prior said: “It has been a tricky spring and we, alongside our Irish and British point-to-point consignors, have been hostage to the vagaries of the wet weather, but as ever our vendors have produced fantastically talented horses who have been turned out to perfection.

“Entries are now being taken for the last point-to-point sale of this season at the home of jump racing, the Tattersalls Cheltenham May Sale, which takes place on May 16.”

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