Stars align for Richard Johnson and Harzand with £230,000 purchase of point-to-point winner at Cheltenham sale

Derby hero Harzand is rapidly ascending to a prominent position in the galaxy of National Hunt stallions and the aptly-named Starzand burnished the reputation of Kilbarry Lodge Stud's sire even further when making £230,000 to Richard Johnson on behalf of Gwent Holdings at the Tattersalls January Cheltenham Sale on Saturday.

Hello Neighbour, currently favourite for the Grade 1 Juvenile Hurdle at next weekend's Dublin Racing Festival, could yet provide the son of Sea The Stars with a first Cheltenham victory in the Triumph Hurdle but it is the year-older Starzand who is the source of his success in the Cheltenham sale ring.

Richard Johnson formed a formidable partnership with Philip Hobbs during his riding days and Starzand will be a continuation of their association as he is to be trained by Hobbs and his training partner Johnson White.

"We all looked at him and we all liked him," White said. "He's been bought for Dave Lewis of Gwent Holdings. He has five horses with us and they have been running great."

They include the Great Pretender six-year-old Tom Doniphon who has been successful in two handicap hurdles at Taunton in the last month. The gelding was bought for £55,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale of November 2023.

Lewis had a double at the Somerset track a fortnight ago with The Hardest Geezer getting off the mark over hurdles for Hobbs and Johnson White, proving the truth of third time lucky. He too was sourced at the November 2023 sale but at £90,000 was considerably less expensive than Starzand.

However White explained how determined the team was to acquire Starzand.

Richard Johnson signs for the sale-topping Starzand Credit: Debbie Burt

"I wanted this horse since the moment I saw him, Richard [Johnson] saw him yesterday and liked him and he was on our short list."

"He is an exciting horse to go forward with. We will get him home and assess him but I would love to give him a run in the spring to keep things rolling on for next season. We will see how he comes out of this, as it can be tough for them to win their point-to-point then travel here; it takes a bit to get over it."

"Dave is keen to have a few more, we bought some last year and they have run well and he is keen to move forward again," said the Gold Cup-winning Johnson, who is assisting Lewis with purchasing plans. 

"Everyone wants winners at Cheltenham and that is where we want to get. This looks a lovely horse who will be one for the future — he is a proper three-mile chaser and it might take him two years to reach his potential."

The price was a spectacular return on the €21,000 that James Doyle of Baltimore Stables paid for the gelding at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale just 18 months ago where he was offered by Springmount Stud.

Bidding opened at £50,000 for the Dromahane four-year-old maiden winner and eclipsing the top price from last year's January Sale by a considerable sum, all of £80,000.

A striking bay, he made his debut in February of last year at Knockanard where he was runner-up to Goraibhamaithagat, who made a winning rules debut in a Navan maiden hurdle for JP McManus and Colm Murphy. He is due to have his second start for the trainer of Brave Inca and Big Zeb at Punchestown on Monday.

Left off for the remainder of last season by Doyle, Starzand was prepared for the renowned Dromahane meet last month and he showed plenty of talent and ability in winning by a whopping 25 lengths.

Johnson enjoyed glory days at Cheltenham during his illustrious career in the saddle but when asked how buying future stars compares with riding them, he laughed: "It is not as good as riding but I love to see the horses go on to do well and have a future."

Wax on, Wax off

Karate Kid was an impressive winner of a bumper at Leopardstown's Christmas festival on his first start for Colm Ryan, defeating a field that included Meetmeinstlouis, a full-sister to Ballyburn who is scheduled to run at Naas this afternoon for Mouse Morris and Sue Magnier.

The five-year-old Spanish Moon gelding was flagged as one of the potential stars of the show in the programme notes and so it proved as he was knocked down to Tessa Greatrex of Highflyer Bloodstock for £100,000.

Owned by John Hayes, Karate Kid was just the second horse to record a six-figure sale on Saturday with Greatrex acting on behalf of Jim and Clare Bryce, who own Rhonehurst Stables, the Lambourn base from which Greatrex's husband Warren trains.

"Jim and Clare had a runner today [Quantock Hills, fifth in the Grade 2 Finesse Hurdle] and I don't think they were initially intending to buy, but I saw the horse yesterday and recommended him," said Greatrex. 

Karate Kid sells to Tessa Greatrex of Highflyer BloodstockCredit: Debbie Burt

"We were impressed with his bumper win, he beat some nice horses and he looks a smart horse for the future."

Karate Kid is the first runner for his dam Gardeline, an unraced Shamalgan half-sister to Grade 1 Manifesto Novices' Chase winner Arzal, who was trained by Harry Whittington.

Just shy of a year ago, the Bryces purchased the first hurdles winner by Order Of St George at the Andy and Gemma Brown Dispersal Sale at Tattersalls Ireland. Greatrex was the agent that day when going to €420,000 for Mighty Bandit who has carried the Bryce's silks to victory on the Flat.

Familiar source for Elliott

Mighty Bandit's former trainer Gordon Elliott was the buyer of the third most expensive horse during Saturday's sale, going to £95,000 for Chaddesley Corbett four-year-old maiden winner Pajandrum.

The leading trainer doesn't have a specific owner in mind for the son of multiple Graded-placed hurdler Mickie, he told the press corps.

"I have been lucky buying from Tom and Gina before, this is a fine big horse with a pedigree and hopefully he will be lucky," Elliott said, adding: "He has been bought on spec."

"I am pleased with that," said Tom Ellis. "He is nice horse, and is going to a good home; Gordon bought Touch Me Not from us."

Gordon Elliott was among the buyers at the Tattersalls Cheltenham January SaleCredit: Debbie Burt

Touch Me Not won the Grade 2 Craddockstown Novice Chase at Punchestown in November and the six-year-old son of Malinas was last seen finishing second to L'Eau Du Sud in the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown in December.

Ellis added: "The British point-to-pointers have been flying and it is great – I think due in part to numbers as there are a few graduates going under rules now."  

Pajandrum shares his sire Blue Bresil with the Champion Hurdle favourite Constitution Hill, who showed his class once more at Cheltenham prior to the sale on Saturday. The five-year-old is also bred on a variation of the cross which has produced the unbeaten hurdler as he too has a son of Sadler's Wells as his broodmare sire.

Nicky Henderson's champion is out of Queen Of The Stage, a daughter of King's Theatre while Pajandrum's dam Mickie is by another outstanding son of the great champion in Kayf Tara.

Past the post time for Malone

Down Royal's Christmas bumper winner Kilwaughter is also a grandson of Sadler's Wells although in the case of the five-year-old it is through his sire, Milan, that he is descended from the champion who retired to stud 40 years ago this year.

Trained by Stuart Crawford, Kilwaughter was led out of the Cheltenham sale ring unsold but was subsequently purchased by Tom Malone for £120,000.

He was a €30,000 store sale purchased by Crawford and impressed when making a successful debut at the Northern Irish track over Christmas. A half-brother to six winners on the track and one between the flags, he is out of Glory Days, a Tiger Hill full-sister to Ghizao.

Malone said: "He might go for one of the decent late-spring bumpers, he has been bought on spec, and I thought he had a lovely level of form. He is a beautiful horse with a lovely winning pedigree, and he came highly recommended."

Trained by Paul Nicholls, Ghizao beat Captain Chris to win the Grade 2 November Novices' Chase at Cheltenham and was runner-up to Finian's Rainbow in the Grade 1 Maghull Novices' Chase at Aintree.

Glory Days is also a full-sister to German Listed Flat winner Gentle Tiger and a half-sister to Glory Be, dam of All The Glory who won last season's Grade 2 EBF Mares' Novices' Hurdle for Jonjo O'Neill.

Second dam Glorosia is a daughter of Bering and won the Group 1 Fillies' Mile for Luca Cumani and Frankie Dettori in 1997.

Statistics

A larger catalogue contributed to an improved set of figures compared with 12 months ago.

On Saturday a total of 30 horses were offered for sale, up from 22 last year and they generated £1,496,000 in revenue which was a year-on-year gain of an enormous 71 per cent.

Both the average and median also boasted impressive increases on the 2024 figures with the average of £74,800 a leap of 37 percentage points on the previous year. It was the median which showed the most dramatic improvement with Saturday's figure of £72,500 up an enormous 134 per cent from last year's median of £31,000.

The only figure to disappoint was the clearance rate which dropped to 67 per cent from 73 per cent 12 months ago.

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