Surprise purchase sees winning pointer Caughtinyourtrance cap Doncaster October Sale at £40,000

Recent point-to-point winner Caughtinyourtrance fetched a bid of £40,000 to top a low-key edition of the Goffs Doncaster October Sale on Tuesday.

Consigned by Ballycrystal Stables, the four-year-old son of Ocovango debuted at Toomebridge earlier in the month and looked a horse with a future as he ran out a four-length winner for Matthew Flynn O'Connor. 

The winning bid came from owner Darren Mills, who was standing besides trainer Jimmy Moffatt in the gangway. The driving force behind Mills Racing explained that he had not necessarily expected to be buying in Doncaster but seized the moment as he felt that Caughtinyourtrance represented value for money. 

“I only came to support my trainer really,” said Mills. “I’d shortlisted a few, five or six, and this horse was on that list and I think he represents some value. He’s by a sire who’s up and coming so I think we’ll see more from him over the next few years. We’ve got ambitions for this horse but we’ll start him off slowly and give him plenty of time.”

Caughtinyourtrance was making his second appearance at public auction having cost Ballycrystal Stables €12,000 at last year’s Tattersalls Ireland May Sale. 

Mills is a relative newcomer to the ownership ranks but has already enjoyed plenty of success having purchased Rapid Flight for just £14,000 at last year’s Goffs UK January Sale. The Queen’s former colour bearer has won five times around Cartmel under Charlotte Jones, improving from an official rating of 106 to 137 in the process. 

That experience and Mills’ love of horses prompted the owner to set up Mills Racing. The syndicate had its first taste of success at Cartmel in late August when the £11,000 Spring Sale purchase Mr Rumbalicious made a winning start for the Moffatt stable. 

Mills explained there are different ownership options within Mills Racing’s four-strong string. Caughtinyourtrance is set to be part of the racing club structure, while Donnchadh Doyle’s dual point winner Great Pepper, a £70,000 buy with Tom Malone, is part of a higher-end offering that features partnerships with other businesses, including Michelin starred chef Simon Rogan.  

Darren Mills: became involved in racing and ownership only three years agoCredit: Goffs UK

“We bought Great Pepper from Monbeg Stables and he’ll start racing this winter,” said Mills. “He’s got a great pedigree and won two point-to-points. Great Pepper is part of a premium syndicate, so it’s not just about the horse but bringing like-minded people together, the social and networking element too. 

“My plan for Caughtinyourtrance is to put him into a racing club, which will hopefully attract new people into the syndicate at a lower price point. Hopefully that will get more eyeballs on our syndicate and Jimmy’s yard.” 

On his own background, Mills added: “I’m as far removed from being a horseman as you can possibly imagine. I set up my own recruitment business 20 years ago, which has looked after me, and my involvement with racing began three years ago. What I want to do with Mills Racing is help promote yards that aren’t the biggest and to be part of places where we can really add value.” 

At the close of trade 109 lots had passed through the ring and 76 found a buyer for a clearance rate of 70 per cent. Those transactions saw aggregate sales of £600,800, a fall of 26 per cent compared to last year’s return. The average price was down eight per cent at £7,905, but the median went in the opposite direction to the tune of six points at £4,750. 

James takes long-term view 

The sale featured a dispersal of stock from John Lightfoot, whose two-year-old Walk In The Park filly out of Shanon Du Berlais was one of two lots to bring £36,000. Owner and breeder Edward James signed the ticket when the well-related youngster, whose dam is a sibling to the likes of Madison Du Berlais and Hilton Du Berlais, was presented by Molland Ridge Stud. 

“I like the French breeding and I’ll see how she turns out, she may become a broodmare straight away,” said James. “She’s more than likely to go to Willie and Mandy Bryan from here. If she races she’ll run in France, where I already have two in training.” 

The Walk In The Park filly out of Shanon Du Berlais who fetched £36,000Credit: Goffs UK

James is a partner in Nigel Twiston-Davies’ talented hurdler Weveallbeencaught, but he said breeding, particularly in France, is where his main passion lies. 

“Before I was into racing I bred horses for showing,” he said. “I did that at quite a good level, so I enjoy the breeding as much as I do the racing. I’ve already got three French mares and this filly is out of a cracking family, she’s got the right pedigree behind her, and she’s a nice lump of a mare. 

“She looks like she’ll be a cracking broodmare and I’ll just see how she comes on in the next six to eight months before deciding about running her. I have other horses on the track, some in point-to-points, so I’ve got options.” 

Hands on Hands Off

Hands Off was the first lot to fetch £36,000 after the lightly raced five-year-old was knocked down to James Couldwell, who runs the Value Racing Club. 

The son of Getaway was offered by Nicky Henderson’s Seven Barrows operation after finishing placed in two of his four starts over hurdles. He was beaten three and three-quarter lengths into second by subsequent Grade 3 winner Crambo on his hurdling debut and was last seen finishing third to Track And Trace at Warwick last month. He changed hands with an official mark of 117. 

Hands Off is also a half-brother to the useful Scorpion Sid, whose performances Couldwell was taking as a particular source of encouragement. 

“We’ve had our eye on this horse for a while and I really liked his second at Ascot,” he said. “I think there’s plenty more to come over a trip. He’s a half-brother to Scorpion Sid, who Jamie Snowden trained, and he was rated around 135. He was a three-miler but crying out for four miles. 

Hands Off in the ring in Doncaster on TuesdayCredit: Goffs UK

“This horse will go to Jamie Snowden too. He’ll have a little holiday now, then come back in the summer. We’ve paid £36,000 but we’re basically buying a win because he’ll go off at odds-on in his maiden hurdle. The plan is to win his maiden over two miles four [furlongs], win a novice over two mile four, then go up to three miles knowing there’s still more to come. 

"I think he’ll definitely improve for a fence, Scorpion Sid did the same, so I’d like to think he can push a rating of 125 or 130 in the summer.” 

Couldwell said that shares are available and also reflected on the price, adding: “We’re going to be down at the Newmarket sales [Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale] next week but this type of money isn’t going to get you anywhere down there. I hope we’ve bought two wins straight off the bat and then that there’ll be more to come once he steps up in trip.” 

Hands Off was making his second appearance at public auction having previously cost Highflyer Bloodstock €54,000 at the 2021 Goffs Land Rover Sale. Value Racing Club also went to £22,000 for the four-time winner Coltor, from Roger Fell’s Arthington Barn. 

Happy buying for Bewley 

Trainer George Bewley walked away from Doncaster with an eyecatching recruit added to his Cumbria-based string after going to £34,000 for Red Happy. 

Red Happy: went George Bewley's way for £34,000Credit: Goffs UK

The son of former Haras des Sablonnets resident Red Dubawi was catalogued as having won nine races, including six for David Pipe, but he enhanced his value by taking his tally to double figures with his tenth career success coming at Exeter just five days before he came under the hammer. 

Offered by Pipe’s Pond House Stables, Red Happy reached a peak official rating of 130 but changed on hands on Tuesday with a mark of just 106. Bewley said: “He’s a good, sound horse. He looks well handicapped at the moment and we’ll kick straight on with him. It was a bit more than we wanted to pay but the stable wanted him back, and that’s obviously because he’s a nice horse.” 

The most expensive offering from the yearling section of the catalogue went the way of David Easterby, who signed at £16,500 for Flaxton Stables’ Golden Horn colt out of Arrowtown, a four-time winner for the Yorkshire stable. 

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