'You always want to top the sale, but he’s gone and done it' - £330,000 Kovanis headlines at Tattersalls Cheltenham

Selling at Cheltenham returned with a bang as the highly touted Kovanis topped Friday evening’s November Sale at £330,000. 

Tom Malone was involved in cutting out much of the early running but at £300,000 Eddie O’Leary, sitting besides Gordon Elliott, joined the fray with a £10,000 waft of his catalogue. 

“Don’t let him buy him on one bid!” implored auctioneer Alastair Pim. “That’s the cardinal sin.” Another £10,000 raise emerged from the massed ranks of bidders, but when O’Leary returned fire Pim brought the gavel down on the session’s top lot. 

The Gerald Quinn-trained Kovanis created a big impression with a bloodless debut success at Portrush in mid October. Settled behind the leaders by Noel McParlan, the four-year-old made easy progress to lead before two out and proceeded to readily draw clear under minimal encouragement. By the line he had come ten lengths clear of his ten rivals. 

“He’s a nice horse and came well recommended,” said Elliott. “He travelled like a good horse on debut and, all being well, he’ll go for a bumper in the spring. He looks a nice big horse so he’s one to look forward to. We knew he was going to make around three hundred [thousand]. We hoped he’d make a bit less but that’s the price horses are making these days.” 

The French-bred Kovanis had been to the sales on one previous occasion having been signed for by agent Ian Ferguson and owner Philip McBurney at £50,000 at last year’s Goffs UK Spring Store Sale. 

“He showed himself well all week and he’s just a class act,” said Quinn. “We were expecting him to come here and hopefully make a few pounds and he’s done that, so we’re delighted. He’s always been a very relaxed horse and whenever you asked he delivered. His homework was very good so we were expecting that sort of performance on debut. 

“We bought him from the Bleahens in Doncaster and we’ve loved him from day one. Obviously he’s by a new sire but he’s been straightforward all the way through. You buy them as stores and you hope they’ll keep improving, but from day one he’s always shown his class. He’s done what he needed to do now as he’s won his point-to-point and come here and sold, and sold well. We’re delighted.” 

Asked how watching Friday’s trade compared to saddling Kovanis on debut, Quinn said: “Everything’s stressful! It’s trying to get them ready and then you come here and you always want to top the sale, but he’s gone and done it.” 

Kovanis is from the debut crop of Haras de Cercy’s Tunis, a son of Estejo who won the Grade 2 Prix Amadou over hurdles at Auteuil, where he was also runner-up in three Grade 1s. Bred by Laure Giethlen Cadiergues and Didier Giethlen, Kovanis is a sibling to three winners in France, while his dam is a half-sister to the Grade 3-winning hurdler Discover D'Auteuil. 

The pedigree received an update during racing at Cheltenham on Friday as another half-sister, Miss French, is the great granddam of Jonbon, who added the Shloer Chase to his other 14 successes. 

McGrath and Henderson engage in Reckless Spending

“Time will tell I suppose!” was agent Jerry McGrath’s tongue-in-cheek response when asked whether Reckless Spending could be considered well named after fetching £200,000.

The four-year-old son of Sholokhov earned his six-figure price tag having debuted for Jonathan Fogarty with a promising second to Skylight Hustle at Umma House. 

“He’s for Nicky Henderson and Martin George,” continued McGrath. “He’s a horse we tried to buy privately but he had to come to the sales. Obviously the winner of that race was sold for an awful lot of money, he was three lengths in front of this horse, and they pulled ten lengths clear of the third. Nicky Henderson has had brilliant luck with the sire; he can get you a Champion Chaser or a Gold Cup horse. Hopefully he’ll be a nice horse going forward. That price was at the top end of our valuation and we’d have been out after that.”

Another busy session of inspections at the Tattersalls Cheltenham November Sale Credit: Debbie Burt

Sholokhov is of course the sire of Henderson’s six-time Grade 1 winner Shishkin, as well as Cheltenham Gold Cup scorer Don Cossack. 

Reckless Spending was making his second appearance at public auction having fetched €68,000 from Peter and Ross Doyle at last year’s Arkle Sale. His dam is a Stowaway half-sister to Irish Grand National scorer Rogue Angel, while Gold Cup hero Minella Indo appears back in the pedigree. 

Jonathan Fogarty Racing also consigned the third-top lot, the £195,000 Hank West who was knocked down to Harold Kirk, chief talent scout to the Willie Mullins stable.

The four-year-old put in a dominant display to make a winning debut at Lisronagh by eight lengths, although Kirk said his purchase was underpinned by pedigree as much as point-to-point performance. 

“He’s by Westerner, who’s been very lucky for us,” said Kirk. “I bought Ferny Hollow out of here too, and he’s by the same sire. He’s also out of a Montjeu mare and he’s another sire that’s been good to us with Hurricane Fly, and he adds a bit of class. I loved the horse as an individual so he ticked a lot of boxes. He won well on debut, I liked the way he went about it, but after that we’re in the lap of the gods.” 

Friday’s transaction was the third time Hank West had changed hands at public auction. He first cost Rathyork Stud €16,000 as a foal at Fairyhouse in 2020 before Sam Curling signed the docket at €52,000 at last year’s Arkle Sale.

Willy on the mark for Fergie's partnership

Willy Twiston-Davies was among the busier buyers during the short, sharp session, and capped his spending with the £180,000 acquisition of Un Sens A La Vie from Ballyboy Stables. The four-year-old son of Muhtathir opened his account at the second time of asking with a neck victory at Loughrea last month. 

Un Sens A La Vie is set to sport the colours of the El Rincon partnership, which counts Sir Alex Ferguson among its members. The group were on the mark out on the Prestbury Park turf earlier in the day when the promising Potters Charm maintained his upward trajectory in the Grade 2 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle. 

“The sire speaks for himself and we really liked him when we saw him, he just looks like a Nigel Twiston-Davies type of horse,” said Twiston-Davies. “We’re trying to build and grow the yard so you’ve got to spend some money, and he’s been bought for the El Rincon partnership that had Potters Charm win today. He looks like a nice type to go and run well in bumpers in the spring and then hopefully be a lovely hurdler and chaser further down the line. He’s got the size and scope to do so, I struggled to find fault with him really.”

Un Sens A La Vie: "he just looks like a Nigel Twiston-Davies type of horse"Credit: Debbie Burt

Twiston-Davies also went to £140,000 for Toomebridge maiden winner Shabalko D'Herm, a four-year-old son of Balko offered by Gerald Quinn’s Caherty Stables. 

“He’s a lovely horse and he’s for some new owners to us in Babbitt Racing,” said Twiston-Davies. “I was very keen on him and obviously Ian Ferguson bought him as a three-year-old [for €36,000]. He does a lot of buying for us and he pinpointed him having seen him win his maiden and in his homework.” 

Babbitt Racing’s Karen Salters was in attendance at Cheltenham and was joined by cricket star Jonny Bairstow. Asked whether Bairstow would be involved in the ownership of any of Friday’s purchases, Twiston-Davies said: “Jonny is very good friends with Karen and Marcus, but I’m not sure he’s going to part with any money. He’s more worried about the IPL auction at the minute! He’s a good bloke and very enthusiastic about his racing though, so it’s nice to have him here.”

Reflecting on a productive day at Prestbury Park, Twiston-Davies said: “I couldn’t be more pleased with Potters Charm. We’re trying to build into a bigger yard with a better quality of horse and luckily we’re getting some money to spend. We really like the three we bought today, and I can’t miss out the first horse we bought, Race To Base. I thought he was good value at £75,000 and he’s been bought for David Proos, who owns Broadway Boy.” 

Onefournine leads £170,000 trio

The first of three lots to bring £170,000 was Onefournine who was knocked down to Matt Coleman on behalf of O’Neill Racing. The four-year-old daughter of Kalanisi was another to make a winning start between the flags having scored at Curraghmore for Colin Bowe. 

“She came highly recommended by Colin and she’s a beautiful scopey filly who won impressively,” said Coleman. “I like that she’s the first foal out of a proper black-type mare who proved herself at a high level several times. The mare also stayed three miles strongly and this filly stayed to the line very well too.

“She seems very level headed and it’s a lovely pedigree of stayers. She’s a big scopey girl and I think she will mature with time and age. She did everything right in her race, she’s a very good model out of a talented race mare, so she has all the ingredients to be a good racemare herself. AJ and Jonjo will train her. Ownership is in discussion!" 

Bred by William and John Flood of Boardsmill Stud, Onefournine is the first foal out of talented racemare Smart Talk. The daughter of Hubbly Bubbly won a Bennettsbridge mares’ maiden point during her younger years before she landed four races under rules for Brian Ellison. Her biggest success came in the Grade 2 Doncaster Mares' Hurdle. 

Onefournine was added to the Milestone Stables string at last year’s Goffs Arkle Sale at a cost of €35,000. 

Onefournine: "She seems very level headed and it’s a lovely pedigree of stayers"Credit: Debbie Burt

The next lot to bring £170,000 was Yes Sir Jack, with Hamish Macauley striking the bid that will see the four-year-old son of Jack Hobbs make the move to America. Yes Sir Jack was sold by James Doyle’s Baltimore House Stables having fallen when in second in the Curraghmore maiden won by the promising Ksar Fatal. 

“James Doyle told me six months ago this was one for America,” said Macauley. “He said when this horse wins, you should buy him. They went some gallop when he ran. Willie Mullins bought the horse that won and this horse was in second when he fell at the last. The fractions were unbelievable. He’s going to Leslie Young in America and I think he’s a real one.” 

Yes Sir Jack was bred by Zara Tindall from the Choisir mare Somethinaboutmolly. Tindall has bred three winning siblings to Yes Sir Jack, including the useful five-time scorer I K Brunel.

Yes Sir Jack has been to the sales on two previous occasions. He brought £23,000 from JW Bloodstock at the Goffs UK January Sale in 2022 before being retained by his vendor at €48,000 at last year’s Goffs Arkle Sale. 

The third and final £170,000 lot was Conman John, a winner at Damma House for Rob James who now switches to the Grand National-winning stable of Lucinda Russell, whose buying mission was assisted by Paul McIvor. 

The November Sale posted a highly positive set of stats, with turnover up 34 per cent year-on-year at £3,085,000. The average price also increased by 26 per cent to £93,485, while the median went up by 24 points to £72,000.

The clearance rate was a healthy 87 per cent as 33 lots sold from 38 offered.

Read more

Nap hand to note on a weekend when Auteuil ought to rival Cheltenham for your attention