Public or private? Trade at Cheltenham on Friday will signal which way the trend is going this season

The return of star former pointer Jonbon in the Shloer Chase on Friday may command most of the interest on the opening day of the November meeting at Cheltenham, but for those within the point-to-point fraternity, all eyes will be trained on the off-track action there once racing has come to a close. 

The Tattersalls sales ring in Prestbury Park will host the first public sale of this season’s point-to-pointers, and the returns will be keenly observed on a number of fronts. Last season, there was a clear bias towards selling winning point-to-pointers privately, particularly those considered the most impressive. The fact that just two of the 12 highest-rated four-year-old maiden winners were offered at a public sale illustrates this.

And, while there has been some movement in the private market for a number of this season’s impressive winners, there is a sizeable cohort of the more notable winners catalogued. Could this represent a changing tide?