December’s Alnwick maiden winner Take Your Time made the top price among British point-to-pointers at Goffs UK’s January Sale yesterday.
Anthony Bromley (above) of Highflyer Bloodstock snapped up the son of Dubai Destination for £55,000, generating a sweet profit for trainer Tony Ross who paid €7,000 for the five-year-old at Tattersalls Ireland's August Store Sale in 2018.
Take Your time beat 11 rivals when winning on debut at Alnwick last month, and Bromley said: "I was really impressed with his win at Alnwick, form which has been franked since. There's a nice bit of scope about him. At the moment training and owning plans are undecided depending on other horses that might be bought."
"This is a selective market, and the good ones are hard to get hold of."
Bromley's son Ben is now into his second season as a rider on the point-to-point circuit.
Tessa Greatrex, another member of the Highflyer Bloodstock team, also left with a British pointer after paying £25,000 for Bitterley point-to-point Flat race winner Quinta Do Mar (Lot 237, pictured below) from the stable of Phil Rowley. Ben Pauling will now train the son of Califet, said Greatrex.
Tom Ellis's recent Sheriff Hutton runner-up Commandingpresence was withdrawn from the sale, while the Josh Guerriero-trained Dragonfruit, who was also second in a maiden at the Yorkshire course, was led out unsold after bidding halted at £34,000.
Leopardstown bumper winner Keskonrisk headed trade when selling to former trainer Henrietta Knight for £370,000, a record price for the January Sale. Underbidder Matt Coleman, who is a bloodstock agent, is a familiar voice on the East Anglian point-to-point circuit as an occasional commentator.
Knight could not disclose the name of Keskonrisk's new owner or trainer.