Young British point-to-pointers made a small, but important, addition to the ranks of horses running under rules when offered for sale at public auction in 2023.
Sales run by Tattersalls at Cheltenham and its now defunct Ascot venue, and by Goffs at Doncaster and Aintree, saw 74 British point-to-pointers change hands, the majority heading to licensed trainers’ yards. An additional seven failed to find buyers, making a total of 81 British pointers who were offered to the market. Horses aged four or five with the potential to develop as hurdlers and chasers made up the bulk of sales.
Five realised a six-figure sum, of which three were sold at Tattersalls Cheltenham and one each at Aintree and Doncaster. Two four-year-olds, namely Saunton Surf who was consigned by point-to-point trainer Bradley Gibbs at Doncaster in May, and Just A Rose (pictured above with trainer Tom Ellis), who left the stable of Tom Ellis when offered at Cheltenham in December, were knocked down for £175,000, a joint-record for a filly had run in a British point-to-point that season. Saunton Surf is now with Warren Greatrex, while Just A Rose has joined Paul Nicholls.
Saunton Surf sells for £175,000 at Doncaster's Spring Sale (Goffs - Sarah Farnsworth)
Goffs also staged a sale on Coral Gold Cup Day at Newbury in November, but the British point-to-point season, which started five weeks later than in Ireland, was in its infancy and the catalogue contained no horses from the sport.
Warwickshire-based Ellis put 11 horses through the ring last year and gained a six-figure sum for three. He says: “We’ve had a lot of luck buying stores at Doncaster and the Arkle [formerly Land Rover] Sale but, having said that, we bought Man Of My Dreams [who sold for £100,000] at the Derby Sale. Derby Sale horses tend to be a bit bigger and require a bit more time.
“We have more to sell this year, probably 25 are unraced, although not all will run. They are the nicest bunch we’ve had, but we pushed up the average price we spent on them last year. It will be very interesting to see if we get better pay back. The market might be a little quieter now that it has been of late, but the right horse will always sell well.”
Commercially-minded trainers of pointers are being assisted by a series of races sponsored by Tattersalls and Goffs and which are confined to four- and five-year-olds. The Jockey Club backs a series devoted to maiden fillies and mares which provides another opportunity for owners and trainers keen to race a horse before going to market, while a new series of two-mile flat races backed by JRL Group is a stepping-stone opportunity for some.
Devon-based Ian Chanin, who traded three pointers during 2023, says: “We buy stores from Doncaster and in Ireland, and have noticed the value does fluctuate. Five years ago it was in Ireland, but we’ll buy wherever we can find a nice athletic horse. The thrill comes in seeing them go on and do well for new connections.”
Ian Chanin (red jacket) and his team with Noble Don, who made £26,000 at Tattersalls Jockey Club Sales in November (Caroline Exelby)
Chanin can reel off a list of pointers he has sold who have then won under rules, trading some privately, but the majority at public auction. He says: “Selling in the ring helps when it is hard to judge the value of a horse.
“We used to think we had to get on with our stores and run them in the spring as four-year-olds, but we’re more relaxed now. There is a good autumn programme of British point-to-points for young horses so we are happy to wait. There’s no sense in running them if they’re not ready.”
British pointers also bolstered the ranks of bumper, hurdle and chase runners via private sales or when owners chose to move them to licensed trainers’ yards, although one of the most successful in 2023 did not have to change stables. Classic Concorde won four point-to-points during the season that ended in June, and then, while remaining with permit holder David Brace, gained five victories in handicap hurdles, the most recent at Chepstow’s Welsh National meeting.
The figures are small in comparison to the number of Irish point-to-pointers who enter licensed trainers’ yards, but there is a growing number of trainers of pointers in Britain who prepare horses with a commercial view, yet also handle older horses for clients whose ambition is to race them in points and/or hunter chases.