Former British point-to-pointers have made headlines at the Cheltenham Festival this week, and they also made their mark at Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale on Thursday evening.
Kap D'Attente (Lot 10), who was offered by Tom and Gina Ellis, sold for £160,000, a record for a filly from the British point-to-point field, while the Fran and Charlie Poste-consigned Salt Rock (Lot 20), was knocked down for £205,000. In terms of auction prices for horses sold out of the British point-to-point field Salt Rock's valuation lies third behind the Tom Lacey-consigned pair of Interconnected and Ramillies who were sold for £220,000 and £215,000 respectively at the Festival Sale in 2018 and 2019.
The Postes also sold Mount Bonete (Lot 4) for £60,000, and while the Ellises' Hoe Joly Smoke (Lot 1) failed to make his reserve and was led from the ring unsold it is likely he will next be seen running under rules.
Kap D'Attente, (pictured below) a daughter of French sire Kapgarde, was bought unbroken for £30,000 at Goffs UK's Spring Sale last year. She heads to Ireland and a berth at Henry De Bromhead's yard alongside Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle after being sold to Rathmore Stud's Peter Molony. He said of the filly, who won a Jockey Club Maiden Mares' race on debut at Brocklesby Park: "She's a lovely scopey type and we love the sire and the page. She won nicely, and while we don't know what she beat she did it in good style."
Kap D'Attente with Gina Andrews during morning inspections at the sale - Photo; Tattersalls Debbie Burt
Molony did not name his client, but it would be no surprise if Kap D'Attente carries the Honeysuckle colours of Kenny Alexander when she next appears on a racecourse.
Salt Rock, (pictured below) a lovely, old-fashioned chaser with a big future, was another Spring Sale store purchase having been bought by the Postes for £38,000. Kim Bailey had the decisive bid for the son of Soldier Of Fortune, and then said: "We've had an Arkle winner yesterday [Energumene] come out of a British point-to-point so I'm a believer in the form. This is a very nice horse, and I said to the person I've bought him for that he's one for the future. Don't expect him to be running tomorrow."
Charlie Poste said: "We're over the moon and he's gone to a very good trainer. He's a massive, big scopey horse who is only going to get better over the summer, yet he put up a scintillating performance when he won at Charlton Horethorne. It was one we expected because he had shown us so much at home.
Salt Rock who was sold by Fran and Charlie Poste for £205,000 to Kim Bailey - Photo Tattersalls Debbie Burt
"We've had a great time this week with ex-British pointers Energumene and Ahoy Senor running so well at the Festival, and they have shown what we can produce."
Hampshire trainer Chris Gordon bought Mount Bonete, who finished runner-up to Hoe Joly Smoke at Charm Park when both made their racing debuts. He had been bought as an unbroken three-year-old at Doncaster for £26,000.
Gordon said: "I've bought him on spec and so he's for sale to stay in the yard. He's a lovely, lovely big horse and he's come from a good source. Fingers crossed he'll be lucky."