The offspring of Harzand were again responsible for fireworks in the sales ring with former champion jumps jockey Richard Johnson forced to go to top price of £230,000 for the impressive maiden winner Starzand.
The now five-year-old was consigned by James and Ellen Doyle after he had featured as part of a hat-trick on the Dromahane December pair for the card, when landing a four-year-old geldings’ maiden at the second time of asking.
He had been bought as a three-year-old store horse at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale for €21,000, and he is now the third horse to make over £200,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham January Sale and is the second-highest priced lot ever sold at the sale.
Johnson was buying on behalf of owner Dave Lewis’s Gwent Holdings and the horse will now be going into training with Philip Hobbs and Johnson White.
"Dave is keen to have a few more, we bought last year, they have run well and he is keen to move forward again," said Johnson, who is helping Lewis with purchasing plans.
"Everyone wants winners at Cheltenham and that is where we want to get. This looks a lovely horse, and will be one for the future, he is a proper long-term three-mile chaser and it might take him two years for him to reach his potential."
Of the process of buying horses, Johnson admitted: "It is not as good as riding! But I love to see the horses go on to do well and have a future."
“Gwent Holdings has five horses with us and they have been running great,” said Johnson White, adding: “I wanted this horse since the moment I saw him, Richard saw him yesterday and liked him too, he was on both of our short lists.
"He is an exciting horse to go forward with. We will get him home and assess him, I would love to give him a run in the spring to keep things rolling on for next season. We will see how he comes out of this, it can be tough for them to win their point-to-point and then travel here – it takes a bit to get over it."
Borris House runner-up Crossgales King was the second highest-priced Irish pointer when Benny Walsh’s charge was knocked down to Syd Hosie for £85,000, whilst Fedneys Park was the top-priced mare.
Mick Goff’s five-year-old had only won her maiden at Carrigarostig six days earlier, a performance which caught the of Highflyer Bloodstock who gave £82,000.
The average price stood at £69.458, with a median price of £62,500. These figures represented significant improvements on the 2024 returns, with increases of 90 per cent in turnover, 27 per cent in average price, and an impressive 102 per cent rise in the median price.
The session concluded with the sale of 24 horses, achieving a clearance rate of 80 per cent and generating a turnover of £1,667,000.
Entries are being taken now for the Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale on 21st February, and the sale will feature this season’s first Irish four-year-old point-to-pointers.
Sales manager Shirley Anderson-Jolag said: “The Tattersalls Cheltenham January Sale has been highly satisfactory, producing a clearance rate of 80 per cent, a turnover over £1,600,000, alongside increases in both the average and medians, all figures which show an improvement on 2024.
“Today's across-the-card Grade 3 double with Docpickedme, winner of Doncaster’s Great York Chase, and Moon D’Orange’s success in the 2m4f handicap chase at Cheltenham, prove yet again that buyers who are interested in purchasing high-quality jumps horse should look no further than the Tattersalls Cheltenham sales.
“We turn our attention now to the Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale and the industry-leading Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale in March.”
