Bloodstock
Townhill tops pointers at Goffs UK August Sale
Townhill took top billing among a select band of last season’s point-to-pointers who were offered at the Goffs UK August Sale.
The Presenting gelding had failed to find a buyer at the Goffs UK Aintree Sale in April just over a week after he had made a winning debut at Loughrea, taking a four-year-old maiden by 20 lengths for Pa King and Sam Curling.
However on his second visit to the sales ring he was knocked down to Bloodstock Agent Ed Bailey for a price of £60,000.
The chestnut was one of four horses consigned by Wilson Dennison’s Loughanmore Stables to find a new owner at the sale, with Abbeyhill, who had carried Dennison’s colous to victory at Portrush before finishing twelfth in a Kilbeggan bumper being snapped-up by Neil Mulholland for £30,000.
Dennison also sold Ballyporeen in a private sale to Robert Turner for £15,000, whilst Nigel Twiston-Davies, who has done well with his Loughanmore purchases in the past, secured Oldcastle winner Ballycamus for £15,000.
Aidan Fitzgerald’s Cobajay Stables were responsible for the second most expensive pointer on the day when the progressive Tara Line, who stepped-up from finishing second in an adjacent maiden at Stradbally on her third outing by winning well in Largy was knocked down to Gay Kelleway and Syd Hosie for £50,000.
Owner-rider John Reddington added a further two horses to his team when acquiring Colin Bowe’s Dromahane winning mare Shiroccosmagicgem for £40,000 and Denis Murphy’s Eire Street for £30,000.
Goffs UK Managing Director Tim Kent commented on this year’s August Sale:
“The August Sale offers something for all NH owners, trainers, breeders and pinhookers and we introduced two new sessions to enhance it in 2022.
"The small selection of NH mares was well received by the market and were likely bought to support the many new NH stallions available in the UK. The new 2YO session, which was introduced to support the new BHA/TBA junior hurdle series, is a concept which we believe will grow as the new series develops over the coming seasons.
“Trainers and pinhookers can also benefit from our other sale of NH 2YOs, the Yorton Sale, for which the catalogue has just been released and will offer a quality line up of 46 entries - 17 of which are by the leading sire Blue Bresil.
"The Yorton Sale is now an established event on the European sale calendar, it has produced some fantastic pinhooking and race results from only three sales, and we look forward to joining the Yorton team in Wales on 8 September.”
Offered: 232
Sold: 169 (73%)
Aggregate: £1,602,600 (-36%)
Average: £9,483 (-1%)
Median: £6,000