Russell’s £50,000 bid buys Ahoy Senor

Recent Kimble winner Ahoy Senor proved the pick of the Brits when Goffs UK held its inaugural November P2P Sale at Yorton Stud near Welshpool in Powys yesterday.

Owned and bred by Don Constable, five-year-old Ahoy Senor, an imposing son of Dylan Thomas, was knocked down to Kinross trainer Lucinda Russell for £50,000. Russell, who was at the auction with her partner Peter Scudamore, said: “He’s a lovely, staying chasing type, and he could not have been more impressive in his point-to-point. He’s probably the first British pointer I’ve bought, but he’s just the sort of horse we like to buy.

“He’s been bought on spec and is for sale [to stay in the yard]. He’ll go through our pre-training session and then should be ready to run, probably in a bumper, just after Christmas.”

Phil Rowley, husband of trainer Mel, chats to Lucinda Russell about Ahoy Senor before he went through the ring

Ahoy Senor was trained by Mel Rowley for his Kimble win, but another member of her team, The Player Queen, who won at Maisemore Park last month, was led from the ring unsold when bidding halted at £42,000.

Another Nightcap, who finished second to The Player Queen at Maisemore, was offered for sale from the yard run by Fran Nimmo and her husband Charlie Poste. He was knocked down for £32,000 to former leading point-to-point trainer Caroline Bailey, who now runs a licensed yard in Northamptonshire.

Bailey, who was at the ring with her husband Gerald, said: “He’ll probably be joining a syndicate that we run from the yard. I watched his race via the live stream at Maisemore and liked the way he ran, although I had no idea we would be buying him at that time. We’ve known the Nimmo family a long time and they always do their horses well.”

Poste, who bought Another Nightcap for £14,000 at Goffs UK’s Spring Sale last year, said: “It’s a difficult time and I’m pleased enough with the price. We need to get our horses sold and into licensed yards. We’ve achieved that and our owners have made a small profit.”

The star of yesterday’s sale – the star of all point-to-point sales to date – was four-year-old Irish pointer Jonbon, a full-brother to brilliant Douvan, and who won his first race in tremendous style on Sunday under Derek O’Connor.

Offered from the yard of Kilkenny trainer Ellmarie Holden, he was knocked down to J P McManus for £570,000, easily a record for a pointer at auction, trumping the £480,000 given for ill-fated Flemenshill at Tattersalls Cheltenham in 2017.

Jonbon (Lot 8) on his way to a record price for a pointer of £570,000