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December 2024 Latest News

Cheltenham’s two-day Christmas meeting on December 13 and 14 provided some early Festive cheer with five Tattersalls Cheltenham graduates successful, and Festival options being earmarked for their spring seasons.

 

Four of the quintets began their racing careers in the point-to-point field – Country Mile started out in British point-to-points, Jango Baie, Long Draw and Haiti Couleurs all made their racing debuts in Ireland – while the fifth Libberty Hunter run in three British bumpers (placed and won twice) for trainer Brian Eckley.

 

It is interesting to note that, while the four pointers were all placed between the flags, none were successful; it is certainly not just the winners that potential buyers need to note when assessing a Tattersalls Cheltenham catalogue.

 

Over the two-day Cheltenham meeting, Tattersalls Cheltenham graduates were successful in 42 per cent of the 12 races won by horses purchased at public auction.

 

Jango Baie looks top notch

 

Perhaps the most exciting of the Tattersalls Cheltenham-winning five was Jango Baie, the Nicky Henderson-trained runner who was a hugely impressive winner on his chasing debut on the opening day of the meeting.

 

A Grade 1 winner over hurdles last Christmas, the five-year-old son of Tiger Groom, who was bought for £170,000 by Jerry McGrath Bloodstock from Moate House Stables at the 2023 Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale, met his new chasing challenge head on.

 

“Jango Baie is very clever and it was beautiful, it was very good to watch,” said Henderson post-race of the Countrywide Park-owned five-year-old. "Nico [De Boinville] asked him some proper questions for a baby and he got some proper answers as well. For not the biggest horse in the world, he's got a lot of scope.


"He galloped right out and he looks a stayer. We are lucky we've got some nice novice chasers this year."


After the gelding’s victory, Jango Baie’s enthusiastic owner John Whelan spent his early evening watching horses sell in the Tattersalls Cheltenham December sale ring, still very much on a winning high.

 

Haiti Couleurs lighting up the Saturday card


The seven-year-old Haiti Couleurs, a winner and Grade 2 fourth over hurdles, is also enjoying a fine first chasing season – based with Welsh trainer Rebecca Curtis, the gelding by Dragon Dance added the 3m novice handicap chase to a previous win and second over fences. Connections are also eying up the 2025 Cheltenham Festival and have developing options for the seven-year-old.


“Haiti Couleurs had a nice novice season last term before he struck into his leg quite badly, so we had to take our time with him,” reported Curtis. “He's slightly backward for his age but with racing he's just kept improving. I really fancied him for the National Hunt Chase, as he stays all day, but Sean [Bowen] says he's improved that much from his Aintree win to this that you wouldn't know if he wouldn’t make the Brown Advisory. We'll be looking at both of those.”

 

The consistent Long Draw maintain his form


The Olly Murphy-trained five-year-old Long Draw, bought from Monbeg Stables by Murphy for £60,000 at the April 2023 Sale, has had nine runs under Rules, and won Friday’s concluding race over three miles in the shape of a definite stayer. The son of Affinisea has won or finished placed in the first four in all his starts and has won just shy of £40,000.

 

Libberty Hunter: at his best yet

 

The eight-year-old Libberty Hunter, winner of Saturday’s 2m handicap chase, is the oldest of the winning five and was making his seasonal debut and his first start since finishing third to fellow Tattersalls Cheltenham graduate Found A Fifty in the Maghull Novices Chase (G1) at Aintree last spring.


“He travelled nicely, he jumped well and it was a good starting point,” said trainer Evan Williams, who bought the son of Yourgonnabelucky as a winning bumper horse for £160,000 at the 2021 Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale. “We've been very slow to get going, I'm a bit of an old dinosaur and have a lot of horses who want proper winter ground. He's not a young horse but he doesn't have many miles on the clock. This fella looks like he's getting stronger, which is great. We'll see what the handicapper does”


Libberty Hunter won at Cheltenham off his highest BHA rating yet of 144, and, as Williams expected, the handicapper has indeed reacted – the horse is now on a BHA mark of 151.

 

Country Mile making a quick impact


The British point-to-pointer Country Mile finished second in his point-to-point when runner-up in last year’s Tattersalls Cheltenham-sponsored 2m4f four-year-old maiden at Chaddesley Corbett. Five days’ later the son of Ocovango was sold by Francesca Poste’s Station Yard for £80,000 to Ryan Mahon and Dan Skelton.


It took him no time at all to get going under Rules and the five-year-old won his bumper at Huntingdon in April on his Rules debut before collecting over hurdles at Ayr in October. He then finished a good second in the Newton Novices Hurdle (G2) at Haydock in November before galloping to a 7l victory at Cheltenham. Post-race pundits were touting him as one likely to be suited by a race such as the competitive Betfair Hurdle.

Kalypso’chance looking good in Listed race at Navan


Another British point-to-point graduate also impressed over the same weekend but his time on the other side of the Irish Sea – Kalypso'chance adding to a win in November on debut with an impressive success in the Listed Future Champions INH Flat Race at Navan for owner Gigginstown House Stud and trainer Gordon Elliott. A four-year-old point-to-point-winning son of Masked Marvel, Kalypso'chance is now high up in the betting for the Festival’s Grade1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper.


He was sold at last spring’s Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale by Jack Teal’s Briardale Equestrian to Elliott for £80,000. He is one of two four-year-old winning pointers already successful under Rules sold by the consignor at a Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale last spring – Kdeux Saint Fray, who won his debut bumper at Ascot in November and also by Masked Marvel, was bought for £48,000 at the May Sale by trainer Anthony Honeyball.


The Malton-based Teal said: “It has been great month watching the two horses, and for Kalypso’ chance to show such a turn of foot to win the Listed race was exciting. It is a thrill to think he is an early favourite for the Festival bumper.


“You can never expect them to go on as he has, and so quickly into the new season, but he has always taken his racing and work so well, he has a fine constitution.”


Of Kdeux Saint Fray, Teal enthused: “He is a great jumper, that is his real asset, I will not be surprised to see him go over hurdles soon.”


The 2024 Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale has already produced two Listed bumper winners – in addition to Kalypso’Chance, Fortune De Mer, who was bought by Mahon and Skelton for £105,000 from Ballyboy Stables, took the Junior Jumpers National Hunt Flat race at Cheltenham’s November meeting.

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