Figures point to an increase in interest

THE market for quality point-topointers is booming as yet another sales record was broken last week.

Big prices and increases in average prices have been recorded at sales recently, with buyers paying significant sums for pointers they hope will go on to have success under Rules.

The top lot at Irish auction house Goffs’ Punchestown sale (26 April) was four-year-old Lecale’s Article, who won his maiden point-to-point on 21 April.

He was sold by Kingsfield Stud for €320,000 (£280,593).

The average price of horses, which included pointers and horses in training, was a record for this sale. It was up 11% year-onyear to €125,000 (£109,607) and the median up 10% to €110,000 (£96,454). Nine of the 18 horses on sale sold for six-figure sums.

This follows strong figures at Goffs UK’s Aintree sale, where Irish pointer Malone Road was sold for £325,000, and Tattersalls’ Cheltenham and Ascot sales.

Tattersalls’ Cheltenham Festival sale (15 March) featured the highest-priced British pointer sold at auction. Interconnected, a four-year-old who won on his debut, sold for £220,000.

Tattersalls Ireland marketing manager Niamh Flynn told H&H there has been an increase in annual turnover across all its

racehorse markets in recent years.

Goffs UK marketing director Michael Orton agreed the market as a whole is strong.

“Thoroughbred sales are going well and point-to-pointers have been a great success story,” he said.

He added that pointing has become “more professional”, to which he partly credits the strong recent figures, but said success is not limited to these bigger yards.

“You can have a punt and if everything goes well and you have a bit of luck, owners can do very well,” he said. “[The strength of the market] is weighted towards the Irish, but the UK side is definitely picking up.”

He said Goffs UK tries to balance the number of British and Irish pointers on offer at a number of sales. It also has initiatives, such as one involving racecourse bumpers, which gives top-placed horses an entry to one of its sales.

Adam Hurley of the Pointto-Point Authority, said the organisation is “thrilled” by interest in British pointers.

“Many of our supporters have put tremendous effort into the grass roots of our sport, and it’s satisfying to see initiatives such as the Goffs UK bumpers starting to bear fruit,” he said.