The 2023/24 jumps campaign left Paul Nicholls licking his wounds, with the 14-time British Champion Trainer having relinquished his title to the all-conquering Willie Mullins, who dared to end the season as the leading trainer on both sides of the Irish Sea.
No sooner had the season ended than Nicholls received another blow, with the news that one of his most influential owners would be selling his fleet of runners as part of his decision to take a step back from his racing commitments.
A long-time partner of Nicholls, Chris Giles announced in June that he would be making his string available for public auction – many of whom were based at Nicholls’ Ditcheat operation. This decision represented a potentially devastating blow for the trainer, but events at the Goffs Summer Sale in Doncaster suggested there may be light at the end of the tunnel.
Stroll Steals the Show
The Giles offering lit up the Goffs Summer Sale, resulting in the Doncaster event achieving figures well above those in an average year. When all was said and done, Nicholls, in company with Tom Malone, and bidding on behalf of existing owners in the yard, snapped up eight of the Giles runners.
The unraced Rocket Scientist and Scottish Champion Hurdle winner Rubaud each cost £200,000, whilst it took £325,000 to secure the 2023 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle winner Stay Away Fay. However, the hugely promising Regent’s Stroll stole the show.
Following an opening bid of £400,000, a protracted bidding war ensued between Nicholls and Malone and Tim Kent acting on behalf of an unnamed client. Quickly shooting past the £500,000 mark, the pace continued until Malone’s £660,000 bid brought no response from Kent, and the hammer came down.
A New Public Auction Record
That £660,000 represents a new record for a National Hunt horse sold at public auction, surpassing the previous high of €740,000 (£622,000) shelled out by a partnership including Sir Alex Ferguson, John Hales, Ged Mason, and Peter Done for Caldwell Potter in February 2024, and the £620,000 British Pounds record sale of Interconnected to Darren Yates and Phil Kirby in 2019.
Grade 1 winning novice hurdler Caldwell Potter has yet to race for his new connections, so it remains to be seen whether that €740,000 outlay represents value for money. However, connections will hope that Regent’s Stroll fairs significantly better than Interconnected, who failed to win another race following that 2019 sale and never competed at higher than Class 3 level.
The winning bid was made on behalf of a consortium of existing owners at the Nicholls yard, meaning the exact structure of the ownership is yet to be confirmed. Neil and Alfie Smith, John Hales, Ged Mason, and Sir Alex Ferguson are reportedly involved.
Why So Much?
The astronomical purchase price certainly hit the headlines, but it was no surprise to see Regent’s Stroll finish out on his own to top this sale. By leading National Hunt stallion Walk In The Park (sire of Douvan, Min, Jonbon, Facile Vega, and others), the five-year-old boasts the mighty Denman amongst his relatives on the dam side.
Not only does Regent’s Stroll look good on paper, he has also oozed quality at the track. Raced only twice in his debut 2023/24 campaign, he made short work of his rivals in an Ascot bumper in November before stamping his class all over a 20-runner field in the Goffs UK Spring Sale Bumper at Newbury in March. Those efforts already placed him towards the head of the list of most anticipated novice hurdlers for 2024/25 – his record efforts at the sales will only serve to increase his profile, for all that his best years are likely to come when sent over fences.