CALDWELL POTTER WILL join British champion trainer Paul Nicholls and count Alex Ferguson as one of his new owners after being sold for a record €740,000 at an enthralling Tattersalls Ireland sale on Monday.
Andy and Gemma Brown, who run their horses under the Caldwell Construction banner, shocked the racing world late last month when announcing they were to sell their entire string.
Caldwell Potter was the star attraction among 29 lots to go under the hammer at Fairyhouse, having already shown top-level form over obstacles for Gordon Elliott to go with his excellent pedigree.
Following a slow start the bidding eventually got under way at €100,000 before ultimately ending up in a tense straight shootout between two parties.
The packed sales ring fell silent after the auctioneer confirmed a €700,000 bid, and while a counter offer of €720,000 was made by Elliott, the hammer eventually went down at €740,000, ensuring Caldwell Potter became the most expensive National Hunt horse ever sold at public auction.
Highflyer Bloodstock’s Anthony Bromley was immediately announced as the successful bidder and he confirmed Caldwell Potter will now move across the Irish Sea.
Bromley told Tattersalls: “I don’t feel great about taking the horse out of Gordon Elliott’s yard, he’s done so well with the horse, but this is business and you’ve got to do your best for your clients.
“When I saw this horse was coming up for sale there was only one call I made and it was to John Hales. He’s been a client of mine for many years, since back in the time of Azertyuiop, and we’ve had Neptune Collonges and Politologue in between.
“I bought him for a little partnership they’ve got together, four guys – John Hales, Ged Mason, Sir Alex Ferguson and Peter Done.
“I’m thrilled to get the horse, but it is a little bittersweet because I could see how much Gordon was trying to get the horse back when he was bidding.”
The six-year-old son of Martaline is not only a full-brother to Mighty Potter, who won four Grade Ones for Elliott and the Browns before suffering a fatal injury last year, but his dam Matnie has also produced three other high-class performers in French Dynamite, Indiana Jones and Brighterdaysahead.
Caldwell Potter has so far lived up to his breeding, winning three times from seven starts in all and two of his first three outings over hurdles, including a Grade One success on his most recent appearance in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting.
He holds entries in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle at next month’s Cheltenham Festival, but Bromley warned he is not certain to line up in the Cotswolds.
He added: “He’ll go to Paul’s and he doesn’t have to go to Cheltenham, I believe. It’s not the be-all and end-all because it’s only going to be four weeks and he has to settle into his new regime.
“It could be that he needs that bit of time to settle in and go to Aintree, but really we’ve bought him as a steeplechaser because he’s got a pedigree for a Gold Cup in him, I think.
“At the moment he’s only run at two miles and he’s such an exciting horse for the longer term. Realistically that’s why we bought him, not for four weeks’ time.”
Caldwell Potter’s fee eclipses the previous record for a jumps horse sold at auction in Interconnected, who was bought by Darren Yates at Doncaster in 2019 for £620,000.
In total the 29 lots sold for a total of €5,290,000, with the Browns’ primary trainer Elliott managing to keep hold of the second, third and fourth highest lots.
Mags O’Toole brought the hammer down at €620,000 on behalf of Robcour for one-time Triumph Hurdle runner-up Fil Dor, while dual-purpose performer Pied Piper was snapped up for €570,000 by Windgates Stud.
The final horse to command over half a million euros was impressive Down Royal winner Staffordshire Knot who returns to Cullentra House after Eddie O’Leary went to €510,000 for the six-year-old.
Elliott said: “I was disappointed to loose the big horse, but that’s the way it is – hopefully he will be lucky for the new owners. Pied Piper is coming back and we have got all the ones we wanted apart from Caldwell Potter.
“Staffordshire Knot is an exciting six-year-old and we are delighted he is coming back to us. The horses all looked great – we only had a week’s notice for this sale and it is a credit to the staff.
“We can get back to concentrating on the day job now.”
It was a bittersweet day for the Browns’ racing manager Joey Logan, who played a key role in sourcing and purchasing many of the horses who went under the hammer.
He said: “It is fantastic, I want to thank Tattersalls for turning this around in such a short time and Andy and Gemma for letting me purchase the horses in the first place and being so trusting.
“I want to thank Gordon for doing such a good job, all the staff that helped here. I am stuck for words really. It is mixed emotions and I’m delighted that it went so well, and it is just fantastic.
“To see such a nice young bunch of horses, and a lot of work has gone into it, many of them bought as foals, two-year-olds and three-year-olds. I am very proud of these horses, hopefully they are very lucky for the new owners. They gave us some exciting times, there is some regret obviously that I won’t be involved, but I will be there to cheer them on.
“Hopefully, Andy and Gemma will be back in at some point, they are a young couple and I hope they had a good time.”
