The National Hunt season is rolling along into its spring and summer campaign and with comes the excitement of the sales arena. The promise of next seasons superstar NHF and Novice Hurdlers.

The are boutique sales a plentiful at Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown, but it’s the major sales at Goffs’s at Doncaster and Tattersalls Ireland, along with the Goffs Land Rover sale, where the real action takes place.

One only has to walk up the stairs at the Doncaster Complex and read the roll of honour of horses purchased at the sale to realise these sales houses in spring and summer are really the centre of where dreams are made and broken.

The Goffs spring sale (used be DBS) is long established sale, the store horse sale on the first day is always the most exciting for me. When you’re walking round the inspection yards, the keen sense of anticipation from both prospective buyer and seller is palpable as in the main you are dealing with raw, unraced colts, geldings and mares who are just developing physically and mentally into fully grown horses.

The fine line the buyers tread in assessing the quality on offer is wafer thin. One last minute hunch, one last bid can mean the difference between buying Festival Bumper winner, a Supreme Novice Hurdle winner or a horse that couldn’t beat a fat man running up a hill.

Such are the skills and vagaries with a huge slice of luck, of the bloodstock agent.

Of course, the truth, as with anything else in life, lies in the middle and the vast majority will go on to be racehorses in Handicaps and point to point’s. The cream, as they say, will always rise to the top.

So, what of these wonderful store horses at Goff’s UK2018 sale.

First to note is, there are 239 lots for sale. It’s impossible for anyone to get around all 239. Most agents will have their favourite stallions and mares / bloodlines that have served them well in the past and will gut the catalogue on that basis and narrow it down to a certain number to be inspected on the day before and morning of the sale.

I’ve been going to these sales, mainly out of a keen interest in bloodstock and pedigrees for many years now and I have developed the same habits and have my favourite stallions and bloodlines. so here are my ten that I will be watching closely at the sale and after the dust settles I shall be writing a review of how my ten went on plus news of the sale toppers and future plans for them along with some small interviews with agents and trainers who I get the chance to talk too.

Lot 218… Chestnut Gelding by Robin des Champs, he first dam is the dam of Arctic Skipper, winner of fences in Ireland at Group 2 level

Further down the dam line we see the gelding on offer is from the family of Mulligan, prolific winner over fences at Group level and further back via the 3rd dam is the dam of the prolific Analogues Daughter.

Lot 74… Bay Gelding again By Robin Des Champs out of a presenting mare from a family that readers will readily recognise in the shape of Thisthatantother, Carlingford Lough and The Tother one.

Lot 166… Bay Filly by Presenting out of a Definite Article mare from the family of Whoops a Daisy and the Fantastic Group 1 winning Paddy’s Return

Lot 58… Bay Gelding by Oscar out of a Montelimar mare. I thought this gelding might be worth a look because, although the dam hasn’t thrown up anything of worth, yet the second dam foaled Vic Venturi By old Vic and my experience Oscar and Old Vic Cross does tend to work well so this gelding gets the benefit of the doubt till I’ve seen him in the flesh

Lot 125… Bay filly by one of my favourite sires Getaway. The Dam is by Supreme Leader. A lovely pedigree from the family of Cloone Bridge, Streamstown and Nostringsattached

Lot 102… Bay gelding By Getaway out of a Bertolini mare. from the Family of Perce Rock…. Not a fashionable pedigree on the Dam’s side and one that could go under the radar if conformation and temperament ok. Will be interesting to see if there are of Perce Rocks traits about him, if so could just be a bargain.

Lot 261… Chestnut gelding by Black Sam Bellamy from the family of Major Rumpus and Champion Hurdle winners Morley Street and Granville Again.

Lot 226… Bay Filly by Black Sam Bellamy from a family that has a wonderful mix of speed from the flat and staying power from the jumps in the guise of Stayers Hurdle Winner Inglis Drever

Lot 92… Bay Gelding by Getaway out of an Oscar mare. Now I have to say this an unusual choice because the dams line is bereft of Black Type and does not catch the eye, yet it’s hard to ignore the Getaway Oscar Cross and I shall be very interested to have a good look at this lad who may very well fly under the radar. We will come back to him in my review after the sale.

Lot 36 Bay Gelding by Court Cave. I think it’s fair to say that Court cave is an Up and coming NH sire and while it’s a bit disappointing he only has the one gelding for sale here I couldn’t bring myself to leave him out. It’s the same situation as Lot 92 in many ways in which the dams line is slightly disappointing, but he must have something about him to allowed into the sale, so again inspection required and let’s see what he looks like and what connections say…You never know could be another Willoughby Court.

It’s going to be a great sale and I shall be speaking to the connections of all these horses and more during the course of the day and bringing you all the news and comments about the sale toppers and hopefully to which trainers they will be sent, in my review shortly after the sale.

Good luck everyone and have a great week

Pete Ingram, aka National Hunt Pete - @BumperToJumper