3 minute read

Jonbon sells for £570,00 after headline-making point-to-point debut last weekend.

Jonbon, a full-brother to Douvan who burst on the scene last weekend when winning a point-to-point by 15 lengths, was sold for £570,000 to JP McManus at Goffs November P2P Sale on Thursday.

As a result the four-year-old is now the most expensive point-to-pointer ever sold at public auction.

Douvan, still in training with Willie Mullins, has been lightly raced in recent seasons due to injury, but has won 15 of his 19 races – eight of them at Grade One level.

Jonbon was consigned by Ellemarie Holden, who trained him to win at Dromahane on his debut when ridden by Derek O'Connor.

Holden said earlier this week: "Derek thinks very highly of the horse. If it wasn't for Covid he would have run last season, so he was ready to go.

"He's a bit of a looker all right. He's a nice horse and from the day he landed in the yard everything came so easy to him, he's very straightforward."

McManus' racing manager Frank Berry said no decision had yet been made over who will train Jonbon.

"I've been tied up most of the day so I don't know much about it other than he bought him," said Berry.

"I haven't discussed anything with anyone (about where he might go) so at the moment I've no idea."

Mullins himself does not expect to take charge of Jonbon.

He said: "I wouldn't think we'll get Jonbon.

"I don't know who'll get him, although I would have thought Nicky (Henderson) could get him, being bought in England with VAT and everything – he would be very expensive to bring back here."

Regarding Douvan, who was last seen in public a year ago when winning the Clonmel Oil Chase, Mullins said: "Douvan is in pre-training at the moment, and I don't have him back in the yard yet.

"We'll look at him again before Christmas."