Smashing’s commanding front-running display in the Red Mills Chase at Gowran last Saturday earns him the plaudits this week after he continued his unbeaten season with a career-best display.

The Henry de Bromhead-trained grey coped especially well with the very testing ground and couldn’t have won with much more authority. In easily accounting for a pair of 149-rated rivals in Morning Assembly and Ballycasey, the winner has earned a shot at next month’s Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham.

His trainer did express concerns about how his charge would cope with better ground, but Smashing did run very well in the 2014 Coral Cup at Cheltenham, which gives cause for encouragement on that front. In what is looking an increasingly open Ryanair, he could give a very good account of himself.

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The following afternoon Navan’s card, which featured three Grade 2 contests, illustrated that big fields aren’t essential to serve up an enthralling day’s action. Of the five odds on chances at Navan, four were beaten and both of the three runner races were won by the outsider of the field, on a day when the ground put stamina at a premium.

Willie Mullins picked up two of the Grade 2 races on offer and on both occasions his winners profited from the late departure of stablemates.

Tell Us More would surely have won the Flyingbolt Novice Chase only to tip up at the second last and this paved the way for thorough stayer Sambremont to deny Ttebbob. The two-mile trip was well short of Sambremont’s best and three miles or further will suit him much better, while this was the second time that Ttebbob has turned in a flat effort following his electrifying display at Navan two months ago.

In the Ten Up Novice Chase Black Hercules was all set to make it three wins from as many starts, only to exit at the last which allowed fellow Mullins runner Measureofmydreams to profit.

It wasn’t ideal for Black Hercules to fall on his final start ahead of Cheltenham, but he still has the capacity to play a major role in either the RSA Chase or the four miler.

Meanwhile, Snow Falcon earned a shot at Cheltenham’s World Hurdle after belying his position as the outsider of the three runners in the Boyne Hurdle. Noel Meade’s charge jumped much better than he has done so far this season, and this was much more in keeping with some of the form he showed as a novice hurdler.

Goffs sale

To switch to sales, the year at Goffs got underway last week with the February Sale, whose returns dropped some way off those from 2015. Over the two days, trade was quite selective as evidenced by a clearance rate which dropped from 81% to 66% and gave further cause for concern that the market is again becoming oversupplied.

The turnover for the sale came in at almost €4.4m, which represented a drop of 18%. The average of €14,989 and the €8,000 witnessed drops of 7.5% and 20% respectively.

The top lot was Godolphin’s Umniyah who fetched €165,000 and was bought by John Clarke on behalf of Sunderland Holding. The Shamardal own sister to the very smart juvenile Dubai Prince is likely to be covered by Sea The Stars.

The other six-figure transaction came when Xaloc, a half-sister to last season’s high-class two-year-old Foundation, fetched €120,000.

She was sold in foal to Zoffany and was showing an excellent return on the 5,500gns she cost at the 2013 December Mares Sale. Xaloc was bought on behalf of a client of the English outfit Howson and Houldsworth Bloodstock.

The first day of the sale was devoted exclusively to yearlings and the top price in this section was achieved by a filly from the first crop of Camelot.

The half-sister to a pair of smart runners in Germany cost €80,000 and was bought by Hamish Alexander on behalf of a syndicate who will reoffer her at the Orby Sale.