A STOUTLY-bred son of Hardrock Z took the top billing at the Exclusive Sale of three-year-olds at Cavan last Friday night. Realising a very healthy €40,000, the Mervyn Clarke-consigned gelding was the runaway sale topper on a night of inconsistent returns.
Staged in tandem with the autumn show jumping championships, this year’s renewal was trimmed to offer an initial catalogue of 18 lots and, with four withdrawals, just 14 passed through the ring. This led to a clearance rate of 53% (48% in 2025) which, while showing an improvement on 12 months ago, will still have been a little disappointing for all involved.
Sale topper
At €40,000, Mervyn Clarke’s flashy Berkleys Thomascourt (Lot 15) topped the evening session by a distance. A son of Hardrock Z, he was the fourth progeny out of the KWPN-bred mare Jillumonia by Canabis Z.
A well-related half-brother to the five-year-old Berkleys Juno (1.20m), ridden by Taylor Cummins, he was bred by Samantha Fegan out of a half-sister to Gumonia (1.45m) and from the family of F Umonia R 6 (1.50m).
The bay was clearly the standout of the sale and especially so for successful buyer Reece St John (Equijump Ltd). “Mervyn is as good a judge as there is in Ireland and has produced more five-star horses than the majority,” he commented. “I had seen the videos of the horse as a two-year-old, so I felt very confident that he was a very natural jumper.
“Both my vet Will Lalor and Michael Quirke had looked at him and, having given their approval, I was happy to go ahead. I was actually at the Mullingar pony show with a trade stand on the day of the sale, so I drove to Cavan in the evening, bought the horse and drove back!”
Thurles-based St John, who trained in Karlswood for three years and modestly describes himself as a glorified amateur/professional, competes up to 1.40m level and has bought this smart youngster to produce through the age classes next season. “There are great incentives for these four-year-old classes these days, especially at Millstreet and Barnadown - and maybe I wouldn’t have bought this one if competitions of this calibre hadn’t been on offer,” he added.
Round-up
Whilst there was a big divide between the sale topper and the next best return, Alan Wheeler did well when his much-admired filly Danellie TD Z (Lot 18) by Denzel VT Meulenhof changed hands at €20,500. Having been well placed in the Young Irelander final at Millstreet a few days earlier, the chesnut filly had already turned heads and looked well bought by Co Armagh customer Brian Bell.
“I have bought her for my daughter Sarah to produce,” he explained. “She already has a 1.25m horse, so we now have this one to work with and bring on. I wasn’t at Cavan myself, but I watched the online performance and thought she was very naturally produced. I liked the breeding behind her, and feel that you can only try to buy the best you can buy, then hope for the best.”
Stoutly bred, the dam Kanellie by Corland is a sister to three blacktype performers - namely D’Artagnan (1.50m), QH Bamboleo Santo Antonio (1.50m) and Major Tam TD (1.45m).
The filly was bred in Holland and was sourced as a foal by her Limerick producer Alan Wheeler. “I bought her after a trip to Lanaken,” he remarked. “She was bred by two vets, who have a herd of really lovely, good looking, sound mares - the types you would like to ride.”
Next in line at €12,000 was Joe Gallagher’s Robben Island (Lot 5), a home-bred gelding by the Denis Lynch-ridden All Star 5 and the first foal out of Kittens (Cobra), who competed to 1.30m to win 130 SJI points before injury forced retirement.
She is now safely in foal to the young sire Stakkariello PS (by Stakkato), a stallion who Gallagher hopes will enhance the pedigree and give the mare the best chance to breed for top level performance. At the first time of asking, Robben Island was led out of the ring unsold, but was soon secured by show jumping rider Tara Glynn. “I’m glad he has gone somewhere he will have the chance to progress,” said the Co Tyrone breeder.
Moving down the returns, American buyer Alan Griffin snapped up Camryn Clarke’s Timber M (Lot 16) by Donthargos for €10,200, while David Gibson paid €8,600 for Keith Wilson’s Unnamed (Lot 13) gelding by Corporal VDL.
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