LOCAL breeder Francis Tubman sold the highest-priced lot at Tuesday’s youngstock sale in Cavan where his Vivant van de Heffinck foal, Derena Diego (Lot 64), was knocked down to Vere Phillips’s Futurerate for €10,700.

Born in late May, it’s easy to see how the flashy colt would have caught the eye of potential purchasers looking at photographs and videos and he was particularly well-done on sales day.

Vere Phillips didn’t travel over from Leicestershire himself but his representative was one of five people displaying a serious interest in the foal before he went into the ring.

The sales-topper is out of the Pacino mare Derena Elegant Lady who is currently in-foal to Sligo Candy Boy. “She is a good-looking type herself and breeds them like that,” said Tubman. “There were always going to be people interested in the foal, given his markings, and we feel he really stood out at the sale. We were happy with the price.”

An Ireland-based ‘cash’ buyer went to €10,500 for Stracomer Stables’ Stracomer Gillaroo (Lot 73).

Born on the first of March, the chesnut colt by Tangelo Van De Zuuthoeve is out of the Locarno mare La Mona.

Three foals were sold to the USA, the highest priced, at €7,600, being Co Westmeath breeder Heather Dean-Wright’s Ard Harissa (Lot 59), a late May-foaled filly by Ganesh Hero Z out of Walenka (by Calvados) who is now heading to Lakeview Farm.

Dean-Wright also sold the eye-catching palomino Ard Unique (Lot 41), an early June-foaled filly by Mr Qunicy B out of Ard Harissa’s half-sister Ard Milkshake (by Ard Golden Crisp).

Also bound for Lakeview Farm, at €5,500, is Lot 49, Ciaran Ward’s Sligo Candy Boy bay colt out of the Cavalier Royale mare Donogue Cavalier Girl, dam previously of the Indoctro gelding Donogue Doctor George (CSI2*) and the Lux Z mare Good Lux Lucy (CSI3*).

Lot 65, Tireragh Stud’s bay filly by Gran Dorado is also heading across the Atlantic, but in this case the €7,200 purchase is bound for Jill and Trevor Gaffney’s Freestyling Farm in Ohio. She is out of the traditionally bred Cruising mare Coosan Lass.

Staying in Ireland, having been sold by Gary Jackson for €6,200 to Des Topping is Lot 70, an April foaled colt by Kingdom out of the Grade A Harlequin Du Carel mare Harlequin Merrymaker.

Mark Fagan gave Cloonacauneen Stables €5,250 for their late April-foaled Chacco Blue II filly (Lot 55), whose dam is the Ard VDL Douglas mare Cloonacauneen Ann, a full sister to Cloonacauneen Black Beauty (CIC3*).

A €5,000 cash bid was enough to secure Bernard Reihill’s RSH Canabis De Muze (Lot 45), a bay filly by I’m Special De Muze out of the Canabis Z mare Innovator.