THE Monbeg Sport Horses’ team of Tomás Doyle and his wife Marti Rudd once again sold the top-priced lot at the Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale when Monbeg Monaco (Lot 11) was knocked down for €90,000 in the Amber Springs Hotel on Wednesday.
Bidding at this sale can be painfully slow at times but, when a small number of determined buyers with funds want the same horse, the pace picks up considerably.
There was an opening offer of €30,000 for the four-year-old KWPN gelding; he was put on the market at €65,000 and the bids kept coming until the hammer came down in favour of Ian Barratt whose daughter Elizabeth competes at 4* level for Britain.
Monbeg Monaco, who was well showcased at Barnadown by Rudd, is a member of the first crop of the young show jumping stallion Malcomme P (by Comme Il Faut) out of an Emir R mare.
The Ballindaggin, Co Wexford-based duo had an excellent start to Wednesday’s sale when Britain’s Chica Norfolk gave €50,000 for the Mikey Pender-bred Monbeg Echo Bay (Lot 1). This five-year-old Presidential Ball gelding is out of the OBOS Quality 004 mare Madges Lane Karol (1.45m), dam previously of the Luidam brothers Madgeslane Louis (1.55m) and Madgeslane Luidam (1.30m).
The same purchaser parted with €30,000 for Monbeg Foxtrot (Lot 16), a four-year-old brown gelding by Cornetini out of the unraced Shernazar mare Creaking Step who comes from the family of Altior whose 21 wins on the track included 19 in a row and the 2018 and 2019 runnings of the Champion Chase (Grade 1) at Cheltenham. The popularity of the Monbeg branding saw all 11 horses sold.
Make you happy
Rudd explained how the couple purchased the sales-topper. “One night last winter, when I was pregnant and feeling sorry for myself, I went online and he caught my eye. He looked like a horse that would make me happy and he has done so since he first arrived at the yard. We got all our young horses going over the winter, did a little bit with them in early spring and then put them out when Coby (a brother to Daisy (4) and Ollie (2)) was born.
“While we have always supported this sale, we now target it further out. Goresbridge did a brilliant job marketing the sale this year and now that we’ve sold so many horses, we have to go buying again! We are extremely lucky to have family living nearby to help with the children but this year a Brazilian lady, Iuara Rocha, has been brilliant in that regard.
“Also, while I get requests from people around the world to help at sales time, I’ve always said no until this year and have to acknowledge the great help we’ve had over the past six weeks from New Zealander Jamie Atkinson.”
Unless stated otherwise, all lots referred to in these reports are registered as Irish Sport Horses.