THERE are 65 individual sires with progeny in the upcoming Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale (November 9th to 11th) and, while it’s good to see six Irish Sport Horse stallions among them, they are vastly outnumbered by their European studbook-registered counterparts.

There is just one thoroughbred represented and he, the Slyguff Stud-based Pointilliste, is sire of three lots. The first of these is Mary Fitzgerald’s five-year-old mare Fair Point (Lot 7), who comes from the family of the multiple Puissance winner Bishops Quarter (also CCI3*) and has 13 Show Jumping Ireland points to her credit.

Tinnock Stables’ four-year-old filly OMF On Point (Lot 25), who has competed in young event horse classes and jumped at 1m level, is out of an OBOS Quality 004 mare out of a Puissance mare out of a Cruising mare. Anita Browne’s three-year-old gelding Ballymurphy Tom (Lot 57), one of two Traditional Irish Sport Horses in the sale, is out of the Laughton’s Flight mare Ballymurphy Sarah, a full-sister of the 1.60m jumpers Mrs Quinn and Shannon Dale.

Ten lots in the sale are out of thoroughbred mares and, for the most part, here one has to rely on the professionalism of the selectors to identify those with the potential to make top-class eventers, as most have no sport horse progeny as yet to represent them.

One lot which bucks this trend is Roger Dungworth and Chris Ryan’s SBT Split The G (Lot 17), who is the other Traditionally-bred ISH in the sale and is by the only Irish Draught stallion represented, Ashfield Bouncer (by Killinick Bouncer).

The four-year-old gelding, who has competed in young event horse classes, is out of the unraced Gothland mare Got A Coin, who is dam previously of the CCI4*-L performer Bouncer (by Killinick Bouncer) and of the thoroughbred stallion Jack The Robin (by Robin de la Maision). Got A Coin’s grandam was Credit Card, who won four times over hurdles and six times over fences and bred the top-class racehorses Run For Free and Bankers Benefit.

Well-related

Two of the lots catalogued out of thoroughbred mares were bred by the late Woods Rosbotham and both are by Valent, one of 12 KWPN-registered stallions with progeny in the sale.

The first of the pair, consigned by TR Sporthorses and the Rosbotham family’s Keonan Stables, is the five-year-old gelding Crystalent (Lot 3), who has been show jumped and well-schooled across country and is a full-brother to Cooley Rosalent (CCI5*-L), the CCI4*-L performers Jewelent and Govalent plus the up-and-coming Bellavalent. The five are out of the Roselier mare Bellaney Jewel, who won twice over hurdles and five times over fences.

Consigned by Niall O’Doherty, Lot 56 is an unnamed three-year-old filly out of the unraced Doyen mare Lady Doyen, whose own dam, the Un Desperado mare Bellaney Lady, won five point-to-points and two chases when trained by former international event rider Stuart Crawford.

Patricia Flynn’s Kobe (Lot 36) is a three-year-old gelding by GMS Gunfire out of an Insan mare from a family whose pedigree page is full of black-type winners on the flat; Sean Delaney’s home-bred three-year-old Carrabis Z gelding Lot 60 is out of a Coroner half-sister to two winners from the family of Colnel Rayburn.