THE top-priced lot at the 2025 Go For Gold Sale, Monbeg Monaco, was consigned by regular Co Wexford vendor Tomás Doyle who, with his wife Marti Rudd, has a seven-strong draft entered for this year’s renewal of Goresbridge’s select event horse sale.

The seven, who are all registered as Irish Sport Horses, can be broken down into three four-year-olds, two of whom are mares, and four three-year-old geldings. None are home-bred - one was purchased as a foal, while another was bought just weeks before the start of the selection period.

The older horses, who competed at training shows throughout the year and have been cross-country schooled, are Monbeg Valiant (Lot 8), a Bravour VDL gelding whose KWPN-registered dam is by Etoulon VDL, and the mares Liscarrow Monbeg (Lot 18), a daughter of KMS Rooney whose dam by Casall is a half-sister to the 1.40m performer Mortimer (by Million Dollar), and Monbeg Classic Chance (Lot 28), a bay by Casall’s son Chance Casall out of an unraced thoroughbred mare by Shantou.

The four three-year-old geldings, who are all broken and riding and have been schooled away from home, comprise two bays, Monbeg Falsterbo (Lot 33), a son of Faltic HB whose KWPN-registered dam is by Ard VDL Douglas out of the 1.45m jumper Utika V (by Lux Z) and Monbeg Airtime (Lot 63), who is by Avos Jordan Z out of a Sligo Candy Boy mare.

There are two greys in the draft, the first of whom, Monbeg Cobalt (Lot 73), is one of two lots in the sale bred by Marion Hughes. By ESI Indigo, this eye-catcher is a half-brother to the Winston mare HHS Verona (1.30m). The pair are out of HHS Fantasia (by Heritage Fortunus) whose own dam, HHS Cashmere (by Cavalier Royale), was jumped up to 1.50m level by Hughes. This is also the family of HHS Catwalk (1.60m), the Heritage Fortunus gelding Cooley Kildaire (CCI4*-L) and Monbeg Downtown (CCI4*-S).

The last horse due to come under the hammer, Monbeg Fortitude (Lot 91), is by Sandro van de Berghoeve out of a Courage mare.