Top returns

  • Mary Bolger and Jason Higgins’ four-year-old gelding by A Umonia M (dam by Voltaire) €18,400.
  • Michelle Stafford’s four-year-old gelding by Dignified Van’t Zorgvliet (dam by Coevers Diamond Boy) €18,000.
  • Brian Flynn and Jason Higgins’ four-year-old bay filly by Eldorado Van de Zeshoek (dam by Guidam) €17,200.
  • Carmel Walsh’s four-year-old gelding by Womanizer (dam by Darco) €13,000.
  • Mary O’Toole’s four-year-old by Tara Emperor (dam by Cloneen Clover) €12,400.

    • IT has been a ground-breaking year all round, but last Friday (September 10th 2021) saw the strongest trade for four-year-olds ever recorded at Goresbridge. In contrast to 12 months ago, where business was good if a little inconsistent, the demand for the age group was solid from the outset and as a result, 82% (68% in 2020) changed hands at a massively increased average of €6,548 (€4,705 in 2020).

    While there is no doubt that the online bidding was a major influence throughout, the input from those on site was equally strong and the exchanges were competitive.

    “The figures speak for themselves,” commented Goresbridge auctioneer Martin Donohoe afterwards. “It was a fantastic trade and very satisfying to see such a big increase in the average.”

    Sale-topper

    Co Wexford producer and show jumper Jason Higgins is enjoying his best year to date, and racked up yet another success when his four-year-old by Umonia M (Lot 301) headed the day’s tables at €18,400.

    Owned jointly with Mary Bolger, the gelding was sourced at the same venue as a foal and, bred by Thomas Duffy in Co Meath, is out of the Voltaire-sired dam Kilmeague Clover.

    Broken and started by Thomas O’Leary, the bay is a half-brother to the British-based event horse Oakfield Wild Heart (CCI3*) and certainly looked impressive when jumping prior to sale. The tussle for ownership was an interesting one, as from around €10,000 the bidding developed into a competitive two-way exchange between online bidders.

    Both were determined, but eventually the hammer fell in favour of British event rider Finley Atherton. Based with New Zealand team rider Lucy Jackson, Atherton was competing at the Cornbury international on Friday but made the time to bid. “I had seen the videos on the Goresbridge website, and because I knew the yard he came from I was pretty confident he would be a nice one,” he remarked afterwards. “The plan is to event him myself, and take it from there.”

    Michelle Stafford's Lot 239, a Dignified Van't Zorgvliet gelding, sold for €18,000 at Goresbridge's four-year-old sale last Friday to Jim Derwin \ Sally Parkyn

    Sale-topper aside, the four-year-olds delivered an extraordinary trade. The commercial buyers struggled to get involved, but one who went the extra mile was Jim Derwin who accounted for Michelle Stafford’s gelding by Dignified Van’t Zorgvliet (Lot 239) at €18,000.

    Home-bred in Co Wexford and well-produced for sale by Jen French, the gelding is out of Sparka Doobie (Coevers Diamond Boy) who has bred the graded jumpers Hey You and Odetta. “We are over the moon,” said Stafford. “We were hoping to make €10,000.”

    Derwin obviously would have sooner paid the lesser figure, but he said pragmatically: “It’s hard to make a living at these prices, but this is here to stay and there is nothing any of us can do about it. I thought this was a nice blood horse – a likely event horse.”

    Brian Flynn and Jason Higgins' Lot 361, a four-year-old bay filly by Eldorado Van de Zeshoek, sold online for €17,200 at Goresbridge to Britain's Paul Jeary \ Sally Parkyn

    Later the same day Jason Higgins was involved again as the part owner of the Miss Eldorado (Lot 361) who realised €17,200. Owned jointly with Brian Flynn, this smart filly was sourced from her breeder Stephen Murphy, and by Eldorado Van de Zeshoek is the third recorded progeny of Guidams Summertime (Guidam). A filly with loads of jump, she was one of two lots secured online by regular British online customer Paul Jeary from Gloucestershire.

    In total 10 lots realised €10,000 or more and among the remainder at €13,000 was Carmel Walsh’s Kingsriver Kasanova (Lot 281), a home-bred son of Womanizer out of the British-bred show jumping dam Caramel Van Overis (Darco). This smart sort is now one of six lots bound for the Leicestershire production yard of Aaron Jones and Thomas Doukants of Aartom Horses Ltd.

    Traditionally bred horses held their own well, and filling the next two spots were Mary O’Toole’s gelding by Tara Emperor (Lot 327) at €12,400 and Daphne Tierney’s home-bred show gelding by Gortfree Hero (Lot 323) at €12,200. The former who was produced for sale by Diarmuid Ryan, was sourced from veterinary surgeon Peggy Murphy, who is a colleague of the vendor’s international eventing son Michael.

    A cash buyer signed the docket for this gelding who is out of Seabreeze Daisy (Cloneen Clover). The latter, meanwhile, is out of the only daughter (by Master Imp) of the 2004 RDS Pembroke Cup-winning mare Rebeka. A big impressive grey, he won the ridden hunter championship on his only showing appearance this year, and well-produced by Aubrey Chapman, was bought online by American customer Ian Michaels.

    Trade held up right through until close of play, amid hopes that the three-year-olds would follow a similar pattern later for week two of the 2021 Goresbridge September Sales (see pages 94-96).