NICKOLETTA E, who topped Tuesday night’s Goresbridge Supreme Sale of Showjumpers, may well have been bred in Germany and, in the main, performed outside this country, but she was sold by one Irishman to another who will soon be competing his new purchase on both sides of the Atlantic.

The 2007 Nintender mare (Lot 105) was consigned to the sale by Carl Hanley whose brother Cameron was the grey’s main partner for the past two years, only handing the ride back to Eoin McMahon in recent months. Out of the Calido I mare Lady Capriola, Nickoletta K proved popular with a small core of bidders who quickly raised the amount being offered to €425,000 when she came on the market.

While Martin Donohoe was fielding bids on the phone, his brother Ed finally brought the hammer down at €460,000, thanking the successful purchasers on the left who turned out to be Michael Kearins, who will be riding Nickoletta K in the future.

“Neal (Fearon) was with me when we saw her jumping last year, at Dublin and abroad, and, once we knew she was in the sale, we had to come here,” said Sligo-born Kearins who has been based in The Netherlands for the past four years but was sporting a nice tan having just returned from the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour in Oliva, Spain.

“I’ve mainly been riding young horses in recent seasons but am putting together a new group of older horses,” he explained.

“I hope to compete this mare at the Paris Masters (December 1st to 4th) and then the plan is to bring her and others out to Florida for the Winter Equestrian Festival. I was based in Florida for seven years and like competing there.”

Also heading across the Atlantic, but a lot sooner than the mare, is Mise Le Meas (Lot 104) who, consigned to dissolve a partnership, was purchased for €80,000 by Canadian Lee Kruger who was seated directly in front of the rostrum.

One of the most consistent performers on the Irish Grand Prix circuit, the 2007 Cruise On gelding, who qualified for Lanaken as a seven-year-old, was bred in north Co Dublin by Mick Smith and Joanne Attley. They were sad to see him go especially as they no longer have his dam, the unraced Presenting mare Cissie Lass, as was Amy O’Rourke who showcased the grey at Barnadown.

Kruger, who has horses with Greg Broderick, has purchased Mise Le Mise for a client of her Canadian barn with Broderick commenting of the nine-year-old: “He’s genuine, has a lot of mileage under his belt, is well-used and ready to go on.”

Kieran Kennedy’s Focus Vendi KBS (Lot 113), whose record this season included victory in the 1.30m six-year-old final on the Millstreet Spring Tour, is also heading out of the country having been purchased for €100,000 by Nicola FitzGibbon on behalf of an unnamed client.

“He picked the horse out himself from the catalogue and videos and thought him a quality, scopey type but careful and straightforward,” said FitzGibbon of the Ars Vivendi gelding. “I tried him before the sale and think he’s a really nice horse.”

Focus Vendi KBS was bred in Co Wexford by Michael Buckley out of the Ard Vdl Douglas mare Stay Focused.

It was a pity that, at an Irish sale, so many horses who have competed with success on the national jumping circuit failed to find new homes.

Included among that number were winners of championships at Dublin and Cavan and a consolation final winner from Lanaken.