Margie McLoone

THE Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale had the perfect start and finish on Wednesday evening with Lot 1, Gorsehill Pearl, making €85,000, a record price for this select event horse sale which, in its sixth year, also set a record clearance rate of 85% when Tom Casey’s Knocknahunna Wise Guy (Lot 62) found a new home.

Sold to dissolve a partnership and a late addition to the catalogue, Gorsehill Pearl, who has competed at international three-star level, went on the market at €75,000 having opened at €40,000. The 10-year-old Hermes de Reve mare was finally knocked down to Joseph Murphy who, acting on behalf of English owners Alison Schmutz and Andrew Tinkler, made his only purchase of the night.

Bred in Co Wicklow by Anne Bannon out of the Minstrel Bouncer mare Holly Clover, Gorsehill Pearl has two progeny on the ground by embryo transfer, a 2012 filly by Jack Of Diamonds and a 2013 gelding by Flex A Bill.

She has been competed throughout her career by Luke Drea and this year won two open intermediate events at Annaharvey and Crecora. Having landed the CCI* at Ballindenisk back in September 2011, the partnership represented Ireland at Le Lion d’Angers the following month. Gorsehill Pearl also has 123 Show Jumping Ireland points.

“I’m looking forward to competing on her,” said Killyleagh-based Murphy who, for the third year in succession, is Ireland’s leading event rider. “She’s a mare who I’ve followed with interest as she has caught my eye on several occasions. She has a jumper’s background which is an advantage and Luke has minded her throughout her career.

“I tried her the week before the sale and, although I only jumped a few fences on her, I really liked her attitude. We’ll see how she progresses over the winter but the plan would be to do a CCI3* in the spring at somewhere like Ballindenisk or Saumur.

“Andrew and Alison also have Westwind Hercules, Sportsfield Othello and Bellscross Starlight with me and they love their involvement with the sport. As he’s so busy with work, Andrew can’t get away to see them compete that often, and mainly has to follow the live streaming, but Alison will even come over for training days if she can.”

Co Carlow’s Fred Scala received the evening’s next-best price among the ridden horses of €38,000 from Liza Jane MacNaughton, an owner at the Californian yard of the Beijing individual silver medallist Gina Myles who accompanied her to the sale to buy Simba Della Caccia (Lot 25). The four-year-old, who came on the market at €30,000, is by the Holstein stallion Singulaer out of a Swedish Warmblood registered mare.

There was much interest in the three advanced geldings consigned by leading English rider Oliver Townend and business partner Andrew Cawthray. Auctioneer Ed Donohoe asked for €100,000 for the British-bred Red Andres Fanfare (Lot 2), who failed to sell at €35,000, but the Irish-bred pair of LCC Cooley (Lot 3) and Peruising (Lot 4) were knocked down for €35,000 and €40,000 respectively to Richard Sheane and Carol Gee.

Canadian Kelly McCarthy-Maine, who is based with Lucinda Fredericks in Wiltshire and was also among the buyers at Tuesday night’s Select Sale of Showjumpers, purchased Killian Dunne’s Erkina Blaze (Lot 6) for €34,000. The six-year-old Harlequin du Carel mare, who finished eighth in a EI 100 class at Ballinamona on her only start under rules, is out of a full-sister to the Grade A jumper Erkina Heather and a half-sister to Rodney Powell’s intermediate mount Grovine De Reve.

On the phone to America’s Cindy Hengel, Martin Donohoe secured Terence White’s Chieften Clover (Lot 7), a five-year-old Clover Brigade gelding out of a thoroughbred mare by Broussard. The vendor had to be pleased with the bay’s price of €35,000 as he put him on the market at €15,000. Chieften Clover was second and third on his only two EI 100 outings in September.

In the company of rider Gemma Tattersall, Jane Butler paid €29,000 for the four-year-old OBOS Quality 004 filly MHS Kilcannon (Lot 22) whose Quidam Junior I-sired dam, MHS Dancing Queen, is a half-sister to the international show jumpers Gowran Park (OBOS Quality 004) and Badgerhill Cruise (Cruising). This is the family of Dorada and Camblin.

JONES PROMINENT

Sitting at the back wall of the Corrib Suite, Rutland event rider Richard Jones made three purchases on the night. He gave €26,000 for Willow Sport Horses’ Chacoa gelding Willows Peeping Pocket (Lot 18), winner of the Irish Sport Horse four-year-old series, €18,000 for Eamon Healy’s similarly-aged, well-related Sirillo gelding Healys King Sirillio (Lot 24) and €13,500 for Carol Henry and George Newton’s three-year-old Simply Javlin filly Simply Jolene (Lot 48). Consigned by Michael Fallon, a Ramiro B gelding (Lot 43) was the night’s highest-priced three-year-old when Richard Sheane secured the bay, who is out of a Porter Rhodes half-sister to the four-star eventer Bodidily, for €42,000.

BIDDING

Not too surprisingly, Oliver Townend was bidding on that lot having earlier purchased another son of Ramiro B, Breda Murphy’s FMSH Ramiro (Lot 38), for €36,000. Townend bought the chesnut, who is out of a Nazar mare, on behalf of fellow rider Martyn Johnson.

A vendor on the night, Bagenalstown-based Mel Jones purchased the remaining Ramiro B three-year-old, Adrian Williams’s Summerbridge Parc (Lot 52), for €22,500.

The bay gelding, who is out of the Watermill Swatch mare Summerbridge Lilly, is for leading British rider Rodney Powell who revealed that he had never before bought a three-year-old. “I’m going to take this fellow along slowly but will do some of the young event horse classes with him next year,” he added.

Michael and Trish Ryan’s well-known American owners Carol and Tom Henry purchased Mel and Steve Jones’s Heritage Fortunus gelding Classicals Fortune (Lot 42) for €24,000. The dark grey, who is out of the thoroughbred mare Tullaroan (by Toulon), is a full-brother to Fame Or Fortune who won the four-year-old Millstreet Eventing Discovery championship and has since been sold to the United States.