THERE were contrasting fortunes for breeders at Goresbridge last week as, following Monday’s sparkling and highly successful sale of three-year-old show jumpers, the annual foal renewal delivered a dose of reality.
Despite a trio of five-figure prices and a further dozen or so of satisfying returns, the two-day sale was an overall muted affair with limited demand. Doing little to ease breeders’ concerns, the closing figures revealed a disappointing clearance of 42% (46% in 2024 and 47% in 2023), together with a marginally-reduced average of €2,935 (€3,202 and €3,325).
While these figures are not alarmingly lower than those of 12 months ago, it is more unsettling to note that they remain very much in line with those from a decade ago. Despite the major shift in breeding trends over the past 10 years and the improving pedigrees and catalogue content, the headlines are all too familiar.
As ever, the top drawer, blacktype jumping foal will command a premium, but it is the consistent lack of quality in the middle market that is of real concern.
There were 190 individual stallions covering the 383 lots catalogued and, while the traditionally-bred foal is now a rarity, its replacement - often cited by buyers as being too strong and plain - appears to be faring no better.
Higher stud and veterinary fees make life even tougher for breeders and the answer seems as remote as ever. Hampered by higher production costs, many of these breeders opted not to sell last week and it questions whether they have become too reliant on the stallion pedigrees at the expense of assessing the suitability of their mares.
Adding weight to this, many astute pinhookers and customers failed to fill their order books, with most citing poor conformation and an unattractive blend of genetics.
Reflecting on the two days, Ed Donohoe commented: “To be honest, it was tricky. The figures are back a little from last year - not a lot, but there was not as good a clearance as we would like and, at the end of the day, it’s all about the clearance not the fancy prices. On the plus side, the place was full of customers and foals with good pedigrees sold well. However, the trade is the trade and we can’t make the trade.”
Sale topper
Bringing real cheer to Saturday’s proceedings and drawing a large crowd to the ringside, the sale-topping honours at €14,000 fell to Ballyv Stables’ Ballyv Ernie (Lot 256), a beautifully-bred colt by the popular Ermitage Kalone.
A late July foal, he was the first natural progeny out of the imported five-year-old mare Tagine SA and, as the subject of a prolonged and competitive bidding exchange, was eventually secured by telephone bidder Ted Donohoe. A determined Donohoe had gone head-to-head with an online buyer from around €10,000 and revealed afterwards that his customer was the Waterford-based Robert Kent, father of junior show jumping gold medallist Jack.
As the seller, Sean Stafford declared himself delighted with the outcome. He had sourced the dam in foal, having secured her privately in the aftermath of a Hungarian auction. She in turn is out of Jenna Van’t Meulenhof who is a full-sister to the celebrated stallion Emerald, as well as numerous other top-level performers.
An astute breeder, Stafford now has six imported mares at his home in New Ross and was led to comment: “To have the real page, that’s where you have to go. I always buy my mares in foal and this is a very fine young mare. It was too late to cover her this year, so the plan is to take some embryos and cover her in the spring - probably to Ermitage Kalone again.”
Friday
Traditionally the quietest day of the proceedings, Friday opened with a sale of yearlings and broodmares. Both sectors proved disappointing in terms of returns, with a yearling filly by SIEC Livello (Lot 24), by Hiello, heading the former group at €3,500. Despite a few well-bred individuals on offer, just two broodmares changed hands - both at less than €1,000.
Fortunes improved with the appearance of the foals and, while the trade definitely lacked lustre, Charlene Clingan’s colt (Lot 137) by Candy de Nantuel brightened the proceedings when selling for €7,300. Graiguenamanagh buyer Paddy Cleary signed for this smart foal who, out of the jumping mare Lamiro Blue, counts MSH Monroe Grace (1.30m) as a sibling.
Earlier in the day, Catherine McCarron’s well-related filly Lough Gur Serendipity (Lot 62) looked well bought at €6,000. A daughter of Glasgow Van’t Merelsnest out of the jumping mare Fortside Sparkle (Future Trend), she was knocked down to Co Limerick show jumper Robyn Moran. Having travelled to the sale with the intention of trying to buy the filly, Moran revealed that she had ridden the dam to 1.30m level, as well as her full-brother Fortside Trend, who she piloted to win at the RDS.
Lot 303, Mo Chara Kalone, was sold for €10,000 at Goresbridge \ Sally Parkyn
As buyers remained at ringside until the close of play, the day’s next best return of €6,200 fell to Mickaela Stuart’s Killaloe Golden Nugget, a stunning dun colt (Lot 175) by Madgeslane Luidam out of the Connemara mare Moher Lady (Mystical Bobby Lane). Both Mickaela and mother Rosemary were delighted with their return, as was successful buyer Martin Egan.
Saturday
The liveliest of the two days by a distance, the major action on Saturday opened when Oliver Callery’s bay filly (Lot 179) by the in vogue Ermitage Kalone was knocked down to a telephone buyer for €7,700. The filly is the second foal out of the well-bred True Self (Plot Blue) whose illustrious relations feature her Mikey Pender-ridden sibling Madgeslane Karol (1.45m), dam of a host of top jumpers including Madgeslane Louis (1.50m).
A further few similarly-priced lots followed, but the tempo really moved into top gear when Anna Dillon’s eye-catching filly AKD Phoenix (Lot 211) changed hands for €11,000. A chesnut with a white face, Phoenix certainly had the wow factor and, with a pedigree to match, looked well bought by local buyer Niall Smyth.
She was the fourth progeny out of the useful jumping mare Drummiller Delilah (Chacoon Blue). As the buyer, Smyth commented: “I loved her movement and quality and, importantly, the people who were selling her - as we have bought from them before. We plan to store her for my daughter Heidi to eventually produce under saddle.”
Lot 211, AKD Pheonix, sold for €11,000 at Goresbridge \ Sally Parkyn
Dillon went on to do well when her AKD Isadora (Lot 236) by Dorian Grey sold for €6,400, while selling for the same amount later in the session was the telephone purchase of a daughter (Lot 249) of Sea Coast Dont Touch TiJi Hero out of the beautifully-related Killossery Kardento.
Show jumping customers outnumber the eventers at foal sales, but the eventing Kingsview Partnerships did well to secure Carol Armstong’s attractive colt Cornascriebe Nixon (Lot 250) for €7,800. The recently-crowned HSI show jumping foal champion, the colt is out of Cornascriebe Fortuna who bred two of last month’s Burghley young event horse finalists and is from the family of numerous international jumpers.
At €10,000 the final five-figure return went to another offspring of Ermitage Kalone and this time to Isabel Kenny’s Mo Chara Kalone (Lot 303), a colt out of the well-related Berlina (1.35m) by Berlin.
“We bought the dam in France with a foal at foot,” explained Kenny. “She’s only four, so she will now be put into sport.” Co Waterford’s Eamon Walsh was the successful buyer, citing both the sire and the temperament as the main attraction.
Just two lots later, John Haughey’s Carrickview Agalou (Lot 306) made the final notable return when changing hands for €7,200. British online buyer Jodie Al Khafaji took time out from competing on the Sunshine Tour to secure this nice colt, later revealing that she had just jumped a double clear round on the full-brother Carrickview Cartier.
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