MULLINGAR Equestrian Sales staged their final dispersal of 2020 last Saturday when there was a clearance rate of 75% with 55% of the older horses traded heading to new homes overseas.

This was the fourth sale at the Co Westmeath complex to be held online since the introduction of the Covid-19 protocols and it attracted the largest number of registered potential purchasers to date.

Technically, all transactions took place online as those cleared to attend the sale in person had to bid through the sales’ app or through Jonathan Corcoran who was also the day’s remote ‘spotter’. Roughly 40% of the lots sold were knocked down to bidders who were not present at the sale.

Corcoran’s father Noel was one of the day’s auctioneers, along with Michael Farrelly, while special mention must be made of Wilson Porter. The videographer’s audio-visual skills saw not only the horse under the hammer being led around the ring to worldwide interests but also those next in line being showcased.

“We are indebted to the support of vendors and buyers who have shown themselves willing to adapt to the restrictions imposed by Covid,” said Mullingar’s sales administrator, Declan Fagan.

“Going forward, I believe the key to getting a successful price at auction will be working more closely with vendors in pre-sale marketing.”

Overall, 37% of the animals sold went to overseas purchasers including the Gabriel Slattery-owned and bred colt foal Lot 28A who was knocked down for €8,000 to French native Arnaud Bernollin. The bay is by the Traditional Irish Sport Horse stallion CC Captain Cruise, who stands at the Slatterys’ Castlelawn Stud in Claremorris. He is the first produce of the 2013 Taloubet Z mare Jockeyhall Tallybet who jumped up to 1.20m level before retiring to stud.

Disappointingly, there is no recorded pedigree for James Browne’s Currahane Ryan (Lot 102) for whom Co Westmeath’s Michael Murphy paid €7,500. The 17hh four-year-old grey gelding, who has done some cub hunting, been schooled cross-country and competed at training shows, is described as being a future Master’s horse.

Currahane Ryan (Lot 102) made €7,500 at the Mullingar Sales \ John McCauley

Keith Wilson’s Clover Lux (Lot 115), a four-year-old bay gelding by Sillan Lux who has also competed at training shows and been schooled cross-country, was purchased for €7,100 by Leicestershire event rider Fiona Davidson.

For €100 less, Oxfordshire event rider Adam Harvey had the final bid on Gemma Phelan’s Supersonic (Lot 124), a similarly produced four-year-old bay gelding by Quickly de Kreisker.

Wilson also received €7,000 from Co Meath’s Trade Horse for Jungleland (Lot 100), a six-year-old bay gelding by Mermus R out of a Calvados mare.

Highest-priced three-year-old

The highest price for a three-year-old, €4,700, was achieved by Aidan McGoldrick’ a grey mare (Lot 60) by Numero Cruise out of Vicarstown Emperor (by Creggan Emperor). She too was England-bound having been purchased by Warwickshire’s Jennifer McGillion.

Ted Fagan secured the highest-priced performance pony, Aoife Bolton’s part-bred Welsh Kilcreene Quartz (Lot 73) for whom he gave €7,000. The seven-year-old Moelview Cherokee gelding comes from the family of the Dublin winner Kilcreene Apollo.

Somerset’s Hannah Taylor purchased 12 mixed lots and gave €6,900 for two Connemaras: Eamonn O’Brien’s Lisduff Maisy (Lot 82), a nine-year-old mare by Seafield Silver Dun, and Zohra Smyth’s Ballygarris Bay Shadow (Lot 89), a five-year-old 153cms Black Shadow gelding.

Sales regular Jim Derwin was very much of the opinion that it was a seller’s market when it came to the horse section of the performance sale on Saturday.

“I was blown out of the water by remote bidders,” said the Athlone-based agent. “I’d say I was underbidder on about 10 lots and you’d have to think the vendors did well. There was better value in the ponies and I was happy with the ones I bought.”

Six ponies were knocked down to Derwin Sport Horses including the 147cms Connemara mare Seanins Gold (Lot 79) which changed hands for €5,800. The four-year-old by Doire Mhainaigh Buachaill out of the Woodbrook Cognac mare Tallyho Goldie was consigned by Co Meath’s Marie Helene Finegan.

Aoife Bolton’s part-bred Welsh Kilcreene Quartz (Lot 73) was sold for €7,000 \ John McCauley

An interesting prospect among the Connemara youngstock was 3DR Kavanagh (Lot 14) for whom Co Galway’s Susanne Quinn paid €3,200.

Catalogued as standing 14.2hh, the yearling colt by Banagher de Bregeon was consigned by his breeder, Deirdre Keegan of the Clooncagh Stud in Co Roscommon. The dun is the first foal out of 3DR Hazel (by Lightening Star) who, this year, produced a filly by Mirah Junior. “I usually sell my stock as foals but this fellow was actually too small and backward to sell last year!” said Keegan.