THERE were plenty of potential purchasers at the youngstock sale in Cavan on Wednesday but they were selective when it came to bidding. A nice foal made money and none came nicer than the sales-topper, James Keane’s unnamed filly (Lot 114).

Knocked down to Trade Horse Ltd for €12,500, the Irish Sport Horse grey, who had a very short entry in the catalogue, is by the Selle Francais stallion Ermitage Kalone (by Catoki) who won the Belgian Championship at Lanaken last Saturday and looks like being one of the world’s next superstars.

The sales-topper was bred on the Galway/Roscommon border by James Keane who imported the filly’s dam, the Zangersheide mare Charisma van Schuttershof Z (by Cancara Z), at the start of the year. While she did nothing herself, the dam is a half- sister to the Quintero stallion Aragorn van Schuttershof (1.60m).

“I bought the mare because of her covering,” revealed Keane. “There wasn’t a whole lot being said about Ermitage at the time, but he was one of the up and coming sires and had caught my eye.

"I’ve been really pleased with the filly since she was born. She’s lovely and active with great movement. There was a lot of interest in her before the sale and on the day itself.”

Having topped the list of vendors at the Elite Foal Auction here earlier in the month and, before that at the Goresbridge supreme sale of show jumping foals, the Connolly family from Co Galway had to settle for second on this occasion with CSF Chavanna (Lot 78) who was catalogued in the main body of the sale.

Sticky

Purchased by Co Cavan’s Joe Reilly for €9,500, this early May-foaled filly by Chacoon Blue is out of the Ars Vivendi mare CSF Dolores whose previous produce include CSF Dano (by Dakar VDL) who competed for The Netherlands in the five-year-old championship at Lanaken recently.

The dam is a half-sister to the Flipper d’Elle gelding CSF Dassett Decoy (CCI3*-L) and comes from the family of 1.60m performers such as Galipolli ter Doorn.

Speaking to the Irish Horse World on Thursday, as he returned to spreading slurry ahead of the cut-off deadline, Cummer-based Patrick Connolly, the registered breeder of CSF Chavanna commented: “There was a good trade for a good foal but it was sticky at times.

“It all depended on how many buyers wanted your foal and we had three or four parties interested in ours. She is a lovely, blood, active filly.”

Lot 44, the fifth of those entries to have a page to themselves, was bought by our old friend ‘Cash’, a Northern Ireland version, for €8,800. The unnamed late May-foaled chesnut colt by Emerald as consigned by Co Louth’s Cliodhna Breen who jumped his dam, the Luidam mare Dundalk Lass, at 1.30m level as did a number of other riders including Daniel Coyle.

Lot 44, a colt by Emerald van't Ruytershof, was sold for €8,800 at the Cavan Youngstock sale on Wednesday

The colt’s grandam, Kilfearagh Niamh (by Robertstown Boy), who was ridden first by Marie Burke then Linda Courtney and Dan Walsh, won at 1.40m level in Balmoral and Cavan. The best of her produce to date is the Chekhov PZK gelding Ardragh Chekhov while this is also the family of The Jump Jet (CCI4*).

Notable

Also from Northern Ireland, Ronnie Morton gave €8,500 for TJD Sport Horses’ mid-May foaled unnamed Lot 106 by Conthargos. The dam of this bay or brown filly is the Cardento mare Killossery Kardento, a half-sister to such notable performers as Killossery Kaiden.

One has to go a long way down the list of transactions to discover the highest-priced yearling and here again it was Trade Horse Ltd who had the final say at €3,600 guineas on Norman Gordon’s unnamed Sligo Candy Boy filly (Lot 16). Dam of the home-bred chesnut is Parkview Lady (by Beach Ball).

The sire’s owner, Padraig Howley, gave €2,800 to secure Philip Meaney’s home-bred Sligo Candy Boy yearling filly Blackbush Candy Pop (Lot 17). Foaled on St Patrick’s Day last year, the bay is out of 2017 mare Blackbush Cruising, a daughter of the Cruising clone Cruising Arish and the Master Imp mare.

Another Sligo Candy Boy yearling (Lot 23), one of four in the sale, was knocked down for €2,800 to locally-based Cyril Trenier. Consigned by his Co Longford breeder Isabelle Flynn, the brown gelding’s dam, Newmarket Amber (by Newmarket Venture), jumped to 1.30m level herself and was placed in two EI100 (J) competitions.