THE first of the specialist foal sales of 2025 took place at Barnadown last Saturday evening and set the bar high with a top price of €22,000 and a 91% clearance rate, with 20 of the 22 selected foals sold and an increased turnover of €240,000.

Run under the banner of the Goresbridge Supreme sale of show jumping foals, in conjunction with the Irish Breeders’ Classic, whose prize fund benefited from 2% of the turnover, experienced selectors Brendan Doyle and Jason Higgins had chosen 20 foals and two embryos to come under the hammer at the venue. It was yet another example of how sales houses and big events can team up to boost the industry, with a parade of the foals followed by a drinks reception and the auction.

The top price far exceeded that of 12 months ago (€15,000) and it landed in favour of the pre-highlighted pick of the catalogue - Lot 1, Declan Fegen’s Berkleys Tequilia Sunset, a filly foal out of Rodrigo Pessoa’s 1.60m mare Tinkabell 12 by Emerald. Tinkabell is a sibling to Talent (1.50m), partnered by John McGuinness, and to the 1.40m performers G-Star and Flintstone.

A regular buyer at this sale, the hammer fell in favour of Wexford show jumper Shane Kenny at €22,000 while, at €15,000, he also signed for the next highest priced foal, Lot 15, Ballyv Leo. This colt foal from Ballyv Stables is by Chacoon Blue out of Contelisa (Contendro 1), a sister to a string of 1.50m horses, most notably the Brazilian-ridden Tailormade Diarca (1.60m), the 1.55m performers Ciara PS and Viarca PS. The blacktype comes right through to the fourth dam.

Speaking to The Irish Field, Kenny said: “We bought a half-brother to the sale-topping foal last year in Cavan by Cornet so we had our eye on this one too. Last year’s one might have more blood even but you can’t go too far wrong with an Emerald. She is a nice mover, straight and correct, so we are delighted with her.

“The Chacoon colt is an exceptional type of a foal. He floated along the ground; that one really caught my eye. My uncle Thomas Kenny bought Lot 10, a filly by Ermitage Kalone, so there are three from the sale coming to the yard.”

Lot 15, Ballyv Leo, was sold to Shane Kenny for €15,000 \ Radka Preislerova

Kenny Sporthorses is based outside Gorey in Co Wexford. “We buy three or four foals a year and produce them on to sell as young horses - we will sell them at four, five or six. The first lot of foals we bought from this sale in 2020 have all been sold and gone on to do really nice things.

“We do very little breeding ourselves; we have one mare that is no longer in the sport breeding and we took an embryo from a mare my brother Paraic is jumping in Europe,” Shane explained, adding: “It was a good sale, there were plenty of nice types and good breeding.”

Embryo

Also selling at €15,000 was an embryo by Pacino out of Areeb OL (Cornet Obolensky). Featuring another world-class bloodline, the dam competed to 1.60m under Nicole Pavitt and has already bred Troo Contest (1.50m), ridden by Sian Edwards. The dam is also a sibling to Captain Crunch (1.50m), Campino (1.50m) and Cartridge (1.50m).

Consigned by RS Training & Sales Ltd, this embryo will be bound for the UK yard of purchaser Stephen Pullan.

At €14,500, Stephen Reilly’s Creevyquinn Exquisite (Lot 12) was sold to Cassidy and Lawlor Ltd. The well-related filly foal by Heartbreaker out of Boraya VDL (Argentinus) was another to catch the eye and is a sibling to the smart Creevyquinn Poseur (1.45m) and FF Uno Tinus (1.40m).

The same buyers signed for John McKibben’s Leestone Emeralds Dream (Lot 14) at €12,000. From an exceptionally stout family, this colt is out of a sister to Leestone Mylord Trumps (1.55m) and to the Captain Michael Kelly-ridden Mullentine Loughgall (1.50m).

Another of the fillies to command a big price of €14,000 and heading to buyer Debbie Davidson in Canada was Lot 16, the Carroll Brothers’ CBI Riviera, by Aganix Du Seigneur out of Nomara de Muze (Vigo d’Arsouilles).

Lot 12, Stephen Reilly’s Creevyquinn Exequisite was sold for €14,500 \ Radka Preislerova

Another of the catalogue standouts, this filly is out of a sibling to the Eric Lamaze-piloted Olympic gold medallist Hickstead. There are numerous notables featuring throughout the pedigree and another is Jur Vrieling’s five-star performer Fernando H (1.60m).

Ballyv Stables also secured another top price of €13,000 for their Chacoon Blue filly foal Ballyv Lexy (Lot 5). Out of KMS Paris (Ard VDL Douglas), she is from an up-and-coming family with impressive back bloodlines and was knocked down to Dean Mullen.

Superb family

A regular sale-topping vendor at these foal sales, Patrick Kehoe’s ABC Even Flow (Lot 11) also commanded €13,000 when sold to Kilcannon Stud.

By Grand Slam VDL out of ABC Cavalier Carly (Cavalier Royale), this colt hails from one of Ireland’s most successful families. The dam is a sister to the Peter Charles-ridden Nations Cup star ABC Quantum Cruise (1.60m), as well as to ABC Private Jet (1.50m), ABC Caruso (1.50m) and young horse world champion ABC Saving Grace (1.45m).

ABC Even Flow (Lot 11) commanded €13,000 when sold to Kilcannon Stud \ Radka Preislerova

A further eight lots broke the five-figure barrier. Reflecting on the sale, Goresbridge’s Ed Donohoe said: “It was a great night’s trade; we had a very good clearance rate and a top price of €22,000. A lot of these foals we will see back here again at the Irish Breeders’ Classic down the road as there were a lot of very nice foals with good jumping pedigrees.

“This is a fantastic show in fairness to all involved, it’s a credit to them. After Dublin, this is one of the biggest shows of the year and it is great for Goresbridge to be involved and have the opportunity to showcase foals here and we support the IBC with a percentage of our turnover, so it’s good for everybody.”