TWO home-bred mares topped the Monart Sale on Thursday, when the average grew from €9,000 to €12,800 and the clearance rate improved to an excellent 85%.

All three members of the sales team, Niall Griffin, Bill Levett and Polly Jackson, who acted as purchasers as well as organisers, were delighted with the outcome, with Levett saying that the horses on offer had improved since being inspected.

“It was a good sale for vendors who, if they had a nice horse got a fair price for it,” commented Levett. “All thanks to this guy,” he added with a nod in Griffin’s direction, “the boys buying have confidence in the product. There was some good value there this evening.”

The clearance rate really pleased Griffin who was quick to point out that, while there was a large contingent of British buyers present, horses had been sold to Irish customers and to those from Germany, Italy, The Netherlands and the United States.

Tattersalls Ireland auctioneer Alistair Pim was in charge of the gavel and those who may not have seen or heard him in action before were highly entertained. His knowledge of eventing was a huge asset and, while he might not have been familiar with visiting bidders, there was no hiding place for any of the Irish.

Among those known to Pim were Michael and Trish Ryan who purchased the top-priced lot, a mare by O.B.O.S Quality, on behalf of one of their American clients, Arden Wildasin, for €42,000.

RADAR

Consigned by her breeder Kieran Kennedy of the Kennedy Equine Centre, the four-year-old bay, who opened at €10,000 and came on the market at €30,000, was prepared for Monart over the previous couple of weeks by D.J. O’Sullivan whose yard the Ryans visited in advance of the sale to ride the mare.

“I have to say, she wasn’t really on the radar until we tried her,” revealed Michael Ryan. “She’s a very nice individual who’s done little but we really liked her on the flat as she was very good up and down through the paces. She’ll stay with us until she’s six and then go over to the States.

“This was our first visit to a sale here in Monart and it was a very good sale for Niall and the team,” continued Ryan. “Prices were strong for some of the older horses and mad for the three-year-olds! We also bought Lot 31, a mare by Wenever who has also done very little but is a nice model.”

The sales-topper, who was jumped locally over the summer, is the last of 13 foals of the Glidawn Diamond mare GTI Diamond whose first was the 1995 Senang Hati gelding Going Going Gone, still a regular on the American scene though now down the levels from his heyday.

Usually resident at Kennedy EC, the popular Oldenburg stallion OBOS Quality 004 has been based at Tullis Matson’s Stallion AI Services in Shropshire for the past two months so that frozen semen will be available to more mare owners.

The Ryans were underbidders on the second highest-priced lot, Oldcourt Grafen Dance (Lot 10), on whom Niall Griffin, who was on the telephone to his client, had the final say at €38,000. The five-year-old, who opened at €5,000 and came on the market at €20,000, has been purchased for American junior rider Hope Walden, a member of the Kentucky racing and breeding family of WinStar fame.

Oldcourt Grafen Dance was consigned to the sale by her Co Wicklow breeder, Tara Connelly, who did all the early work with the mare before sending her to Heidi Hamilton prior to the start of the summer eventing season.

The bay finished second twice and third once in four outings at EI90 level before winning at Lisgarvan House (2) after which she successfully upgraded to land her only EI100 class at Kilmanahan (2) in September. In five out of six appearances she completed on her dressage score.

INTEREST

“We were well aware that there was a lot of interest in the mare, as so many people tried her out over the two days, but we couldn’t believe how much she made,” said the breeder’s mother Birgit who many will recall exhibiting her very successful Oldcourt show ponies under the name Holfeld-Connelly.

“She was our first venture in horse breeding and, of course, we are delighted with this start! We chose her sire Grafenstolz as he was the only stallion we could find who excelled in all three phases required for eventing – dressage, show jumping and cross-country.

MOVEMENT

“We always thought a lot of this mare as she has lovely fluid movement and a wonderful temperament. Tara will soon start working with her four-year-old half-sister (Oldcourt Quality) by Castlecomer Q, who is broken and riding, while she also has a Golden Master two-year-old (Oldcourt Solid Gold) out of the dam. They are currently out on grass with Paula Cullen who was here today to lend us her support.

“Heidi has done a wonderful job with the mare both over the summer and at the sale. You know, she broke a finger when competing at Le Lion d’Angers and, while that has prevented her from riding the mare here, it hasn’t stopped her tacking up, and, of course, being Heidi, doing everything to perfection. We couldn’t have done it without her!”

As her name would suggest, the Touchdown mare Wyndham Gentle Annie was bred by Peter Byrne who had to hand rear her as a foal. She is a half-sister to, among others, the 1995 Cavalier Royale mare Wyndham Rose Royale who is dam of the three-star international show jumper Dollanstown.

Among those who tried Oldcourt Grafen Dance was Ballygarret-based Scotsman Johnston Brodie who signed the €29,500 docket for Wheelagower Guy (Lot 50).

A four-year-old by Garrison Royal, the bay gelding is out of the Don Tristan mare No Sale whose previous produce include this fellow’s full-brother Bango, who competes at international three-star level with New Zealand’s Tim Price, and the same rider’s two-star mount Tricolore (by Carrick Diamond Lad).

The trio were bred in Ballindaggin, Co Wexford by James Foley whose son Henry broke Wheelagower Guy, jumped him in training schools and schooled him across the country during the summer. He is now looking forward to breaking No Sale’s three-year-old filly (who is also by Garrison Royal) with a view to both jumping and eventing her.

“I’ve bought him for a young rider in Scotland who has had a lot of success in the past with Irish-bred horses,” stated Brodie of his purchase.

The top-priced three-year-old, who was purchased by the Italian operation Fioruzzi Sport Horses for €18,000, was Bernie Wharfe’s Coonogue Kings Choice (Lot 28) who was bred in Co Wexford by Sean Barron out of the Flagmount King mare Fuieslier. This is the family of Francis Whittington’s four-star ride Hasty Imp.