TOP PRICED OLDER HORSES

  • Tomas Doyle’s Monbeg Echo Bay, 5 year-old gelding by Presidential Ball (dam by OBOS Quality) €50,000. (Goresbridge Go For Gold).
  • Gerard and Barbara Clarke’s Drishoge Creed, 8 year-old gelding by Hector Van d’Abdijhoeve (dam by Zanzou R) €43,000 (Goresbridge May).
  • DGLS Ltd’s River Cottage Hero, 5 year-old gelding by Ganesh Hero (dam by Colin Diamond) €37,000 (Goresbridge Go For Gold).
  • Brighid O’Connor’s Cece, 5 year-old mare by Cornet Obolensky (dam by Canturo) €26,000 (Goresbridge July).
  • RC Equine and Eoghan McCabe’s Milchem Gemstone, 5 year-old gelding by Ganesh Hero Z €26,000 (Goresbridge Go For Gold).

    • HAVING headed the overall returns, the Monbeg team of Marti Rudd and Tomas Doyle scored again when their smart Monbeg Echo Bay topped the older horse division at €50,000. Sourced as a just broken four-year-old from his breeder Michael Pender, the well-related son of Presidential Ball is a sibling to the highly rated stallion Madgelane Luidam, as well as to the jumper Madgeslane Louis. Changing hands at the Go For Gold sale he was secured by British event rider Chica Norfolk. The same sale was responsible for selling DGLS Ltd’s River Cottage Hero, five-year-old gelding by Ganesh Hero (dam by Colin Diamond) €37,000 (Goresbridge Go For Gold). A well-related show jumper with form up to 1.20m, he was ridden by Beth Burton and was secured by American event buyer Ruthie Meyer.

    The year’s sale-topping honours in the country fell to the eight year-old show jumper Drishoge Creed. Landing a whopping €43,000 for owners Gerard and Barbara Clarke, the son of Hector Van d’Abdijhoeve had accumulated many placings in the IHB classes and, the winner of 123 SJI points, was competing at 1.40m level. Following a spirited and indeed lengthy exchange, the hammer finally fell in favour of a very determined British ‘cash’ customer at €43,000. “I’m delighted,” said the vendor breeder. “He’s been very well marketed by the team at Goresbridge and it’s good to see he’s going to a private show jumping home.”

    In the country

  • Gerard and Barbara Clarke’s Drishoge Creed, 8 year-old gelding by Hector Van d’Abdijhoeve (dam by Zanzou R) €43,000 (Goresbridge May).
  • Brighid O’Connor’s Cece, 5 year-old mare by Cornet Obolensky (dam by Canturo) €26,000 (Goresbridge July)
  • Catherine Jackson Garrett’s Unnamed, 5 year-old mare by Glasgow Van’t Merelsnest (dam by Sandro Boy) €21,000 (Goresbridge September).

    • Rocketing returns

    As it has been for the past two years, the market for well-produced older stock has been on fire. Demand for experienced hunters, riding horses and cobs has led to rocketing returns at Goresbridge and Cavan, while the trade for competition horses has also remained strong.

    Aside from the previously mentioned show jumper Drishoge Creed (€43,000), Brighid O’Connor’s five-year-old jumping mare CeCe made the headlines at Goresbridge in July. Selling for €26,000, this daughter of Cornet Obolensky was bred at Ballywalter Farms and is out of the Holstein mare Canturada 2 Della Caccia by Canturo. Lightly campaigned last year under both Paddy O’Donnell and Gemma Phelan, she was bought by British show jumper Paul Jeary (Seren Equestrian) for his daughter to compete.

    Another notable return went to Catherine Jackson-Garrett’s mare by Glasgow Van’t Merelsnest out of the well-related Kilcorrig Legacy by Sandro Boy. Typical of the type in demand and selling well at €21,000, the homebred mare had been beautifully produced by Tom Hearne and Ryan O’Neill, and following a lengthy exchange was knocked down to Darragh McMahon. A well bred individual with paddock potential, she was out of a sister to the Jesse Campbell ridden Cooley Lafitte (CCI5*) as well as to the grand prix jumper Kilcorrig Belle (1.40m).