WHEN the Goresbridge Horse Sales team decided to run a new sale of high quality four and five-year-old horses, they chose to name it after one of the Co Kilkenny auction house’s most successful eventing graduates, Copper Beach.

Bred in Co Offaly by Paddy Daly, the Radolin gelding was sold as a five-year-old at the 2011 Go For Gold Sale by Donal Barnwell. He was purchased for €28,000 on behalf of US owner Carl Segal by Ruthie Harbison, who commented to the Irish Horse World at the time: “We definitely think this fellow is four-star material”.

Copper Beach was first produced by Bruce Davidson Jnr, who rode him in what was then the top level CCI4* at Lexington (three times) and Pau. The ride then passed to fellow US international Cosby Green, who competed him at CCI5*-L level at Pau in 2023 and at Badminton and Burghley the following season. The chesnut was retired from competition early last year at the age of 19.

Vendors of lots in this inaugural Copper Beach Sale will be hoping that their horses are as highly regarded by potential purchasers, and certainly the selection team of Ian Fearon, Sally Parkyn and Andrew Williams are excited about the 27 four and five-year-olds, who came through a rigorous screening procedure to be listed in the catalogue.

The vast majority of the lots are registered as Irish Sport Horses and 10 of the 27 are mares/fillies including Eileen Mangan’s Kilderry Knight (Lot 1), an ISH daughter of Lucky Luck who was third for her breeder, Trevor Horgan, in the three-year-old potential event horse class at Dublin in 2024. The bay has done a small amount of registered jumping this year with DJ O’Sullivan, including at Barnadown last weekend.

Richie O’Hara is selling the home-bred ISH Kilbunny Show Girl (Lot 4), a five-year-old Diarado half-sister to the Kannan mare Kilbunny Vixen (1.35m) out of an OBOS Quality half-sister to Special Leaf (1.50m). Although selected onto the junior/young rider development squad, the bay hasn’t yet competed under Eventing Ireland rules nor has Storm O’Connor’s Ballygriffin Crossfield Cailín (Lot 6), who is an ISH full-sister to the Chacoa siblings Sportsfield Adventure (CCI4*-S) and Crossfield Smartie (CCI3*-L)

Lot 1, Kilderry Knight, will be presented for sale at the Copper Beach sale at Goresbridge \ Bit Media

Home-bred

Robert Glennon is selling the home-bred GWS Calleesi (Lot 7), a five-year-old ISH-registered mare by Vivant van de Heffinck, who has 16 ShowJumping Ireland points to her credit.

The first four-year-old filly due to come under the hammer is Tomás Doyle’s Monbeg Coco Light (Lot 13), an eye-catching palomino by Douglas Dun Cavalier. She has been competing at local training shows and has been schooled cross-country. Coming from this yard, this filly will know her job.

So too will MBF Sporthorses’ German-bred MBF Blue Aura (Lot 14), a Chacco’s Son II half-sister to the 1.40m performers Bombastico and Quick Star and Arvoda Sporthorses’ Lot 15, a tall, unnamed OS Studbook-registered filly by Ziroccocorte, who has been competing in four-year-old show jumping classes and has schooled cross-country. Her Arezzo VDL-sired dam Aralou is a half-sister to the Linton mare Lilly du Rouet (1.50m).

Tommy Considine is consigning Lynara In Vogue (Lot 17), an ISH filly by Vittorio whose dam, Lynara First Dezign (by Rinfort Cruise), competed at EI110 level. Another four-year-old ISH filly is Roundabout Stud’s Cushlas Sméardubh (Lot 21), who is by Riesling van’t Roosakker while her dam is the Cavlier-sired Dutch Warmblood mare Zoefzoef du Monden, a full-sister to United (1.60m) and Vessica du Monden (1.50m).

Hans Kuehnle’s home-bred Tullibards Whats Up Boys (Lot 24) has been mentioned in these pages already this year, as the ISH mare by Tullibards Bennys Legacy finished third in both the final and league of the Childèric Saddles four-year-old series at the Stepping Stones to Success League. Out of the Nekton mare Nekita (CCI3*-L), the bay is entered in the Burghley four-year-old young event horse class at Millstreet next Wednesday.

Regular consignor

Jason Higgins, a regular large consignor to the Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale, has two lots entered under Higgins Sport Horses at next week’s inaugural running of the Copper Beach Sale, both four-year-old geldings, and we imagine that he might know a bit about a third as well.

Coming up as being sold in partnership with Alice Martin-Jones is the eye-catching Cavel VP Z (Lot 12), a Zangersheide grey by Calief Topfok, while the last entry in the sale, the Higgins Sporthorses-consigned KWPN-registered Simon R (Lot 27) is a McAllister VDL-sired half-brother to the Diamant de Semilly mare Henriette (1.55m).

In partnership with Thomas O’Leary, Martin-Jones is selling the Irish Sport Horse SVS Kalino (Lot 20), a strong-looking bay by Castlefield Kingston out of a Larino half-sister to the Cornet Obolensky mare GHS Corriana (1.40m).

Kieran Kennedy had two geldings selected. The five-year-old CBS Monopoly Man (Lot 5), who is by Lagans OBOS Quality out of a KEC Maximum Joe half-sister to the Future Trend gelding Glendarragh (1.45), has competed at training shows and has been schooled cross-country. So too has CBS Vintage Blue (Lot 23), a bay ISH gelding by Conticco.

Declan McGarry is selling two home-bred ISH full-brothers by Faltic HB out of the Pacino mare Carrow Pacino, the five-year-old McG Carrow More (Lot 3) and the year younger McG Carrow Falcino (Lot 19). This is the family of Kalico Bay (1.60m).

HHS Cornet will also be represented by two ISH geldings. Tara Kinsella and William Flood’s Killerisk Our Tadhg (Lot 9) who, out of a Harlequin du Carel mare, qualified for the Star of The Future performance championship at Balmoral, has competed at training shows and evented and Julie Radden’s home-bred Lakelands Cool Cornet (Lot 26) who, out of a Chippison mare, competed at the Stepping Stones league.

Fifth in the four-year-old final at Wexford Equestrian and with combined training wins to his credit is Lisa Doyle’s home-bred ISH gelding Ballinaguilkey Cardi (Lot 22), who is by Cardento out of a Dignified van’t Zorgvliet half-sister to the Tullabeg Fusion gelding Ballinaguilkey Fusion Exchange (Lot 22).

Other home-bred ISH geldings catalogued are Gerry Marron’s five-year-old For Kinmar Kid (Lot 2), a For Kinmar Hero Z half-brother to Maxwin Kinmar Agalux (1.60m), Kinmar Come Fly With Me (1.60m) and My Eastwood Brightside (CCI4*-L); Ciara Walsh McIntyre’s five-year-old Tullogher Powerhouse (Lot 10), a Zirocco Blue VDL chesnut out of an Indoctro full-sister to Tullogher Lady Liberty (1.60m); and Barbara Clarke’s Drishoge Carlos (Lot 18), a four-year-old Verdi Bay whose dam, Hollystown Miss Lupin, competed at 1.40m level and is a full-sister to Lupins Lux Z (1.60m) and King Lupin (1.50m).

Chesnuts

There are quite a few chesnuts in the sale including Sir Candy (Lot 16), who is being consigned by regular Goresbridge vendors Emma and Jodie Skelton. This four-year-old ISH gelding, who has competed at training shows and in unaffiliated one-day events, is a son of Sligo Candy Boy out of a Pacino half-sister to Loughnatousa Olaf (1.45m), LKD Mini Q (1.45) and Blurred Lines (1.40).

Two bay half-brothers to 1.60m performers are Lauren Painter’s MBF Hanley (Lot 8), a five-year-old ISH gelding by Stockholm van’t Roosakker Z, who is a half-brother to CHS Inception out of a half-sister to Luckaun Quality (CCI5*) and Tynagh House Stud’s Wild Boy M, a four-year-old Gin Flip de Muze Z half-brother to Easy Boy.

You don’t see them too often, but TR Sporthorses’ Anglo European Studbook-registered GFS Migaloo (Lot 11) is a five-year-old cremello gelding. A son of GFS Lord Of The Dance, he has competed in unaffiliated events.