ONE might have taken vendor Keith Watson’s glowing catalogue description of Boydo with a pinch of salt but, if you’d looked at any video footage of the five-year-old, you can see why Lot 86 made the top price of €15,200 at Tuesday’s performance horse and pony sale in Cavan. He is exactly what it says on the tin.

The black gelding, who is listed on the Irish Horse Register but with no recorded breeding, is said to be an Irish Draught/cob cross. In the videos, he could be seen under young riders of various ages being jumped, ridden in a field of loose horses and on quite a busy road. He was also being held by a very young child while being washed down.

“A super model and a type that everyone needs” said the blurb about this gem.

Two lots made €12,000 apiece, the first of these being the top-priced pony at the sale, Lisa Smith’s Sonny Girl (Lot 7), who was one of five lots purchased on Tuesday by Co Sligo’s Tiernan Gray. Bred to be higher than her 148cm, the 10-year-old brown mare by Concorde is jumping at 1.10m level, but is said to have the potential to progress.

The same price was attained by Sarah Kerrigan’s Irish Draught gelding ‘Harry’, who is bound for Sweden having been knocked down to a representative of Lillasens Veterinarpraktik. By Young Carrabawn out of the Crosstown Dancer mare Ballycurrin Amber, the six-year-old chesnut has done some unaffiliated show jumping but, of more interest, has hunted, hunter trialled and competed at the Kildare performance hunter show. He was described by Kerrigan as being a ‘good, solid, all-rounder type of a horse’.

Table-toppers

The Kennedy family sold the top-priced lot at last year’s renewal of this sale, when receiving €12,500 for the five-year-old KEC Happiness (by OBOS Quality 004 out of KEC Maximum Happy, by KEC Maximum Joe) and were back among the table-toppers on Tuesday.

Kieran accepted a final bid of €11,000 from England’s Kikka Sumlo for Lot 84, a home-bred unnamed four-year-old gelding by Conticco out of Lori Jo (by KEC Maximum Joe). The grey was listed in the catalogue as having a “modern athletic frame and carries himself with balance. Showing promise at training shows”.

Kieran, who manages the family’s Coolballyshan Stud near Adare, also runs Kennedy Brothers Sporthorses with his brother Liam, who received €10,500 from a ‘Cash’ customer for another unnamed home-bred four-year-old. Lot 95, who has competed at shows around Munster and is jumping 1.10m, is a Lagans OBOS Quality mare out of KEC Capetown (by Aldatus Z).

The brothers sold three other horses, Liam faring the better when his four-year-old Vivant van de Heffinck mare KBS Vibrant Blossom (Lot 65) was knocked down for €9,500 to Italian company Omnia Data. The bay, who jumped clear in the Millstreet Discovery and was described as being very brave, scopey and careful, is out of an Lyjanro mare (Global Bloom) who jumped to 1.40m, out of a Cardento mare (Doline) who jumped to 1.60m.

Busiest buyer

The busiest buyer at the sale was England’s James White who purchased eight lots, giving his highest price of €6,500 for Kieran Kennedy’s Lot 52. Another unnamed four-year-old, this bay gelding by Vivant van de Heffinck, wasn’t bred by the Kennedys but by US-based Irish international show jumper Paul O’Shea out of the Guidam mare Somerton Guidam, a half-sister to the OBOS Quality 004 mare Heads Up (CCI4*-S).

Co Westmeath agent Jim Derwin gave €10,500 for two five-year-old geldings. The first of these was Lot 77, Michael Kelly’s Nethercross Conan (by Cappa Sarsfield). The grey, who has no recorded pedigree on his dam’s side, has been hunted and has also competed at training shows and in cross-country events.

Grovehill Candy (Lot 85), who was consigned to the sale by his Co Leitrim breeder Bernard Reynolds, is by Sligo Candy Boy out of the Mohill Cavalier Clover mare Grovehill Stepper. The chesnut, who has done a small amount of registered show jumping, has been schooled cross-country. His breeder described Grovehill Candy as being ‘a super type, scopey and careful’.

The Royal Meath Equestrian Centre parted with €10,200 for the Captain Caruso gelding Captain Casanova (Lot 101). The four-year-old, who was home-bred by his Co Galway vendor Marilyn Bane out of the Cappa Casanova mare Cappa Liberty, was shown lightly as a youngster, winning on both occasions. He has been schooled cross-country and has done some autumn hunting with the Galway Blazers.

Niall Daly went to €10,000 to secure Martin Geoghegan’s Glengowla Sandy (Lot 12), a four-year-old mare by the Connemara stallion Ross Fear Bui. The 148cm bay, who is out of the Cruising mare Dolcie, has been jumping double clears in 80cm and 90cm horse classes while she has also been schooled cross-country.

For the same price, Richard Black purchased the top-priced three-year-old in the sale, Alan Gaughan’s Cloncrave Hot Socks (Lot 124). “With his athleticism, movement and attitude, this gelding offers serious potential for the future across any discipline”, was one of Gaughan’s remarks about the chesnut who is by Wild Balou Bill out of the Ramiro B mare Madame Tussaud, who jumped up to 1.45m.

Seventy-seven of the 107 lots who went through the ring were sold for a clearance rate of 72%, an aggregate of €414,950 and an average of €5,389. Last year, 74 lots were sold for a clearance rate of 63%, an aggregate of €409,100 and an average of €5,528.