“THE minute I saw him, I said he’s coming home,” said John Bracken of his unplanned purchase, Lot 185 Seans Supremacy. The Class 1 Irish Draught stallion became the top lot at Cavan’s recent Registered Irish Draught sale when he realised €10,000 for vendor Peter McHugh. “He was a steal at that price,” Bracken continued. “I had seen him at Dublin and liked him, and when I saw him again at the sale, he really moved and there was no one really there for him.

“The plan for him now is to progress under saddle and see how he gets on over the winter,” continued Bracken. “He will most likely go down the performance route, and he’ll stand with Joanne Maguire at Kilfoylan Stud. One of the things we liked about him is that he’s just 16.1hh, he’s not up in the clouds, so he’ll suit a lot of the bigger mares and put a bit of quality into them.”

Seans Supremacy bucked the trend of recent years, as typically mares have made the highest prices at this sale, and the clearance rate was comparable to 2025 (64%) at 63%. The average price decreased marginally again however, down to €2,516 (€2,776 in 2025).

“People were saying the sale was poor,” added Bracken, “but we were happy enough. Prices were well down but you have to go with the market, and the English are not buying stock after the drought because they don’t want to hold them. You have to look at the quality of what’s on offer too.”

Bracken was also the vendor of the fourth and both fifth highest-priced lots. Lot 202, his five-year-old Carrickcottage Star broodmare Dungar Lady Jane sold to Pat Kenny for €4,200. In foal to Bracken’s own stallion Scrapboy, the mare will be Kenny’s first venture into Draught breeding and Bracken said: “She’s not a big mare and we’re gone too big with Irish Draughts now. She’ll be a great foundation mare for him, for someone starting off.”

Lots 155 and 210, both three-year-olds, each realised €3,600. The former is a chesnut gelding by Gortfree Hero, who will be aimed at the performance classes at Balmoral next year, while the latter, a strawberry roan mare by Dunsandle Diamond, went to Welsh visitor Alun Davies, who accounted for four lots in total.

The second-highest price at this sale was paid for Lot 197, Rockvale Vintage Rose, who made €5,000 when selling to Michael English. Another by Dunsandle Diamond, this nine-year-old Class 1 broodmare is in foal to Heigh Ho Dubh and achieved top marks at her inspection, including 85 for conformation, movement and type and 90 for her trot.

Another stallion, Lot 183 Balcormo Sir Reiss, also featured among the highest returns, when he sold to Jack Connors for €4,700. By Offaly Clover, the bay three-year-old is a full-brother to the Class 1 approved stallion Balcormo Sir Duncliff, and was described as having a super temperament and plenty of potential.