Caitriona Murphy

CARL Hester celebrated his birthday this week by announcing that his stable star Uthopia, controversially auctioned off to the highest bidder last month, is to remain at his yard in Gloucestershire, England.

The 15-year-old stallion was purchased by an unknown buyer for £165,000 (€217,000) on May 27th, at Wilsons Auctions in Northern Ireland following a dispute over the horse’s ownership. Since then, negotiations have taken place and the horse has now been purchased on Carl’s behalf by a supporter who wishes to remain anonymous.

Hester said: “Apologies for the long wait, but it has been worth it. I can now confirm that Uthopia has been secured and will stay at home where he is much loved. I couldn’t have asked for a better early birthday present – this is the best news and the team are all very happy now we know ‘Uti’ is staying at home. It’s been a stressful time but I must thank the parties concerned in getting to this outcome.”

He continued: “Those involved wish to remain anonymous and I hope that everyone can respect that but they have my extreme gratitude. I must also thank all the supporters of British dressage for their good wishes and encouragement, it’s meant a lot to me and my team. This is a happy ending.”

The gold medal-winning KWPN stallion (by Metall) was part of a unreserved auction by Wilsons Auctions. The horse was sold by Tom Keenan (Keenan Corporate Finance) and James Neill (HNH Group), who held joint ownership due to their respective roles as trustee in bankruptcy over two separate bankruptcy estates – Sasha Stewart and her father Derek Harrison.