Tara Dunne

THE Cavan Indoor Championships proved to be a useful shop window for the Irish sport horse industry with a brisk trade over the six-day show.

Stuart Clarke of Cavan EC commented: “There was a lot of activity over the week with a good bit of domestic trade which I haven’t seen for quite a while. It’s great to see and obviously we are extremely pleased. I’d be very positive going toward the November show. I’m actually expecting a higher level of activity then as quite a few buyers have said they will be returning and there will be different customers in for that show also.”

He added: “Christian Coyle and Sinead Kennedy were over from America with clients, Brian Cash who is Irish and also living in America had a client with him and I believe Darragh Kerins was over to finalise on one or two horses. Cathal McMunn had an Italian client who purchased two five-year-olds while Cathal also sold three four-year-old horses, all to the domestic market.” 

McMunn confirmed his Italian client was Alessandro Paginni from Sienna, a regular client of his for the past 14 years who buys at least one horse through him every year. 

Paginni bought the five-year-old Hold Up Premier gelding, Hold Steady, from Peter McEneaney. Out of a Glidawn Diamond dam, the brown gelding has been produced by Conor McEneaney and secured 64 SJI points.  The three four-year-olds sold by McMunn were sold to Padraig Judge, Richard Bourns and Sarah Brandon. 

“The four year olds will all be heading to the November show [at Cavan] and I hope to see them all going on well,” said McMunn.  Eamon Rice, agent for Vere Phillipps, confirmed that the British-based dealer had secured 10 horses, two seven-year-olds, one six-year-old, five five-year-olds and two four-year-olds, in addition to purchasing a Zirroco Blue-sired filly in the Elite Foal Sale.

Speaking to The Irish Field afterwards, Phillipps said: “I had my homework done before coming over. They are all bought for event horses. It’s a busy time of year for me, the eventing season is finishing and my clients are looking for new horses for next year.”

“I bought two seven-year-olds, one by Ard VDL Douglas out of a thoroughbred dam jumping 1.30m with Jack Doyle, a really nice type and one off Alan Creighton. It’s a really nice grey horse by Caretino, a good mover and not green. I think he will be a really good event horse for a young rider,” he said. “Out of the four-year-old qualifiers I bought a Cloneen Clover horses out of a thoroughbred dam and I bought a really nice horse off James Hogg out of the pre-final. It was bred and produced by James and is by Nick Skelton’s horse Russell.”

Turn to pages A66-67 to read Susan Finnerty’s in-depth interview with Vere Phillips