Caitriona Murphy

AN Irish Sport Horse foal, bred in Co Down by Leestone Sport Horses, was shipped out to the Prinsjesdag foal auction in Holland last month where she sold for €9,500.

Leestone Cannon Breaker is a filly foal by Kannan out of a Belgian-bred mare Acajou Van Het Kloosterhof, who was bought by breeder John McKibbin after he viewed a video of the mare jumping 1.30m online.

“Four days after I bought the mare her only full brother won the championship of Holland and a 1.55m and then a 1.60m Grand Prix,” explained McKibbin. “Primeval Dejavu, a full brother to Acajou was sold early this year to Qatar for a rumoured fee in excess of €3 million.”

Acajou’s foal was bought by Milena Pappas from Greece at the auction in KWPN headquarters and will be reared in France before her competition career begins. Pappas subsequently bought another registered Irish Sport Horse filly foal (Indoctro x Cassini I x Corrado I) from McKibbin.

“As far as I know this is the first time any Irish sport horse foal has been selected for this sale so a big achievement in itself just to get there,” said McKibbin. “I look forward now to getting Acajou home and plan to flush embryos from her next season.”