AT first glance, it may have looked as if Irish event riders didn’t manage to buy a horse at this week’s Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale – and that might be half-right, as some of the lots knocked down to the few successful Irish bidders could well be heading down the show jumping route.

A case in point is Jess Widger’s home-bred Grantstown Gorgeous George (Lot 16) who was purchased at €32,000 by Co Kilkenny’s Owen Pagan for his 15-year-old show jumping daughter Hannah who will be coming out of ponies next year.

By the popular Irish Sport Horse stallion Tullabeg Fusion, the four-year-old dun gelding is out of the Templebready Fear Bui mare Grantstown Dark Angel whose previous produce include the General Humbert mare Grantstown True Love (CCIP2-S) and the six-year-old Cyklon Texass mare Grantstown True Love who has 156 Show Jumping Ireland points. He has competed at some unaffiliated events and show jumping competitions.

“Hannah’s good pony Grantstown Coat Of Many Colours (on whom she is competing at 1.20m level in Cavan this weekend) is a General Humbert half-sister to Grantstown Dark Angel so we know the equine family well and have come to know Jess well also,” said Pagan senior. “Anything she told us about Coat Of Many Colours before buying her was true and we know she has produced this fellow the same way.

“Hannah is in Junior Cert year at the Loreto, Kilkenny this year so bringing on this gelding will be a project for her. While we have our own place to bring on the ponies and horses, those in competition are on livery at Warrington where they, plus Hannah and her siblings, are well looked after by Ann, Marie, Eddie and family.”

Cousins busy

Maurice Cousins, whose team always has Barnadown in immaculate condition for the duration of the Go For Gold Sale, purchased three lots, giving his top price of €31,000 for Rose Dempsey’s Kincullia Draco (Lot 64).

Produced for the sale by Tommy Considine, this bay ISH gelding is one of just two three-year-olds registered on CapallOir by the Anglo European Studbook-registered Greenvale Draco who has jumped up to 1.50m level and, ridden by Tommy Halford, was on the Irish bronze medal-winning team at this year’s European Junior show jumping championships in Fontainebleau. He is out of a Mermus R mare who comes from the family of Loughnavatta Papillo.

At a previous renewal of this sale, Cousins purchased Pablo C who represented the Irish Sport Horse Studbook in the six-year-old section of the world championship for young show jumping horses at Lanaken this season, and, in the future, this high-profile event could be the target for two other three-year-old geldings he purchased.

The first of these was Higgins Sporthorses’ Captain d’Aubry (Lot 40), an AES-registered bay by Anayl d’Aubry, for whom he gave €26,000, while, showing no favours among the top consigners, he parted with the same amount for MBF Sport Horses’ MBF Kahneman (Lot 44).

This Clarcon bay, who is registered with the Warmblood Studbook of Ireland, is out of a Ulysses M2S half-sister to the Royal Bravour stallion Wang Chung (CSI5*-W).

International riders

Two of the country’s England-based international event riders are listed as purchasers of three-year-olds. Aoife Clark bought Maria Griffin’s ISH filly Lislee Honey (Lot 28), a Lagans OBOS Quality bay carrying 74% thoroughbred blood for €20,000 and, in partnership with boyfriend Max Warburton, who made a couple of purchases in his own right, Susie Berry bought MBF Sport Horses’ MBF Barravalley (Lot 82) for €13,000.

The only entry in the sale by the eventing stallion Upsilon, this grey ISH gelding is out of Nothing Extra Added, an Ekstein half-sister to the Ramiro B gelding Cooley Nothing Better B (CIC3*).