THERE was standing room only at the Amber Springs Hotel as the eighth Goresbridge Go For Gold sale of select event horses got under way last night with 82 catalogued Lots for sale.

Wednesday's sale-topper was the €130,000 sale of Gurtera Mattie Clover (Lot 15), the property of Sophie Richards, sold to a telephone bidder. Bidding opened at €40,000 and it's believed the new owner of the Newmarket Venture (Hann) five-year-old gelding out of Kilderry Clover (ISH) (TIH) has horses with Nicola Wilson. The gelding is a full brother to Annie Clover (CCI4*), campaigned with great success by Wilson.

The sale-topper's price was much on a par with last year’s top Lot, which hailed from Glenpatrick Stables, Cornascriebe Glenpatrick (6yo b g by Womanizer (dam by Cavalier Royale)) which changed hands for €160,000.

Goresbridge's Martin Donohoe and his team once again pulled out all the stops to produce a top-class catalogue, greatly aided by regular selectors Chris Ryan, Sally Parkyn and Clare Ryan, with guest selectors Bridget Speirs and British international Nicky Roncoroni.

ACTION

The sales action got going when Lot 3 Lukas, a six-year-old gelding by Lux Z out of Say Wonderful (TB) by Roi Danzig (TB), the property of Louise Parkhill, was bid up to €34,000.

Lot 5 GRC Cu Chulainne was sold to Richard Sheane of Cooley Sport Horses for €39,000. The Clover Brigade five-year-old gelding out of Loughnavatta Pearl (ISH)(TIH) is understood to have been bought on behalf of an American client.

Lot 16 Lord Barnaby Rhodes, a five-year-old Barnaby Flight (ISH)(TIH) gelding, property of Judy Pearson, was sold for €18,000 while one of the talking points of the night was the sale of Lot 17, Sam Salad, the property of huntsman of the Carlow Farmers Ado Moran, an eye-catching palamino five-year-old gelding by the Connemara sire Pattys Veuve Cosmic (CP) out of Dancing At Lunasa.

Lot 19, Billy McArthur, a five-year-old gelding by Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve (BWP) out of Billy McCruise (ISH), the property of Brian Flynn and Meabh Bolger, fetched €26,000 and the duo scored again with the sale of Lot 24, MBF Connection, a four-year-old Luidam gelding out of Traditionally Aloof (TB) which sold for €36,000.

Later in the sale, Meabh Bolger and Jason Higgins were rewarded when Lot 43, MBF Online, their four-year-old Luidam gelding out of Drumwhinny Eve (ISH) sold for €33,000 and more was to come for Bolger and Flynn when Lot 67, MBF Permission To Land, a three-year-old chesnut Cobra gelding out of Deeply Dippy K (ISH) sold for €25,000.

Lot 26 Power Supreme, the property of Bryan Maguire, found a new home in Germany when the four-year-old Superior Premium (TB) out of Bing Power (ISH) fetched €16,000.

Storm Oxley's Lot 29, Ballygriffin Black Vendi, a four-year-old Ars Vivendi gelding out of My Rathsallagh Girl (TB) sold on the telephone for €26,000.

Jean Morton's Lot 32, a four-year-old Puissance (ISH)(TIH) gelding out of Coolcorran Gypsey (ISH)(TIH) fetched €23,000 while Lot 33, Larry Costello's Goodwins Luxy, a four-year-old Lux Z out of Goodwins Go Deo (ISH) fetched €20,000.

There was plenty of interest in Lot 37 for Kennedy Brothers Sporthorses, when the four-year-old OBOS Quality OO4 gelding out of Mollys Diamondstrike (ISH) sold for €35,000, while Gemma Tattersall bought Lot 39 for €29,500, a four-year-old Clover Brigade (ISH)(TIH) filly out of Cavaliers Abbey (ISH).

THREE-YEAR-OLDS

The trade for three-year-olds got off to a flying start when Lot 46, the property of James McEvoy, by Rehy High Society (ISH) out of Moondice Charmer (ISH) sold for €36,000.

Lot 51, Greenhall Trevor, a Harlequin du Carel gelding out of Lady Loughehoe (ISH), the property of Derry Rothwell, sold for €10,000. Also sold for €10,000 was Lot 59, Alan Roche's Sligo Candy Boy (ISH) gelding out of Clover Lighting (ISH) (TIH).

There was no surprise when Lot 53, property of Muriel Kehoe and Jason Higgins, sold for €35,000, the eye-catching Quidam Junior I gelding out of Maxi Match (ISH), went on the market at €30,000.

DJ O'Sullivan's Forever Best, Lot 56, an OBOS Quality OO4 gelding out of Best Friends Girl (TB) sold for €15,000 as did Lot 57, Rehy Revelation, property of Elaine Russell, an Ars Vivendi gelding out of Drumbane Lady (ISH).

Lot 64, property of Brandon View Stud, an attractive chesnut Harlequin du Carel gelding out of Cooleen Lady (ISH)(TIH) was bought at €16,000 by Tipperary international show jumper Greg Broderick.

Niamh O'Hehir's Lot 69, a bay OBOS Quality OO4 gelding out of On Key (TB) sold for €21,000 while Lot 73, John Murray's Harlequin du Carel gelding out of Misty Clover Dawn (ISH)(TIH) sold for €16,000.

Lot 75, Frank Casey's Harlequin du Carel gelding out of Cavalier Iris (ISH) was sold for €16,500 while Tinnock Stables' Lot 77 Tokdo R, a Tolan gelding out of Cross Cruise Princess (ISH) (TIH) changed hands for €21,000.

Wrapping up the sale at 11.25pm, Lot 82, property of Gordon Hogan, a bay OBOS Quality OO4 gelding out of Borris Pride (ISH) (TIH) sold for €11,000.

Full report and results on the 2017 Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale in this Saturday's Irish Field, by Margie McLoone