IRISH Olympian Joseph Murphy paid the highest price of the night when he landed the winning bid of €85,000 for Gorsehill Pearl at the Goresbridge Go For Gold sale in Wexford.

The 10-year-old bay mare, owned and bred by Anne Bannon, was campaigned throughout her career by Luke Drea and will now move to Murphy’s Co Down yard.

By Hermes De Reve, out of the Minstrel Bouncer- sired Holly Clover, Gorsehill Pearl has amassed 175 Eventing Ireland points and most recently competed at CCI*** level at Ballindenisk International in 2015.

British rider Oliver Townend and business partner Andrew Cawthray consigned three geldings to the 2015 sale which took place at Amber Springs Hotel in Co Wexford. Two of these three sold on the night – both to Irish buyers – while the third was unsold at €35,000.

Richard Sheane snapped up LCC Cooley for €35,000, while fellow event horse agent Carol Gee signed for Peruising at €40,000. Red Andes Fanfare was bid up to €35,000 on the night but was not put on the market.

Glenealy-based Sheane also paid €42,000 for a Michael Fallon’s three-year-old gelding by Ramiro B out of the Porter Rhodes dam Willow Roads.

TOP BUYERS

US buyer Liza Jane MacNaughton signed on the dotted line for Fred Scala’s Simba Della Caccia, a four-year-old gelding by Singulaer out of a Tin Rocco dam, while British buyer Martyn Johnson, already a fan of Irish Sport Horses, paid €36,000 for Breda Murphy’s FMSH Ramiro (Ramiro B x Nazar).

Lot seven, Terence White’s five-year-old gelding Chieftan Clover was snapped up by Cindy Hengel for €35,000 at the packed auction room.

Kelly McCarthy Maine paid €34,000 for Erkina Blaze, a six-year-old bay mare consigned by Killian Dunne by Harlequin Du Carel out of the Puissance mare Erkina Miss. McCarthy Maine is an owner/rider based at Lucinda Fredericks’ Rosegarth in Wiltshire, England.

For a full round-up of the sale and news about where the Go For Gold sale horses are destined, don’t miss Margie McLoone’s report in The Irish Field this weekend.

The Irish Field is online from 9.30pm on Friday and in shops Saturday.