THE fifth edition of the increasingly popular Cavan Elite Foal Sale took place at the Indoor Show Jumping Championships in Cavan Equestrian Centre on Thursday night.

With large crowds turning up to fill the arena and overlooking balconies, it was a night full of surprises with heavily varied prices. The top price well exceeded last year’s (€15,000) when Lot 17, a Casall ASK colt, was sold for a remarkable €28,000.

Whittled down through a competitive selection process, the impressive and informative catalogue was made up of 25 pre-selected foals. Those who were successfully selected brought forward both impressive pedigree and type.

All 25 foals entered the ring on auction night, concluding with a commendable average sale price of €9,110. Six of the 25 were not sold, making for a clearance rate of 76%, and seven were sold for higher than the average price. The final sale turnover totalled €173,100.

Bidding got off to a relatively slow start on the night with three of the unsold lots within the first 10 foals to enter the ring. The early purchasers felt that there was value for money.

Ballina-based producer Tiernan Gill, who snapped up Lot 5, a Kannan-sired colt out of Touch of Dawn (by Touchdown) for €5,500, said: “I knew the mother, Touch of Dawn, she was ridden by my friend Alan Creighton and I liked what I saw. I think it’s a nice blood foal with plenty of growth in it. I thought I got good value for money.”

However, it wasn’t long before prices in the arena began to heat up. The emphasis on the damline proved important when Lot 17, a striking Casall ASK colt, claimed the highest price of the night when knocked down for €28,000 to Ronocco Jump Ltd.

The smart show jumping dam Pikachu (1.50m) was produced here in Ireland under Danielle Clarke and John Floody before being exported to Germany. She is a sibling to Cairo (1.50m) and Canon (1.40m), while her dam Legende (by Lord) is a half-sister to the top-class Nations Cup and European championship horse Goliath (1.60m) and Sea Coast Conan (1.60m).

Ross Mulholland was on site to sign for the foal on behalf on Ronocco Jump Ltd, a syndicate headed up by recent double European medalist Cian O’Connor.

“I really can’t believe it, I am just so happy, I took a chance with this one and it really paid off,” show jumper Danielle Clarke, owner of the mare, said afterwards.

“I would like to thank Matthew McBreen, he did all the work with the mare and foal and it was really down to him. This was my first time partnering up with Matthew to breed a foal and really I couldn’t be any happier.”

ENTHUSIASTIC

Lot 24, a Cornet Obolensky colt, was sold to Gretchen Biedron for €26,000 (Photo: Laurence Dunne/ Jumpinaction.net)

The second-highest priced lot made for exciting viewing as enthusiastic bidders were quick off the mark to bid for the Cornet Obolensky colt (Lot 24), out of Sligo Cruise Way (by Cruising) who jumped up to 1.20m with Francis Connors.

In the end, it was visiting American Gretchen Biedron who snapped him up at a cool €26,000. The foal will remain here in Ireland under the experienced eyes of Greg Broderick at Ballypartick Stables, where Biedron’s daughter Rosalie currently trains.

Commenting on the foal, Broderick said: “It is a lovely foal, it has lovely movement and we look forward to seeing how it will develop.”

Breeder Clement Stapleton was all smiles and, between congratulatory handshakes, said: “He is a cracking foal, he really stood out. He has absolutely fantastic movement, he just has a natural movement and I was really happy with him.

“She’s a very well-bred mare herself, a Cruising by Carthago, and I just knew from the get-go he was a perfect straight foal and he’s very proud. For anyone that knows foals, they would know him, he just stood out. I really am delighted.”

The presence of foreign stallions was apparent with four lots sired by the popular stallion Kannan. Consistent prices were far from guaranteed for this sire however, with two of the foals (Lot 5 and 18) making €5,500 and €4,100 respectively, and the remaining Kannan’s (Lot 10 and 22) selling for €11,000 and €10,200 respectively.

Iarla Hayden was the breeder of Lot 10, Sandyhill Cinderella, whose real strength was in her damline. From the maternal line of MHS Going Global, it was no surprise when she was snapped up by Greg Broderick for €11,000.

“We are delighted with the mare, she has bred three 1.30m and better horses so far and we are delighted with the price and that this foal will be going to a good home with Greg Broderick,” Hayden said afterwards.

“We have her mother and a sister by Vigo d’Arsouilles at home. We sold the four-year-old by Sandro Boy to South Africa this year so we hope that this fella might have a bright future ahead of him. It’s a good price for a good foal and we wish him all the luck.”

MARVELLOUS

A price of €17,000 for Lot 13 (Comilfo Plus Z x Lux Z) topped off a marvellous fortnight for breeder Micheal Callery. Selling a relation of this foal in the Goresbridge auction for €14,000, Micheal was not surprised by the very quick bidding on the colt. who was eventually purchased by another client of Ballypatrick Stables, American Molly Tracy.

“I had a lot of interest in this foal leading up to today. I bred 10 foals this year, but I knew I had a very special foal in this one from a great damline,” he commented.

This was a cleverly bred colt, who is a half-brother to LCC Lux Like Cavalier (1.60m) ridden in Austria by Nicole Bruggermann. The second dam, Kings Aire, bred the Vincent Byrne partnered Mr Rockefeller (1.50m) and the American-based Chief (1.50m).

An incredibly busy night was masterfully run as always by Stuart Clarke of Cavan Equestrian Centre. Speaking afterwards, he said: “We are very happy with the outcome. Parts of the auction were a little bit difficult but then of course there was a lot of very good bits, some very exciting prices.

“I am very happy over all, the average price was good and so was the clearance rate. There were some fantastic highlights, the highest prices we have ever got for sport horse foals. I believe it is possibly the highest ever foal price in Ireland for our two top lots here, €26,000 and €28,000.

“The auction works well at the show as you get a lot of additional people at a showjumping show that might not make it to another foal auction.

“The format works well for all and we at Cavan Equestrian look forward to next year.”