WESTMEATH racehorse trainer Adrian Murray signed for the top-priced lot at Thursday night’s Elite Foal Auction in Cavan where he was acting for the US-based partnership of Co Longford native Eamonn Hughes and leading American show jumper McLain Ward who is currently ranked number six in the world.
Their purchase for €38,000 was Brian Connolly’s CSF Good Vibes (Lot 26) who, in last week’s preview, was described by the Irish Horse World’s sales correspondent, Sally Parkyn, as “one of the catalogue stars”.
From the 27 foals that passed through the ring, 22 were sold, returning a healthy clearance rate of 81% (93% in 2022), while the average price of €15,368 was also just slightly back on last year (€15,474).
The top lot bettered last year’s price and that sale topper, a late May-foaled bay colt by Goodluck VDL was bred by Patrick Connolly at the family’s Co Galway stud out of CSF Telly Cruz (by Cruising) who is the dam of the Shane Sweetnam-ridden Kannan gelding James Kann Cruz (CSI5*) among others.
‘Like a cat’
Speaking on Friday morning from Doncaster, where he was due to run Valiant Force in the afternoon’s Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes for two-year-olds, Murray explained his connection to Drumnacross Farm’s Hughes (father of US show jumper Michael Hughes) and his reasons for buying the colt. For the past 10 years or so, Murray has judged the conformation phase of the Young Eventhorse Series qualifier at Rincoola.
“I’ve been friends with Eamonn, who’s from Edgeworthstown, since we were boys and, before I got into racing, I used to send him over jumpers and hunters. He has a farm in both New York and Ocala and, every year, he buys 12 to 15 foals in Germany and Holland which he then produces as four-year-olds with a view to having them sold at seven.
“I didn’t go over to the Connollys to inspect this fellow but just saw him at the sale. He was very, very athletic, was like a cat jumping off the ground and was very light on his feet.
“He struck me as a real model of a jumper and looked a real athlete. I bid on a few other horses for the same connections but didn’t get them at the price I wanted apart from Lot 16.”
The Connollys were delighted to top the sale, just two weeks after also breeding the top priced foal at the Goresbridge Supreme Sale of Showjumping Foals.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Shane said: “We had never topped the Cavan sale before so we were delighted; to top the first two elite sales in Ireland is amazing and the foals are going to good homes which is the most important thing. We will be hoping to be watching this fella with McLain Ward.
“Being a colt, he was always going to be sold. He looks to be very good, he actually looks a lot like James Kann Cruz did as a foal and has the same characteristics,” said Connolly, who added they still have seven or eight of this year’s crop to sell and many will appear at public auction.
Murray’s second purchase at €15,000, Madeline Allen’s MP Chakalaka, is a grey Chacoon Blue colt whose dam, Celah Sue de Rialfo Z (by Coupe de Coeur), is jumped at 1.55m level by Bandon-based Allen.
Strong damline
Co Kildare native Josh Kerrigan, who is now based around Thurles, had to go to €28,000 to secure Lot 24, Declan Phelan’s Diamant de Semilly colt for a Belgian client. Dam of this June 1st-foaled bay is Joan Greene’s 1.60m performer Biscaya d’Eversem (by Sheyenne de Baugy) who is a full-sister to Capacity d’Eversem (1.60m) being out of the Heartbreaker mare Vienna d’Eversem (CSI4*-W). Phelan topped this sale in 2022 with a daughter of Biscaya d’Eversem at €36,000.
Lot 24, a colt by Diamant de Semilly, was sold to Belgium for €28,000 at the Cavan Elite Foal sale \ Laurence Dunne Jumpinaction.net
Co Limerick’s Carl Dore gave €21,500 for Pam Walshe’s Emerald Q (Lot 4), an early June-foaled colt by Emerald van’t Ruytershof. The bay is out of the OBOSQuality 004 mare Jump The Q and is thus a half-brother to the Pacino gelding EIC Cooley Jump The Q (CSI5*) and the Amatetto Darco-sired Thomascourt Darco Q (CSI4*).
Jump The Q, who competed at 1.30m level herself, is a full-sister to Mark Q, who competed at CSI5* 1.60m level with Kevin Babbington, and a half-sister to the Heritage Fortunus gelding Ballinaguilkey Fortunus (CCI4*-S).
Lot 4, Pam Walshe's Emerald Q, a colt by Emerald Van't Ruytershof, was sold for €21,500 at the Cavan Elite Foal sale \ Laurence Dunne Jumpinaction.net
Following a ‘cash’ transaction worth €21,000, John Mulconroy’s unnamed colt by Zirocco Blue VDL (Lot 20) will eventually be heading over to the United States. The early April-foaled grey is out of Diamonds For Douglas (by Ard VDL Douglas) who Joan Greene and Alexander Butler competed at CSI3* level. This is the family of Tick Tock Tina (1.50m) and Whitetree Sky (CCI3*-L).
Lot 20, John Mulconroy's colt by Zirocco Blue VDL, was sold for €21,000 at the Cavan Elite Foal Sale \ Laurence Dunne Jumpinaction.net
Catherine Jackson’s Kilcorig Agallix (Lot 8) was knocked down to Trade Horse Ltd for €20,500. This May-foaled chesnut colt by Aganix de Seigneur out of Gotcha Nema (by Casall) boasts a pedigree chock-full of blacktype performers such as the second dam, Ipanema (1.50m). Other names to jump off the page are the four-star eventer D’Artagnan and the top-class show jumpers Clinton, Clintus, Chica Bay and Levisto Z.
The top-priced filly at the sale was Lot 21, Eamonn McArdle’s unnamed daughter of Zapatero VDL for whom the Irish Horse Board chairman, Ballina’s Tiernan Gill, gave €14,000. The dam of this April-foaled bay is the Crown Z mare Aster 1 who previously bred Poison who is competing in CSI4* company in Spain.