Tara Dunne
THE Goresbridge Supreme Sale of Show jumping Foals saw a brisk trade, with the select catalogue commanding consistently high prices and a top price of €18,000.
With 14 foals catalogued and 13 going through the ring, the average price of €10,725 was marginally down on the 2015 sale average of €11,273. The overall turnover of last weekend’s sale was €128,700, with five lots achieving five-figure returns and with the penultimate lot realising the top price of €18,000.
Only one of the 13 lots that went under the hammer did not sell, making for an improved clearance rate of 92%, up on last year’s 85%.
Martin Donohoe said: “I’m absolutely delighted. We left no stone unturned in promoting the sale this year and I think it’s a great shot in the arm for the industry.
“It bodes well for the foal sale in October. We had so many good foals come forward to the viewing day for this that we have actually decided to have a select section in October with a similar format. There will be full pedigrees and video footage online.”
With the emphasis on the damlines, it came as no surprise when Killossery Lodge Stud’s SIEC Livello filly Killossery Karma, a daughter of Killossery Kruisette, realised the top price of €18,000.
The Cruising-sired Killossery Kruisette, herself a 1.60m performer with Captain David O’Brien, already has proven progeny on the ground. Her six-year-old Killossery Kaiden (by Lux Z) won the 2016 Horse Sport Ireland ISH Studbook Showjumping Series and has been selected for the upcoming world breeding championships in Lanaken.
Killossery Lodge Stud’s Laura Glynn commented: “There were three six-year-olds belonging to Killossery Kruisette at the show this weekend – I’ve had a lot of success with embryo transfers with Larry Dunne and this filly was actually a frozen embryo. I think that and Killossery Kaiden’s selection for Lanaken really helped raise the filly’s profile.
I’m looking forward to going out to Lanaken to watch, I’ve been to the eventing championships in Le Lion D’Angers but this will be my first time to Lanaken. Unfortunately Kruisette is empty this year, she is 22 now but I’ve a colt foal by Peppermill at home, a yearling filly by Mr Big Cat and several embryos in Larry Dunne’s freezer.”
Killossery Karma went on the market at €17,000 and Ger O’Neill, a finalist for the Irish Breeders Classic with Killossery Kaiden, had an obvious interest finally securing the filly for €18,000.
O’Neill said: “I’ve been competing the filly’s half-brother Killossery Kaiden and I really think a lot of him and the dam was an absolutely fantastic mare. I’ve bought her with Jonathan Fitzpatrick and we intend to take embryos off her as a two and three-year-old and then begin her competition career as a four-year-old.”
Three lots in the sale sold for €15,000, with the first of these was Lot 8, Michael Callery’s Cornet Obolensky filly. The filly is out of the OBOS Quality 004 dam Green Acres Quality, a half-sister to Lux Like Cavalier who has jumped up to 1.60m with Australian Nicole Bruggemann, and was produced in Ireland up to a seven-year-old by Linda Courtney. She also comes from the same family as Vincent Byrne’s Grand Prix mount Mr Rockefeller and The Chief, a 1.50m jumper with Ian Silitch (USA).
The filly was an obvious choice for Courtney, who had to work hard to secure her after she came on the market at €13,500.
Courtney explained: “Obviously her damline attracted me, Lux Like Cavalier was a very successful mare for me, but the filly really stood out for me – she is a beautiful model.”
Leestone Sport Horses’ colt by Connor, Leestone Conbreaker, attracted some fast-paced bidding before going on the market at €13,000 and selling at €15,000 to Kieran Kennedy. This colt has a stand-out pedigree with his dam, Acajou Van Het Kloosterhof (Heartbreaker – Ramiro Z), being a full-sister to Dejavu, a finalist in this year’s Rio Olympic Games with Bassem Mohammed of Qatar.
Leestone Sport Horses owner John McKibbin told The Irish Field: “I actually found Acajou Van Het Kloosterhof on the internet. I came across a video of her jumping on YouTube and sent the owner an email. I purchased her with a deal to send her here covered by Connor and Leestone Conbreaker is the result.”
Kennedy was thrilled with his acquisition, saying: “I hadn’t intended in buying a foal but I couldn’t pass him. His damline is so good, Dejavu is a phenomenal horse and you wouldn’t get the chance to buy a colt like him too often. He is a stallion prospect for me and if I went to look at him in two years’ time I wouldn’t be fit to buy him.
For me, he was the best foal in the sale, he was exceptionally balanced, very light on his feet and a really good mover. He will hopefully cover as a two-year-old and I think, with the type that he is, he could be an eventing or showjumping sire.”
The other foal to realise €15,000 was Kilmashogue Stud’s colt Pembrook Fitzpatrick, acquired by Greg Broderick. Sired by Kannan, the colt is out of the Guidam-sired MHS Pembrook Lady.
MHS Pembrook Lady is a three-quarter sister to Greg Broderick’s Olympic mount MHS Going Global and was purchased last year by Joanne Fox, editor of the Irish Horse in the Irish Farmers Journal, and her husband UCD professor Finbarr Mulligan of Kilmashogue Stud.
Mulligan explained: “We lost one of our breeding mares and when we decided to replace her, we went to the Brennans because we thought that they have probably the best lines in the country. We saw her on the loose and she was just phenomenal. She has already produced MHS Fernhill, he won the four-year-old Dublin qualifier at Barnadown.
“Joanne picked Kannan as a sire and it just really suited the mare. We went back to him this year too. The colt she produced is a smashing foal, really blood. We are delighted that he is going to such a good place and hopefully get to see him go on in the future.”
On the sale overall, Mulligan remarked: “I think the selection day and the promotion for the sale was very well managed. We have been to Lanaken the past two years and I think the 14 lots on offer here were just as good as you would find in Europe.”
Broderick told The Irish Field: “It’s very hard for me to pass on this family, they have been very lucky for me. He’s a nice foal, a really good type.”
The Tipperary show jumper was active on the day, buying two more foals, a Quidam Junior I colt for €13,000 and an I’m Special de Muze colt for €5,200.
“The Quidam Junior I colt is from a really good jumping family, his dam is a half-sister to Carling King. He’s a smart foal I’m very excited about him, he actually looks like a stallion prospect to me.
“I bought the I’m Special de Muze colt with Ger (O’Neill), we have multiple horses together. He is a half-brother to Eva W, a very good seven-year who looks like it could end up being a very good horse and I actually think this colt was the best value of the sale.”