STRONG pre-sale interest in the Sligo Candy Boy mare ‘Candy’ translated into the five-year-old making the sale’s top price at Mullingar last Saturday.

When the bay Irish Sport Horse (Lot 52) came under the hammer in the Co Westmeath ring, there was a bid in already for €8,000 and, with plenty of online activity, the price quickly rose to €11,900. At this stage, the mare was knocked down to the absent Barbara Miles from Devon who has purchased previously at the venue.

The sale-topper, who was consigned by Hannah Eakins and Keith Wilson, was bred in Co Donegal by George Burrowes. She is out of the 1999 Holsteiner mare Sligo Cantos Lady (by Cascavelle) who, until she was retired at the end of 2008, accumulated 234 Show Jumping Ireland points under various members of the Howley family.

There was a lot of pre-sale interest also in Kenneth Kerin’s Charlie’s Pride (Lot 4), an eight-year-old 128cms gelding with 440 SJI points. Again, bidding on the day opened at the online offering of €8,000 but the chesnut failed to sell in the ring with the final bid of €9,400 not meeting the vendor’s reserve.

Consigned by Abby Clancy on behalf of her Tipperary breeder Nick Kime, the four-year-old ISH filly Golden Whisper (Lot 57) was knocked down to Christiane Donohoe-Kaufmann of Annagh, Co Longford for €6,700. A daughter of OBOS Quality 004, the bay is out of the First Of Many mare Caramac Golden Dancer.

Another mare, Lot 42, the 15.1hh Mia (registered as Miss Mia Wallace), was knocked down to Matt Gordon for €6,600. Consigned by Hannah Eakins and Keith Wilson, the 11-year-old chesnut, who is by Ramiro B out of Ballycoog Crest (by Sea Crest), has competed in Pony Club and Riding Club activities.

Local dealer Jim Derwin purchased five lots, two skewbalds and three Connemaras, giving his top price of €6,000 for a late addition to the sale, Lot 10A, who was consigned by Kate Brennan from Bunbrosna. The nine-year-old 137cms skewbald mare has a track record in Pony Club eventing and tetrathlon and at novice level in hunter trails, going clear this autumn at Tattersalls.

Derwin gave €5,000 apiece for two of the Connemaras. The first, consigned by Mosstown’s David Harrison, was Moneylagen Powder (Lot 17), an unbroken three-year-old 148cms gelding by Harp King. The grey is out of the Windy’s Boy mare Moneylagan Grey. The second, consigned by Megan Griffin, was the six-year-old Cashel Bay Wilson (Lot 47). This Robbie Fallon-bred 15.1hh chesnut gelding, who has 14 SJI points, is by Cashelbay Rocket out of Frederiksminde Ballerina (by Lissroe Hurricane).

Derwin parted with €4,500 for Harrison’s Menlo Rainbow (Lot 12), another unbroken three-year-old Connemara. The 148cms bay is a son of Blakehill Sparrow and is the last recorded produce out of the Westside Fred mare Sky Una Barana.

Lot 12

The highest price attained by a three-year-old horse was €3,200 which was paid by Haley McCoppin for Lot 34, Austin Hughes’s home-bred ISH filly by Big Time Ginger. The grey is out of the Dunkerrin Grey Mist mare Roanfield Melody.

Sales return in March

Only three of the 10 three-year-old horses forward changed hands for an average of €2,750 which was a long way shy of the average reserves put on their stock by vendors. Overall, there was a clearance rate of just over 55% with 31 of the 56 lots forward being sold for an average of €4,250.

This was the final sale of the year at Mullingar where the hammer won’t be raised again until next March.