THE importance of socialising and networking can never be overestimated when it comes to horses, a point proven yet again on Thursday night when John McKibbin’s Leestone Darco King made the top price of €15,000 when sold to Belgium’s Ludo Philippaerts at the Elite Foal Sale in Cavan.
It was during a break at last week’s FEI World Breeding Jumping Championships for Young Horses that Kilkeel-based McKibbin was introduced by Irish Horse World reporter Ruth Loney to Nicola Philippaerts, whose father Ludo partnered the colt’s sire, Darco, to international glory.
“I sent them on all the videos and photographs I had of the foal (lot 5) and am absolutely thrilled that they bought him,” said McKibbin, who bred the May bay out of the Heartbreaker mare Zidane VM. “That’s the second foal I’ve sold into Belgium this year and it’s great to think that they will be representing the Irish Sport Horse in that country.”
McKibben purchased Zidane VM five years ago when she was carrying to Emerald van’t Ruytershof (to whom she is now back in foal) and there are excellent reports about that subsequent produce, GTA Emerald Lee. The mare’s filly of last year, Leestone Zaire (also by Darco), made €8,500 at the same Cavan sale.
“While Darco died in 2006, I bought a few straws seven years ago and, thanks to the genius that is Larry Dunne, it only took one for Zidane to go in foal to him last spring. I always thought I would get a good price for the foal but even more so when so many people were looking at him at the sale.
“A few days ago, I sent him and the mare up to Anna Dillon near Markethill to get ready for the sale and she had them both turned out in great order.”
McKibben, who wears a variety of hats, including that of agent for Team Nijhof, featured in these pages earlier in the month as he sold a Connor colt out of another Heartbreaker mare for €15,000 at the Supreme Sale of Show Jumping foals in Barnadown.
None of the Philippaerts family was at the sale, bidding on the bay colt being conducted through Cavan’s Stuart Clarke who took instructions over the phone.
DISAPPOINTED
While pleased with the top prices on the night, Clarke expressed himself a “little disappointed” with the results when speaking to the Irish Horse World on Friday. “It wasn’t as good as last year but, truth is, there were six or seven foals who were making good prices but the vendors weren’t prepared to put them on the market.
“We had a lot of interest in them but even when I tried to negotiate a deal last night and again today, they weren’t prepared to budge. From the breeder’s perspective I know it’s difficult to get a mare in foal and then get that foal healthy and well into a sale, but it’s all about doing business.”
Emerald van’t Ruytershof is the sire of the second highest-priced foal at the sale, Martin and Paschal Coffey’s Oldtown Isle (lot 8), a June colt whose dam is their Grand Prix mare Oldtown Katie.
That 1997 daughter of Clover Fields has been a great servant to the Templemore-based brothers, producing the four-star performer and sire Oldtown KC, his Cruising full-sister Oldtown Gypsy Jazz and their Chippison half-sister Oldtown Judy K.
As with most of Oldtown Katie’s produce, the colt was an embryo transfer and, as announced from the rostrum, was shown with the recipient mare. “We just keep a few mares, most of them related to Katie,” said Martin whose son Joe, now starting in fourth year studying veterinary medicine at UCD, prepped mare and foal for the sale.
“I think it’s a very good idea having this stand-alone sale along with the show but I also feel Irish breeders need to put more emphasis on a strong damline instead of just thinking about the stallions they use all the time.
“Our policy mainly is to sell the colts and keep the fillies. If that colt had been a filly he wouldn’t have been sold! We can’t keep them all of course and one of Katie’s foals (Oldtown Judy K) is in Italy. We are breeding from her full-sister and two daughters.”
Like the top-priced lot, bidding on the Emerald colt opened at €5,000. He came on the market at €11,500 with Co Wicklow’s Peter O’Toole of Ballinteskin Farm having the final say at €13,500. O’Toole purchased Oldtown Isle in partnership with Switzerland-based Irish international show jumper Niall Talbot.
TOP-PRICED FILLY
Among those competing at this weekend’s Cavan Indoor Championships is Graham Babes. He was accompanied over from Scotland by his father George, who gave €11,000 to secure the top-priced filly, Creevyquinn Destiny (lot 13).
A smashing dark bay by Cornet Obolensky, this June foal was consigned by Roscommon’s Stephen Reilly, who bred her out of the Argentinus mare Boraya VDL. Reilly is a regular vendor at this sale and received €11,500 for the foal’s full-sister, Creevyquinn Poseur, at last year’s dispersal.
Later on, Reilly received a final telephone bid €8,100 from an English customer for Creevyquinn Desire (lot 23), a dark brown daughter of Ard VDL Douglas out of the Cavalier Royale mare Ballintogher Evidence. The dam is a full-sister of the international performers Shannondale Ard Ri and Darkness Delight.
Bidding directly across from the rostrum, Germany’s M. Hasselbach had the final bid at €9,300 on lot 14, Derek Jennings’s May colt by Kannan. The bay is the fourth foal out of the Grade A mare Pistache du Ruisseau (by Darco).