SELLING continued at the Mullingar Equestrian Centre on Saturday when the top price paid at the performance horse and pony sale was €6,300 which Britain’s Therese Englefield gave for Heather Wright’s Ard Echo (Lot 76).

The three-year-old brown gelding is by the Luidam stallion Ard Golden Crisp, who represented the Irish Sport Horse studbook at Lanaken in 2017, and is the fourth of five foals recorded on the Irish Horse Registry out of Thomas O’Reilly’s Clover Echo mare Lakeland Garnett. This is the family of Daddy Cool and Galway Bay Liath. A quality type, Ard Echo could have a future as a show jumper or an event horse.

Englefield also parted with €4,000 for a second three-year-old, Conor Healy’s Belgian Warmblood stallion Rubin St Hubertushoeve (Lot 70), a grey by Cicero Z van Paemel out of the Zangersheide mare Jiva van Boelaere Z (by Jouyeux Ardent).

Collooney-based Felix Burke, a regular attendee at the sales in Mullingar, purchased 15 lots, giving his highest-price of €6,100 for a traditionally bred unnamed four-year-old (Lot 84). This professionally produced gelding was consigned to the sale by his Co Sligo breeder, Padraig Gallagher, who described the chesnut as a “dream horse” with “huge ability”. A 16.2hh son of the Irish Draught stallion Clonakilty Hero, he is out of a Market Square mare, Highgarden Beauty.

In quick succession, Burke gave €4,500 for Timmy Hayden’s Ted (Lot 85) and for James Creagan’s Sparky (Lot 86), two five-year-old geldings. The former is a 16.2hh skewbald who has competed at Riding Club shows and has been schooled cross-country while the latter is a 172cms bay who hunted last season and is presently competing at training shows.

Athlone dealer Jim Derwin was another who had a busy day buying on behalf of Torben Anderson. His top-priced purchase of 11 was Galaxy Numero (Lot 92) who was home-bred by his Co Mayo vendor, Margaret Hopkins. A 164cms five-year-old gelding by Numero Cruise, the grey is out of the Womanizer mare, Galaxy Woman. He has been slowly-produced and was described as “a lovely event type”.

A similar price was paid by Co Sligo’s Tiernan Gray for Leitrim breeder Seamus Tiernan’s five-year-old gelding (Lot 82). The Royal Concorde grey, who has hunted for two seasons with the Leitrim Harriers, is out of the Luke Skywalker mare Annaghmaconway Sky Crest.

A 16hh Sligo Candy Boy gelding (Lot 97) made €5,000 for his Co Cavan vendor, Cyril Trenier. Purchased by Mark Grichero of the Wales-based Winning Line Bloodstock, the four-year-old black gelding has just returned into light work having had a break after being broken last winter.

Among Trade Horse’s four purchases was the top-priced mare, Mandella (Lot 66), a seven-year-old who also made €5,000 for his Co Tyrone vendor, Nicola Martin. The 153cms dun, who has plenty of experience behind her, was promoted as an “ideal mother/daughter share”.

Burke and Derwin were kept busy during the pony section of the sale, but three lots were knocked down to Swedish buyers including ‘Tilly’ (Lot 24) who made the division’s top price of €4,500. The 147cms dun mare, who is by the popular Connemara stallion Gwennic de Goariva, was purchased by Linda Hermansson Albien from Westmeath’s Claire Gaffey, breeder of the five-year-old who has competed at training shows and in hunter trials.

Over the two days, there was a clearance rate of 65% with Mullingar’s office administrator, Declan Fagan, stating: “There was strong online interest from international buyers who appreciated having visibility of vet certs and vendors’ warranties online. These were critical to the conclusion of a number of online sales.”