A STRONG number, 87 of the 95 preselected and catalogued foals, appeared at Glenamaddy Equestrian Centre in County Galway for Edition 7 of the Breeders’ Select Foal Sale Ireland on Saturday, October 5th. The now well-established event, organised under the umbrella of The Irish Horse Centre, is a marketing initiative powered by the Mayo Roscommon Breeders’ Group.

Director/PRO Patrick Hester explained that the sales strategy will be revamped 2025-2030.

“In a somewhat suppressed market globally, it is ever so more apparent that we must fine-tune our strategy for a clear and transparent foal selection to meet the market demands for quality, continue our international marketing efforts and sustain a loyal customer base to deliver for both the breeders’ return on investment in their equine farming enterprises,” he said.

Edition 7 reached 42 lots sold under the hammer, rewarding the committed, goal-orientated and focused breeder at the Glenamaddy venue. Lot 46, Shane Dono hoe’s bay colt by Aganix Du Seigneur Z from the well-performing family of the dam Verona B by Valeron, set the benchmark as the top priced foal on the day, purchased by John Higgins for €13,000.

Hester commented: “Shane is one of MRBG’s dedicated young breeders and has come through the Irish Sport Horse Young Breeder programme representing Ireland at the International Young Breeders’ Championship. Shane and his support team at Acreshill Farm is a fine example of the significance of equine farming in rural Ireland and it’s now high time our industry leaders continue government lobbying to encourage and give vision to young trained equine farmers to enter the equine farming sector.”

Lot 62 (Ermitage Kalone x Toulon) sold for €7400 at Edition 7 of the Breeders Select Foal Sale

Headliners

Other headliners on the day saw Gladys McCardle’s Lot 75 a bay filly by Chalypso from the Crown Z mother make €9,500, sold to regular buyer Aidan Flanagan. This filly filled the sales ring with presence, movement and with meticulous production, as always from the Drumahowan vendors. Lot 62, owned by Carroll Brothers International by the popular young Olympic sire Ermitage Kalone from a Toulon dam, made €7,400 and was sold to DJ Sullivan on behalf of Greg Broderick Ballypatrick Stud (GBBS).

To complete the headliners, Lot 87, Alan Connaughton’s colt by Peagasc Van’T Ruytershof, sold for €8,200 to the same buyer.

Service

Hester explained that to further service the breeder “all unsold lots and reserves will now be populated on the Irish Horse Centre Online Market Place to further aid the marketing and promotion of Irish-bred horses.”

Lot 75 (Chalypso x Crown Z) sold for €9500 at Edition 7 of the Breeders Select Foal Sale

Inaugural Foal Class

A new initiative by the group, in collaboration with Horse Sport Ireland, aimed to identify and reward breeders of potential eventing colts and fillies, was the inaugural running of a foal class.

Winners of the eventing filly class was Lot 48, the bay filly by Creevagh Ferro x OBOS Quality, bred by James McDonald. Winner of the colt class was Des McDonnell’s Lot 43 by Vancouver from a Tyson x Manhattan dam. Both Mayo breeders were rewarded with €750 each for their breeding endeavours, with the balance of the €3,000 prize fund divided evenly among other competitors.

Loyal customer base

Ballyward Equestrian and GBBS accounted for other well-bought foals on the day, which further cements the trust that is developing within the sale and links within the supply chain with a strong contingent of graduates appearing at national select young horse sales, is yet another reflection on the sale’s clear and transparent foal selection process.

Aside from the relentless drive of the key founders: brothers Mark and Patrick Hester, Noel Kilroy and John Murphy, it is without doubt the initiatives by the Mayo Roscommon Breeders’ Group are unachieveable without the support of the following individuals, who work tirelessly on compiling the information for the catalogue, online platform and operations: Leo Larkin (Flatout Media Video Editing); Peter Van de Bulck at PWEB Solutions (website); new team members Anna Bobel (PWEB platform/admin) and Ulla Connolly (catalogue commentary), Anna Suess (@aennies_wild_photography); Sinéad Mallee (graphic design), Liz Murphy (operations and hospitality), and all the team at Glenamaddy Equestrian Centre, MRBG’s ground team Shane Donohoe, Niall Walsch, Ruari Kilroy, Barbara Victhova and the office team, Mary Cahil and Catherine Dunne.

Statistics Edition 7 2024:

Statistics Edition 6 2023:

Statistics Edition 5 2022: