ALTHOUGH perhaps not a vintage year for the industry, the past 12 months delivered a string of positive results, together with healthy top-end prices, satisfactory clearance rates and bumper attendances.

All have led to a generally sound year for sport horse auctions, which for the first time since the pandemic, were boosted by a welcome increase in entries.

As has become the norm, the real fireworks emerged from the successful event horse sales and the elite sales of show jumping-bred foals, both of which closed the year in a spectacular fashion.

Their results confirmed that the demand for these top-drawer horses is very healthy indeed and, while this is obviously all good news, once again it is tempered by the fact that the market in the country is still notably polarised. This is by no means a new observation and, despite endless conversations, the returns from the country still illustrate a big divide in the quality on offer and its continuance has to be frustrating.

Although improved in some notable quarters, clearance rates and averages generally remained on a par from 2023, as it appears that indiscriminate breeding has led to a shortage of athletic, commercial horses, which in turn results in a weakening of the middle market.

Also concerning is the fact that, according to the pundits at the general foal sales, any signs of improvement in this regard are still some way off, with an ever-widening divide in the sector.

Sale-topping stallions were very diverse – and, with the exception of the jumping-bred foals, no one stallion was dominant in the better returns. It is also worth noting that, in a seemingly growing trend, several of the year’s notables and sale-toppers were imported from the continent, either as foals or youngsters.

The contentious issue of radiographs may also be a contributory factor to the average returns, with a set of x-rays providing a comfort blanket for buyers at the upper end of the market.

The phrase ‘I felt braver because he/she had a clean set of x-rays’ has become noticeably more frequent and, while the sales companies encourage vendors to make radiographs available for inspection, understandably not all choose to do so and, in fairness, there were plenty of good returns for those without them.

Overall 2024 sale-topper

Somewhat unusually, the year’s highest priced horse at auction fell to a traditionally-bred four-year-old gelding by the Irish Sport Horse sire Cruising With Diamonds. Sold at the Goresbridge Go For Gold sale in November, and heading tables dominated by continental bloodlines, Diarmuid and Virginia Considine’s grey was bred by Michael Murphy out of a point-to point winning mare by Insatiable.

Like many of Considine’s stock, he had been sourced as a foal, and had been quietly produced through the training ranks. In a magical piece of pre-sale marketing, he was showcased on video by the vendor’s 12-year-old son Timmy and this undoubtedly boosted his appeal.

As a result, it came as no surprise to see the bids rise rapidly up the scale until the hammer finally dropped to a UK ‘cash’ customer at €57,000.