Caitriona Murphy
A top price of £26,000 (€32,760) was paid for an Irish-bred and produced horse at last weekend’s Blenheim Event Horse Auction.
The sale, organised by Brightwells Auctioneers and the first elite event horse auction to be held in Britain, was run in conjunction with the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials.
With an average price of £13,900 (€17,514 paid for the 12 horses sold at the sale, quality four-year-old horses were most in demand and the top three horses sold for more than £20,000 each.
Co Limerick producer D.J. O’Sullivan sold the top-priced horse of the sale, Kiltair OBOS, on behalf of the horse’s joint owners Jackie Moloney and Anthony O’Regan.
The four-year-old son of OBOS Quality proved popular in the pre-sale viewing and was trial-ridden by several prospective buyers but at the auction was secured by J.P. Sheffield on behalf of Mrs S. Wilkinson.
Bred by John Costello in Co Kerry, the bay gelding was out of the Irish Sport Horse mare Photo Finish, herself by Hallodri (ATA). Placed second the Future Event Horse League qualifier at Scarteen earlier this year, the bay also competed at Tattersalls as a schooling run ahead of the Dublin Horse Show.
However a minor virus prevented the horse from competing in Dublin and instead he competed at Millstreet where he jumped clear under O’Regan.
“We were very happy,” O’Sullivan told The Irish Field. “We would certainly go back again next year if the sale runs again. It’s another outlet for our horses. We already have the Go for Gold sale and the Monart sale which are both good but you can never have enough outlets for these horses.”
“The sale itself was very busy, a lot of people were there to watch an auction sale but it was busy up at the stable too, you had top riders like William Fox-Pitt, Andrew Nicholson and Andrew Hoy there trying out horses.”
O’Sullivan also sold a horse of his own at the sale. Butlers Venture, a four-year-old gelding by Newmarket Venture was knocked down for £11,000 to event rider Oliver Townend.
The second highest price of £24,000 was for an impressive four-year-old mare by the VDL stallion Azteca, a son of Indoctro. The mare was produced by Irish show jumper Padraig McCarthy and event rider Lucy Weigersma, who jointly run MGH Horses at Warren Farm in Devon, England.
The third highest price was paid for a German horse from the Berger Stables, who are regular vendors at the Addington elite show jumping and dressage auctions. Corraldik, their four-year-old son of Corrado I, out of a Heraldik mare sold for £20,000.
Speaking after the auction, Rochard Botterill said: “The first ever Blenheim Sale has been a learning curve not only for Brightwells but the vendors and prospective purchasers. The support from the event riders and owners has been amazing and the sale now has the opportunity to go forward and provide a vibrant market for quality young horses.”
It is understood that plans are already underway for a repeat of the sale at Blenheim in 2015, although the focus for next year is expected to be more on young horses than older, proven performers.