Fireworks expected for MBF Celtic Claddagh

THIS year’s Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale offers purchasers the rare opportunity to buy a Dublin champion, MBF Celtic Claddagh, who is being consigned as Lot 19 by Brian Flynn and Meabh Bolger of Co Waterford-based MBF Sporthorses.

It was at Barnadown that MBF Celtic Claddagh qualified for Dublin where, on finals day, judges Andrew Saywell and Adrian Marsh awarded the Irish Sport Horse top marks in the Mo Chroi four-year-old championship much to the delight of Bolger who was making her debut in the famed arena. The chesnut is by the Zangersheide stallion Celtic Hero BZ out of a Radolin mare.

Among other four-year-old geldings being consigned by Flynn and Bolger, or in partnership with others, are the British Sport Horse MBF Handyman (Lot 9), who is by Ramiro B out of a Royaldik mare who comes from the family of Tactic 4 (CCI4*), Westwinds Eclipse (CCI3*), etc; the Dutch Warmblood bay MBF Major Lazer K (Lot 15), a bay by Emir R from the family of Lux Z (Olympics and sire) and Mahon Point (CSI4*); and MBF Firebrand (Lot 23) who is a Tyson (KWPN) half-brother to the Cobra mare Cobra Khan (1.30m).

The first five-year-old gelding to come under the hammer will be the Barnadown-based All Socks (Lot 4), Maurice Cousins’s flashy home-bred chesnut by Tullabeg Fusion who has been jumping up to 1.10m level (25 SJI points) and was placed in one of his two EI100 starts; Noel Ryan is selling RVS Cupid (Lot 6), a chesnut by Quidam Junior I (KWPN) from the family of Calover (CSI5*) and Cooley Ramiro (CCI5*-L); while Michael Moran is offering Hashtag Verified (Lot 7), a Dignified van’t Zorgvliet grey out of a half-sister to Shannondale Macalla (CSI3*).

Among the four-year-old geldings not mentioned elsewhere are the Thomas Quigley-consigned Carrickview Charisma (Lot 10), who is out of a Cavalier Royale mare and is the sole entry in the sale by the Dutch Warmblood Singular LS La Silla; Richard Losty’s Mister Morandi (Lot 13), who is by the thoroughbred Island Commander, out of a Colourfield mare, and was seventh in the four-year-old final of the RDS young horse championship; the Beechfield Stables-consigned Greenacres Pino (Lot 14), who is by the Dutch Warmblood Pino out of a Cavalier Royale full-sister to Greenacres Special Cavalier (CCI4*-S); Michael Ryan’s home-bred Drombane Lord (Lot 18), a son of the Selle Français stallion Harlequin du Carel out of a Kings Master mare who is a half-sister to Highland Cavalier (CIC3*) and has three produce jumping at 1.20m and over; and Brian Daly’s Lot 22, an unnamed chesnut by the Hanoverian Newmarket Venture out of the traditionally bred Dirreen Bridge.