AS was the case last November, there is a Dublin Horse Show champion among them 90 lots entered in this year’s Go For Gold Sale but this time it’s a three-year-old (one of 63 catalogued), a filly (one of 18 listed) and a grey (one of 13 entered) namely John Bannon’s RDS potential event horse champion, Take Your Chance (Lot 38).

Co Meath-based Bannon had to travel to Newcastle West to qualify for Dublin but his efforts proved well worthwhile when his filly topped the final line-up of British international event rider Hayden Hankey following her performance in the intense atmosphere of the RDS showgrounds in August. After the class, Hankey described the filly as “the one I would most like to ride and with a future as a top event horse.”

Take Your Chance, who is the only lot in the sale by the Dutch Warmblood stallion Orestus, is out of the Cavalier Royale mare Shannondale Silver, dam previously of the lightly campaigned 2016 Orestus mare BDE Olympic Royale (CCI2*-S).

Another three-year-old grey filly of note is Higgins Sporthorses’ Calypso BW (Lot 50) who is a Cornet Obolensky half-sister to the Diamant de Semilly mare Denny Love Della Caccia (CSI3*). Their dam, the Holstein mare Wonik Della Caccia (by Loran), who is a half-sister to Quac (CSI3*), comes from the family of such top jumpers as Clintus (CSI5*), Levisto Z (CSI5*), etc.

By his own traditionally bred ISH stallion BGS Ocean View out of the Lux Z mare Ballygrangans Lux, Paddy Byrne will be represented by the broken and riding home-bred BGS Saphire (Lot 72), a grey half-sister to the Power Blade gelding BGS Twin Peaks (CCI3*-S). This is also the family of BGS Firecracker (CCI4*-S), Ballygrangans Courage (CSI3*), etc.

Monbeg Sport Horses consign CFH Monbeg Eezy (Lot 84), a grey daughter of Obrigado van Overis out of the traditionally bred Cruising mare Toome Cruising Eezy who comes from the family of True Grit (CSI4*).

Strong families

The first three-year-old due to come under the hammer is Maria Griffin’s bay Lagans OBOS Quality filly Lislee Honey (Lot 28), who is out of the traditionally bred Kasmayo mare Lislee Beauty; Joanne Curtin consigns the HHS Cornet filly CFH Cornet Vivendi (Lot 57) who, being out of the Ars Vivendi mare Ars Vivenda Lady, is a half-sister to the Querlybet gelding Vivendi Hero (CCI3*S) and comes from the family of Greenhall Jay (CCI4*-S).

Another filly by the Cornet Obolensky stallion HHS Cornet in the catalogue is MBF Sport Horses’ Balief MBF (Lot 66), a black-pointed bay out of an Aldato full-sister to Celta Vigo (CSI3*) from the family of Raphael (CCI4*-L). In partnership with Higgins Sporthorses, MBF Sport Horses offer MBF Brisbane (Lot 80), a bay daughter of Olympic Lux from the family of Woodcourt Garrison (CCIO4*-NC-S), Liscarow Neptune (CSI3*), etc.

The final filly in the sale is Stephen Kelliher’s home-bred Caraghs Miss Venture (Lot 89), a Newmarket Venture bay out of the Limmerick mare See The Light who is dam previously of the OBOS Quality 004 mare Caraghs Quality Lady (CSI5*). This is also the family of Loughnavatta Cedar (CSI4*), Mount Panther (CCI4*-S), etc.