SETTING the sale ring alight on Wednesday afternoon, an imported four-year-old was the stand out lot at Goresbridge this week where he topped the three-day edition at an impressive €33,000.

Consigned by Higgins Sport Horses, the son of Henkie was the obvious eye-catcher on day two, but there were plenty more (27) in the five-figure category which was mirrored in the overall returns. At the close of play, the results bettered the past two years by a distance with the averages well up in the four-year-old and older divisions.

Looking at the statistics, the former group delivered an average of €7,488 (€6,738 in 2022) while the clearance also increased to 74% from 72%. Buyers appeared a little more cautious for the older stock where 69% (76%) changed hands but this was offset by a notable hike in average to €7,753 (€6,558 in 2022). In a marked change from 12 months ago, the trade for three-year-olds was steady and closed with a rewarding clearance of 75% (51%) together with an average of €4,283 (€4,616).

The online market was particularly active, accounting for 44 sales overall, and influential in many others.

Reflecting on the three days trading, Goresbridge’s Mary Frances Donohoe commented: “We were obviously delighted to see the averages and clearances increase on last year’s edition with so many countries represented again both ringside and online.”

Sale-topper

At a heady €33,000 Jason Higgins’ sale-topper (Lot 267) was the subject of a lively exchange, and while there were two determined bidders at ringside, neither could match the Stateside challenge of the successful online buyer Rich Fellers.

The American show jumper, who is a previous customer at both Goresbridge and the Go For Gold sale, had seen the video footage online and later disclosed he was buying on behalf of an amateur client. The beautifully produced gelding was sourced unbroken in Holland about six months ago and, by the dressage and show jumping sire Henkie is out of Walk On Top (Idocus).

In the interim he was broken in by Higgins’ ‘right hand man’ Thomas O’Leary, but it was a close call whether he would be ready by time of sale. “We nearly didn’t enter him, but he’s come so quickly and has such a good temperament we kicked on,” said Higgins. “He’s a real beauty, and should have a good future.”

Older horses

Picking up momentum as the day progressed, the opening session of older stock produced a raft of significant returns. At €24,000, James Connors Smyth’s AF With Class was the most notable head turner, but it was also rewarding to see another closing at €20,000 and a further 11 achieving five-figure returns.

Demand was at its most competitive for horses with form, and among these was AFS With Class (Lot 170), a nine-year-old mare by Classe VDL out of AFS Juno (Puissance). Bred by MJ Kavanagh in Co Wexford, and sold to dissolve a partnership, the mare carried a very smart jumping record, and having competed in classes up to 1.30m, had been campaigned by the vendor as well as by Paddy Reape and Eamon Byrne.

“She’s the most super mare and I would have loved to have kept her,” explained Smyth. “But unfortunately, I’m not in the position to have bought her outright.” The return will however be a boost for the talented young show jumper who has recently returned to Ireland following a spell in Yorkshire with Richard Howley. He has now set up on his own at the original Connors’ homeplace at Pallas Stud in Woodstown, Co Waterford, which in former years was the source of many a good performer.

Having battled hard all day, and missing out on several earlier lots, the successful buyer was Carron Nicol (European Sport Horses). Based in Stratford Upon Avon in Warwickshire, Nicol competes herself, but now shares the rides with her eldest son Leo Lamb. “I had watched the videos, and then really liked her performance today,” she said afterwards. “Her record is super. Trade in England at the moment has quietened a bit, and we are governed by the vets, so this one we will probably keep and compete for a while.”

Much earlier in the session, William Dalton’s Tyson’s Pride (Lot 52) set the ball rolling when she changed hands for €20,000. A pre-sale catalogue pick, the six-year-old had clocked up 43 SJI points under Ben Crawford and, by Tyson out of Captain Pride (Captain Clover) is a half-sister to the Jessica Burke-ridden international performer Kashino (1.45m).

Bred by Jackie Lee, and sourced by her owner as a three-year-old, she was put on the market at €12,500 before the hammer finally dropped in favour of Co Meath show jumper Karen Healy. “I would have always put that value on her,” said Dalton afterwards. “But you never know till you get it!” Healy, meanwhile was delighted, as was her father Frank, who later disclosed that he was the breeder and early producer of the legendary British show jumper The Maverick who, as a Hickstead Derby winner with Alison Dawes (Westwood) was a regular Nations Cup performer back in the 1970s.

Twelve months ago, top English-based equine chiropractor Mark Windsor featured among the sale-topping buyers, and he repeated the feat by snapping up Keith Wilson’s attractive son of Cornet Obolensky (Lot 131) for €15,500. Windsor had to battle hard for the six-year-old gelding, and moving up in increments of €500, eventually saw off a strong challenge from Carron Nicol. The winner of 12 SJI points under Catherine Thornton, the smartly bred grey is a half-brother to Max Kuhner’s top performer Cooley Jump The Que (1.60m) and will now be campaigned by Windsor’s partner Cath Evans.

Four-year-olds

Sale-topper aside, Thursday trade saw a further 12 horses smash the €10,000 barrier and, next in line at €17,000 was Gabriel Slattery’s unnamed gelding (Lot 288) by Castlelawn Captain Junior. Another to be sourced from breeder Jackie Lee and well showcased on the day by Tadgh McKiernan, he is out of Kinlough Cruise by the influential Courage.

Bids bounced around the ring for this smart sort, but once on the market at €13,000 it was Scottish event buyer Tom Clarke who finally saw off Robert Stronge at €17,000. Clarke had also been busy earlier in the day when at €13,000, he accounted for Johanna Kennedy’s KEC Pikko (Lot 235) by Vivant Van de Heffinck in a private sale.

Another customer from Scotland was event rider Kirsty Hogg, and while she was not at the sale in person, she did well online when snapping up Jim Power’s Glountane Cobra D (Lot 305) for €16,000. Although they were not the vendors, Jason Higgins and Thomas O’Leary’s names appear again as the producers of this eye-catching individual who, bred by Timothy Brosnan, is by Cobra 18 out of Arko D (Arko 111).

Much earlier in the proceedings, Geraldine McMahon’s GGS Lux Quality (Lot 193) was added to the sizeable haul of Carron Nicol’s European Sport Horses. One of a final total of nine lots heading to her Warwickshire base, Nicol had to go to €15,000 for this son of Lagans OBOS Quality who, bred by John Lowry and sourced as a foal, had recently won the AIRC national hunter trial championship for young horses.

Another two lots closed at €13,000 and first up was Jackson (Lot 241), a smart gelding owned by producers Debbie Flavin and Niall Redmond. The Tullow-based couple usually have horses for clients, so it was good to see them do well with their own offering who, bought last year, was secured by Jim Derwin.

The second of the €13,000 duo was another from the Higgins’ Sport Horse consignment, this time in conjunction with MBF Sport Horses. A big grey (Lot 303) by Dignified Van’t Zorgvliet, he was bred by Muriel Kehoe and sourced from her sister Mary last year. Event rider and owner Annie Kirkham was in a rush to the airport, but she just managed to stay on site to successfully secure her purchase.

Three-year-olds

The age group opened slowly, but it soon became evident that vendors were showing a real intent to sell. Most of the figures hovered around the €5,000 mark but right at the close of play, two of the final lots returned at five figures. At €11,400 the first of the duo was Liam O’Meara’s smartly related gelding CSF Corey (Lot 413) who, bought from breeder Patrick Connolly as a foal, was knocked down to Askeaton show jumper Robyn Moran. “I liked the video on line, and liked him again when I saw him here,” said Moran of the son of Cohinoor. “He has a half-brother jumping (CSF Keatingstown Blue Lagoon) who has a lot of scope and I hope to produce this one as a four-year-old.”

Finally, and selling from the supplementary sheet, Declan McGarry’s aptly named Air Dance (Lot 436) changed hands for the day’s best price of €12,800. Bought as a foal from the Glenamaddy sale, the filly was by Ganesh Hero Z out of Air Bourne (Kannan). Event rider Lawrence Hunt signed the docket on behalf of owner JD Miles, commenting afterwards, “I loved the blood, the movement and the model.”

Ponies

The pony trade was on the steady side, but it did produce a very worthy sale-topper in Ivor Broderick’s KMS Kiltormer (Lot 36). Realising the top price €10,800 from English buyer Fiona Wingrove, the six-year-old gelding had been hunting with the East Galway under the vendor’s son Josh, and in recent weeks had been produced for sale by Ralph Conroy and Oisin McDonagh.