Joanne Fox

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There were increases all around at last Wednesday’s Goresbridge Go For Gold sale with a new top price of €65,000, an increase in average to €16,266 (from €15,688) and a clearance rate of 63% (from 61%).

Contributing to the aggregate of €666,900 were purchasers from six different countries, including a good number from the United States who travelled with a lot of support. All were impressed with the showcasing facilities on offer at Barnadown Showjumping, as they were with the locally-sourced dinner served to around 400 people in the Amber Springs Hotel on Wednesday evening.

The sale quickly sprang into life when the very first lot, Silvia Hofstteter’s seven-year-old gelding Sacramento, which has competed at intermediate level, was knocked down to Daniel O’Hara of the United States for €65,000. By the Westphalian warmblood stallion Passion, the grey is out of a Candle King mare which was out of a Santa’s Sleigh mare. He was bred outside New Ross by Alva Power.

The Czech equestrian team purchased three geldings, giving their top price of €46,000 for Reenmore Alfie which had been well produced through the year by D.J. O’Sullivan. The four-year-old liver chesnut, which was consigned by his Co Kerry breeder, Maura Crowley, is by the Branderburg stallion Quicksilber, out of a Harlequin du Carel mare.

The top-priced mare, Shanbo Skylark, was consigned by Mark Cleary whose mother, Frances, bred the bay at the family’s The Old Rectory stud in Enniscorthy.

The five-year-old daughter of the deceased thoroughbred Master Imp has show jumped and evented successfully and, out of the Kildalton King mare Shanbo Happisfied, is a full-sister to Shanbo Queen B, winner of the CCI* at Ballindenisk in September. She was purchased for €39,000 by Sarah Wildasin, an American owner, with Michael and Patricia Ryan, although the bidding was conducted by Goresbridge’s Martin Donohoe who took instructions on his mobile.

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A delighted Colina Pickles had the final say at €35,000 for Kathy Charlton’s Shes All Class, a well-named four-year-old by the Oldenburg stallion OBOS Quality 004 out of a Fast Frigate mare. The Stratford-On-Avon event rider had seen the bay mare, bred in Co Kilkenny by Maurice O’Brien, during the summer and was determined to buy her.

Auctioneer Ed Donohoe had to work hard to achieve the same amount for John Flynn’s Moycullen Falcon, a five-year-old by the Holsteiner Cobra and bred by Conor Curtin out of a Selle Francais mare. Bidding on the bay gelding stuck at €20,000 and again at €25,000. At that stage, he was put on the market and was eventually knocked down for €35,000 to American international rider Susie Beale.

Fiona Sheridan, equestrian manager at the RDS, signed the €21,500 docket for the top-priced three-year-old, Tynan Echo. Consigned locally by Shane Nolan, this gelding by the Dutch Warmblood stallion Womanizer out of a Cavalier Royale mare, was bred in Co Armagh by Marshall Jenkinson. A show jumping career looks likely for the dark grey.

The next lot to come under the hammer was Liam Kennedy’s unnamed brown gelding by OBOS Quality, which was heading to England having been purchased for €21,000 by Matthew Heath. He will probably event in a couple of years’ time but will first do some show jumping and novice working hunter classes.

Disappointingly, a few horses were presented with veterinary certificates citing respiratory problems, while there were issues with the x-rays of others. Having certs and x-rays on-hand for the selection days might be a solution to the problem but, as they would have to be done again nearer the sale, it would be an expensive one.