Last week’s lively performance sale at Cavan crowned a very solid year’s trading at the venue and aptly concluded by delivering the best figures seen for over a decade.

The one-day renewal was headed by a proven show jumper at €30,000 but more importantly was supported by a further fifteen, five-figure returns.

These emerged from all sectors, including the ponies, and resulted in an average of €6,228 (€3,987 in 2020) together with a good clearance of 76% (62%).

Sale Topper

European Cruise is a well-known performer on the home jumping circuit, and with Robyn Moran in the saddle, the eleven-year-old son of Cruising has racked up 87 individual wins in the past three years. Not over big and ideal for a young rider, he has a career total of 864 SJI points – a record which appealed to successful buyer Colm McGrath.

The Co Longford man later revealed that he was purchasing the gelding for his daughter Ciara, who at fourteen-years-old is well established in the pony ranks.

“I hope he will be half as lucky for us as he was for the Moran family,” he said of the gelding who was bred by Clement Stapleton, and sourced from Paddy Sweeney some three years ago.

Older Stock

Good prices came thick and fast in this sector, and despite intense competition from the commercial buyers, most of those sold are heading to private homes.

Sale-topper aside, the division was headed at €17,500 by Keith Wilson’s five-year-old gelding HTS Jensen R by Tolan R, dam by Rhyne Clover.

Sourced unbroken from his breeder Brian Kieran a few months ago, he was knocked down to the telephone bid of Co Wicklow-based event rider Heidi Hamilton.

At €13,000 Kenneth Graham’s Tullabeg George was another standout. This six-year-old by Dignified van’t Zorgvliet out of Tullabeg Hero (Cult Hero) has clocked up 83 SJI points and was knocked down to UK based Gaynor Wheeler.

Ponies

Indications that the day was going to be a good one came early in the proceedings, when the pony session reaped three further returns in excess of €10,000. Ponies of all heights were in demand, and none more so than Seamus Killoran’s 148cm Connemara gelding Lincoln Rowan at €15,500.

A winner of 6 SJI points and competitive experience in other disciplines, the five-year-old is by Murvey Ronan out of Ding Dong (Drimcong Cove). Regular buyer and trader Laura Geraghty signed for this individual, while fellow commercial buyer Tiernan Gray accounted for Kathryn Lynch’s The Real Clover a six-year-old 138cms gelding by Moores Clover. Another with proven show jumping form, the chesnut had also hunted with the Duhallow foxhounds.

Good prices came thick and fast throughout the morning and a few lots later, the nine-year-year old Allandra Frankie (by Killea Island) looked well bought at €11,000. Travelling to Cavan from Cork in the hands of pony racing jockey Dylan O’Connor, this lot was secured by first time UK visitor Tom Cunningham.

Four-year-olds

At €11,000, the best of the 12 four-year-olds to change hands was James O’Reilly’s unnamed gelding by Je T’Aime Flamenco out of Huntingdale by Cruising. Bred by Vincent Burton, he is now set for a career in the show ring with successful buyer Hallie Crowe. A further four made in excess of €10,000.

Three-year-olds

Trade stuttered a little in the final sector, but one who did achieve at €14,400 was Donal O’Connor and Stephen Howley’s unnamed gelding by the ever-popular Sligo Candy Boy.

A three-parts brother to the 1.60m jumper Sligo Hard Times, he was out of the imported mare, Aishling Grannus (Grannus) and secured online by British event horse owner David Miles.