A large crowd attended Saturday’s first edition of the breeders select foal sale in Mullingar Equestrian Centre. All but three of the 55 lots catalogued met their engagement, 22 of them changing hands by day’s end.The sale was run by the Mayo Roscommon Breeders Group. There was a huge voluntary effort from the group ahead of the sale and for the five selection days.
A large crowd attended Saturday’s first edition of the breeders select foal sale in Mullingar Equestrian Centre. All but three of the 55 lots catalogued met their engagement, 22 of them changing hands by day’s end.
The sale was run by the Mayo Roscommon Breeders Group. There was a huge voluntary effort from the group ahead of the sale and for the five selection days.
All foals were assessed and selected by a panel of Jack Doyle, Liz Freeman, Dean Rogan and Joe O’Brien using the Horse Sport Ireland linear scoring system. Whether selected or not, the scores of all foals were sent out to their breeders.
Billed as ‘a foal sale for the breeders by the breeders’, the catalogue divided foals into eventers, show jumpers and Irish Draughts. While one can understand the desire of the group’s Draught breeders to have such foals in the sale, it would have been a better idea to group them together at the beginning of the sale as momentum was lost when the breed and types changed.
The stallion parade ahead of the sale proved popular with both breeders and spectators. The parade included international stallions such as Brian O’Malley’s Hillcoote Border Fox, a five-year-old by Pacino. He travelled over on Saturday morning from England, where he is competing with Tim Page, and went back again that evening.
Full details about the Mayo Roscommon Breeders Group, their strategy document and rearing contract (see below) can be found on their website.
TOP LOT
The highest price achieved was €6,000, which Brendan Doyle gave for the sole Indoctro foal in the sale. Bidding opened at €2,000 for the bay filly consigned by Patrick Connolly. She is registered as CSF Ivana and is out of the Ars Vivendi mare CSF Princess Ida, a half-sister to the Picasso Z gelding Paddy’s Dream Z (CSI3*). The pair are out of the Darco mare Prinses, a full-sister to AK Quinten (CSI5*).
Doyle was acting on behalf of a Swedish client, Martin Linell, for whom he also purchased Co Mayo breeder Brian Finan’s Deelside Royale Rocky (Lot 13) for €5,000. The flashy bay colt is by Fast And Furious Second Life Z out of the 2012 Chacco Blue mare Creevyquinn Sapphire.
“Martin has a half-sister to the dam by Cardento which was why he was keen to buy this fellow,” revealed Doyle.
CONTRACT REARING INITIATIVE
The top-priced eventing foal was Eamon Kenny’s Olympic Lux colt (Lot 5) who is registered as Olympic Diamond Lux. The Co Laois-foaled bay is another bound for export, having been purchased for €5,000 by Belgium’s Lieven Tsjoen.
However, the new owner is leaving the colt in Ireland under the group’s contract rearing initiative where foals can be kept at the Clooncalagy Stud in Co Roscommon where a three-year plan is in place for them.
“What attracted me to this foal was his pedigree,” said Tsjoen. He is a half-brother to the Dassett gelding Dassett Courage (CCI3*), the Errigal Flight gelding Kennysflight (CSI4*) and the Courage II gelding Courageous (CSI3*). All are out of the mare Crusings Girl.
Sold as a show jumping foal, eventing is also an option for Armagh breeder Carol Armstrong’s colt by Womanizer out of the Cavalier Royale mare Cornascriebe Royale (Lot 25). The grey is a full-brother to Cornascriebe Glenpatrick (CCI1*) who topped the 2016 Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale when making €160,000.
The foal was purchased for €4,400 by Wexford show jumper Caitriona Redmond who was probably more interested in the fact that his dam is a half-sister to WKD Temptation (CSI2*) and comes from the family of Royal Athlete and MHS Going Global.
Michael Callery’s bay colt by Cavalier Royale (Lot 44) was led out unsold at €7,500.
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SHARING OPTIONS: