British foals impress as prices disappoint
The colt foal Profile won the Amlin Plus Best British Dressage foal for his breeder Claire Skinner at the Brightwells Summer Gala Show.
This self-assured colt is by the Meadow Stud’s competing stallion Pro-Set, who, aged seven, is already an international small tour winner with Carl Hester. Profile is the fifth foal out of Polinda, a Dutch-bred mare by Don Primaire, and his full sister Prolinda was reserve last year.
“Profile is a super foal. He has everything — type, movement and presence; he would stand his own in any company,” said Sandra Biddlecombe, who judged the eight classes with Bernd Richter. “Polinda must be a wonderful mare. She and Pro-Set obviously make a great combination.”
Anne Gibbins from Cardiff produced the reserve with top filly Diamonique, a super stamp of a foal by popular German sire De Niro out of Madonna, who is by Matcho.
Diamonique went on to gain the top price of £7,000 in the evening auction. She was the exception, as just five of the 23 foals forward attracted new owners from the few bidders, the other four going for £3,000 or less.
Even the champion, who could not have shown himself better, could only draw a bid of £2,500 and was taken home. His full sister made £6,200 last year.
Skinner was just one of the disappointed breeders: “While you can’t take away his win, it is disappointing for British breeders to have so little support. There is no point in bemoaning the lack of British-bred horses if people are not prepared to buy them for realistic prices — £3,000 is not realistic.”
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Ted Green, chairman of the British Hanoverian Society, was another to take his foal home.
“These are supposedly the best foals in the UK, and it was extremely disheartening for all the breeders who have invested in top mares and stallions that so few buyers were forthcoming,” he said.
Foal auction results
Diamonique (brown filly, De Niro-Matcho) £7,000
Millrace Demelza (bay filly, De Niro-Weissmann) £ 3,000
Rupert Darling (chesnut colt, Libro-Rubicund) £ 3,000
Renkum Valhallah (black filly, Renkum Valentino-Funke) £ 2,600
Wolken (chesnut colt, Wolkentanzer-Don Primero) £ 2,500
Read this report in full, including the results of the auction for ridden horses and broodmares, in the current issue of Horse & Hound (8 September, ’05)
