Record price at Irish auction
A two-year-old Irish-bred colt with a top show jumping pedigree sold for a record sum at Ireland’s first SCOPE auction of showjumping, dressage, and eventing prospects.
Ulysses M2S — by Ekstein out of the KWPN “keur” mare Gudrun (Voltaire x Le Mexico x Marco Polo) — reached 67,000 euro in the ring, but the bid was not sufficient for Thomas Reed of the Morningside Stud to part with this magnificent prospect and the colt left the ring unsold.
However, Thomas later accepted an offer of 67,500 euro from Irish rider Denis Flannelly, on behalf of an American client, based on the agreement that Ulysses M2S will be competed for Ireland and will be presented for stallion approval this autumn.
Paul Larkin, the runner-up in the bidding, says: “I am delighted for Denis and his American owner but I am very disappointed that I missed out on this terrific young stallion. I would have broken him this year and sold him to America next year as a three-year-old.”
Although less dramatic, the foal auction was also successful with the eight of the 15 foals on offer sold. The highest price of 9,500 euro was earned by Lassban Sport Horses’ colt Lassban Radison (Radolin x Rame Z).
Dr Thomas Reed, managing director of SCOPE Auction Ltd, was pleased with the results. “We had buyers present from the USA, Great Britain, Italy, Holland, and Belgium as well as receiving very good participation by telephone from the USA. All the new owners received outstanding young horses at exceptional value,” he says.
About SCOPE
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All horses included in SCOPE auctions must be born in Ireland and pass a strict selection process that includes a veterinary examination and, in the case of all horses except foals, x-rays, using the same criteria as the Hanoverian Verband and Danish Warmblood stallion inspection committees.
The next SCOPE elite auction is scheduled for 4 November and will feature foals, three-year-old loose-jumpers, and four- and five-year-olds under saddle.
Further information and the full results are available at: www.scope-auction.com
Carol is an experienced journalist and editor, who is also a passionate amateur rider and dedicated horse owner, having ridden since childhood. She has a particular interest in the emotional well-being and ethical training of horses, alongside veterinary matters, having garnered extensive first-hand experience of numerous equine health conditions through more than 30 years of horse ownership.