British rider spends €59,000 on top lot at Goresbridge Go for Gold sale
It was a Who’s Who of the eventing scene as a host of top riders gathered for this year’s Go for Gold select event horse sale in Gorey, Ireland (12-13 November). Michael Jung, Oliver Townend, Izzy Taylor and Sam Watson were among the 500-odd people attending the auction.
An unnamed three-year-old by OBOS Quality 004 topped the sale at €59,000 (£51,000) and is bound for Britain, having been bought by Sam Ecroyd. The bay gelding combines the jumping prowess of his sire with plenty of thoroughbred blood, via his damsire, the top event stallion Ghareeb.
OBOS Quality offspring were the order of the day — he had seven selected for the sale, although the others proved less popular with buyers.
While this ninth renewal of the sale lacked the show-stopper of last year, when Gurtera Mattie Clover made €130,000, many more horses made their reserve price than in 2017. The overall average of the 48 horses sold was around €20,000, and six going for over €40,000.
Three of the older horses — four- five- and six-year-olds — shared top lot in this category, selling for €40,000 each. Boleybawn Freedom (Dignified Van’t Zorgvliet x Courage II) wowed Monday morning’s crowd at Barnadown Showjumping in Co. Wexford, with his flatwork and showjumping display. His maternal granddam is international showjumper Ardenteggle Flight (by Errigal Flight), and he looks to have inherited that scope. The five-year-old bay gelding will stay in Ireland, with World Equestrian Games team silver medallist Cathal Daniels.
Two four-year-olds joined Boleybawn Freedom on €40,000: a bay filly Kiltubrid Candy (Sligo Candy Boy x Lombardo) and Ballymoyle Pilot, a chestnut gelding by Pappenheimer x Nearly A Nose.
Kiltubrid Candy — whose three-year-old full-brother Kiltubrid Danny later sold for just €16,000 — went to Berkshire-based Italian rider Stella Benatti.
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Oliver Townend went home with two whom he will be hoping might emulate his Go for Gold graduate Cooley SRS, runner-up at Badminton this year. Together with Richard Sheane, Oliver paid €45,000 for third-top lot, three-year-old Kilnamac Croga (Courage II x Cruising), a delightful dark grey whose loose-jumping display mirrored his impeccable breeding.
Oliver also bought an unnamed three-year-old by Samgemjee x OBOS Quality 004, with his favoured Ramiro B lines in the sire line, for €15,000.
Continues below…
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6 of the most expensive horses sold this year (with price tags that will make you weep)
This year some horses swapped hands for some serious money. Here we round up the top lots at some of
Meanwhile Emily King looks to have a cracker on her hands in MBF All In Time (Emperor Augustus x Ballintogher Leo), a four-year-old who went under the hammer for €30,000.
There were bargains to be had, too. Donal Barnwell scooped up four, with an average price of €11,375. And Michael Jung purchased one of the second cheapest horses of the night, Royal Trend, a three-year-old filly by Future Trend x Cult Hero. Michael, still sporting a sling from breaking his shoulder at Le Lion last month, also bought Kilcandra Ocean Power (BGS Ocean Wave x Bonnie Prince) for €19,000.
Goresbridge Go for Gold 2018 sale results
| 1 | MBF Hats Off | Gelding | 6 | Valentine Tourres | 27,000 |
| 2 | Dario Fo | Gelding | 6 | Miranda Loffet | 10,000 |
| 3 | Ballyshan MBF Flash | Gelding | 6 | Cormac Kennedy | 15,000 |
| 5 | Boleybawn Freedom | Gelding | 6 | Caithal Daniel | 40,000 |
| 6 | Stonehaven Penhills Cobra | Gelding | 5 | Row 4 - Cell 4 | N/S |
| 7 | EPA Murray | Gelding | 5 | Helen White | 24,000 |
| 9 | Kilcandra Ocean Power | Gelding | 5 | Michael Jung | 19,000 |
| 11 | Row 7 - Cell 1 | Row 7 - Cell 2 | Row 7 - Cell 3 | Row 7 - Cell 4 | W/D |
| 12 | Ougtherard Royale | Mare | 5 | PJ Martin Ltd | 16,500 |
| 14 | Marinas Olivia | Mare | 5 | James Turner | 13,000 |
| 15 | Cruise Billerough | Gelding | 4 | Row 10 - Cell 4 | N/S |
| 16 | Kilcannon Dude | Gelding | 4 | Samantha Wilson | 35,000 |
| 17 | Ballyneety No Rocket | Gelding | 4 | Sam Watson | 25,000 |
| 18 | Ken Black | Gelding | 4 | Row 13 - Cell 4 | N/S |
| 19 | MBF All In Time | Gelding | 4 | Emily King | 30,000 |
| 20 | D Millo Express | Gelding | 4 | Row 15 - Cell 4 | N/S |
| 21 | Emerald Emoe | Filly | 4 | Miranda Loffet | 22,000 |
| 22 | Beechfields Nadal | Gelding | 4 | David Mitson | 14,000 |
| 23 | Grantstown Class | Gelding | 4 | Donal Barnwell | 8,000 |
| 24 | Kiltubrid Candy | Filly | 4 | Stella Benatti | 40,000 |
| 25 | Barretstown Wow | Gelding | 4 | Donal Barnwell | 15,000 |
| 26 | Saunderscourt Furisto | Gelding | 4 | Donal Barnwell | 10,000 |
| 27 | Unnamed | Gelding | 4 | Row 22 - Cell 4 | N/S |
| 28 | Unnamed | Gelding | 4 | Donal Barnwell | 12,500 |
| 30 | Row 24 - Cell 1 | Row 24 - Cell 2 | Row 24 - Cell 3 | Row 24 - Cell 4 | N/S |
| 31 | The Ridge Cavalier | Gelding | 4 | Cormac Kennedy | 26,000 |
| 32 | Ballymoyle Pilot | Gelding | 4 | Debbie Davies | 40,000 |
| 33 | Unnamed | Filly | 4 | George Anderson | 23,000 |
| 34 | Camross Cruise | Gelding | 4 | Sam Ecroyd | 11,000 |
| 35 | Shanroe Peeters | Gelding | 4 | Sterrebeek Equestrian Farm | 28,000 |
| 36 | Kind Carel | Gelding | 4 | Row 30 - Cell 4 | N/S |
| 37 | Kilnamac Croga | Gedling | 3 | Richard Sheane/Oliver Townend | 45,000 |
| 38 | Unnamed | Gelding | 3 | Sam Ecroyd | 59,000 |
| 39 | MBF Bite The Bullet | Gedling | 3 | GHF Equestrian | 17,000 |
| 40 | Kilpatrick Treasure One | Colt | 3 | John Bannon | 8,000 |
| 41 | Ballynoecastle Q | Gelding | 3 | Ibby Macpherson | 18,000 |
| 42 | Hereabouts | Gelding | 3 | D. Morton | 17,000 |
| 43 | FMSH Highway | Gelding | 3 | Trusted Accounts Ltd | 46,000 |
| 44 | Greannanstown Soolmoy Royal | Gelding | 3 | David Mitson | 17,000 |
| 45 | Unnamed | Gelding | 3 | Oliver Townend | 15,000 |
| 46 | Portlaoise Radical Chick | Filly | 3 | Dominik Burger | 8,000 |
| 47 | Jordan Cobra | Gelding | 3 | Gearoid Costello | 25,000 |
| 48 | Jaguar | Gelding | 3 | V. Tourres | 27,000 |
| 49 | RNH Black Tie | Gelding | 3 | JS U Ltd. | 14,500 |
| 50 | Unnamed | Row 44 - Cell 2 | Row 44 - Cell 3 | Christine O’Donnell | 9,000 |
| 51 | Dourough Ferro Class Act | Gelding | 3 | Agnes Fabricius | 20,000 |
| 52 | Kiltubrid Danny | Gelding | 3 | Patricia Heffernan | 16,000 |
| 53 | GRC Titan | Gelding | 3 | Row 47 - Cell 4 | N/S |
| 54 | BP KO Jax | Gelding | 3 | David Mitson | 22,000 |
| 55 | Unnamed | Gelding | 3 | Row 49 - Cell 4 | N/S |
| 56 | HVL Kilcannon | Gelding | 3 | Susan MacLachlan | 10,000 |
| 57 | Quantized | Gelding | 3 | J Hornby | 7,500 |
| 58 | Unnamed | Gelding | 3 | D Morton | 15,000 |
| 59 | MBF Countdown | Gelding | 3 | Bernie Warfe | 17,000 |
| 60 | Lumiere | Gelding | 3 | Row 54 - Cell 4 | N/S |
| 61 | The Last Of Adam | Gelding | 3 | Nicolai Aldinger | 10,000 |
| 62 | Royal Trend | Filly | 3 | Michael Jung | 8,000 |
| 63 | Classicals Smartie Pants | Gelding | 3 | Debbie Davies | 11,500 |
| 64 | Killaloe Flash The Cash | Gelding | 3 | Vicki Irlam | 18,000 |
| 65 | Keamore OBOS Cruz | Gelding | 3 | Row 59 - Cell 4 | N/S |
NB: these results above are provisional and may be subject to change.
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Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.