Leading Nations Cup winner changes hands

The Gillespie brothers’ stallion Conquest II has been sold to an American lady rider through Norman dello Joio for an undisclosed but considerable sum.

The Dutch-bred son of Concorde, a former Horse & Hound Foxhunter finalist who was produced as a novice in Scotland by Gary and Graham Gillespie, carried Ireland’s Billy Twomey to considerable success, including four Nations Cup wins and victory in the pair’s first attempt at a World Cup qualifier in Seville last November.

“It was an offer we couldn’t refuse,” said Gary Gillespie. “We’re running a business and we can’t keep all the horses. We’re going to have keep selling some to buy more and keep the ones we’ve got.”