€15k foal price gets breeders jumping
The foal was bought as a joint venture by Tipperary showjumper Greg Broderick and his business partner and fellow showjumper Ger O’Neill from Kilkenny.
Sired by OBOS Quality, the bay colt is a half brother to three international horses, all being out of the Cavalier mare Gowran Lady. Most notable among these is Broderick’s up-and-coming gelding MHS Going Global, selected for its Nations Cup squad debut in Italy in the coming weeks.
It is also a half-brother to Broderick’s Ballypatrick Flight, as well as MHS King Joules a three-star event horse campaigned by Britain’s Mary King.
The colt foal was consigned to auction by Mill House Stud in Kilkenny and auction organiser Marcus O’Donnell — who manages the database www.horseandbreeder.com at UCC — described the sum realised as “astronomical”.
Four of the 10 foals put up for sale were sold on the night.
Mr O’Donnell said: “The foal with the strongest pedigree made the biggest price”.
It was the first foal auction at Millstreet, and Mr O’Donnell has plans to introduce an international dimension.
“People were watching the auction from the US on a live-stream feed and, perhaps, we could have online bidding in the future,” he said.
The next best price on the night was the €5,200 earned by another OBOS Quality offspring out of the Shannondale Sarco-sired Shannondale Secret.
“At any other sale that would be at the higher end,” said Mr O’Donnell.
“Both the seller, along with the buyer, Brian O’Malley from Ballina, Co Mayo, were happy. He said he’s going to produce it into a young horse.”
Lot No 1, a chestnut colt by Future Trend out of the Darco mare Bianca Van Rampaarden, was knocked down for €4,800, while €3,400 was paid for a bay filly by Capri van Overis, a first-season Holsteiner sire that stands at Monbeg Stud in Co Wexford.
The filly is out of HHS Lily, who is by Guidam and out of Jessica’s Kurten’s Olympics horse Diamond Exchange. The English buyer, “hopes to bring her back for the Young Irelander in Milstreet in three years”, according to O’Donnell.
