Arraghbeg Clover to be auctioned
Hetzel yesterday said that while a number of top-class equines had passed through his establishment in the past, it was a coup to have a horse of the calibre of Arraghbeg Clover in his auction.
Hetzel took ownership of the mare last month in a sale arranged through Cian O’Connor. It came after Broderick and Arraghbeg Clover had claimed the title for five-year-olds at the World Breeding Jumping Championships for Young Horses at Lanaken, Belgium.
“I bought her immediately after the jump-off in Lanaken. I will put her in my auction of show jumpers in December 3,” said Hetzel.
“We have produced a lot of grand prix horses; the best known is Chiara ridden by Ludger Beerbaum, which we sold as a four-year-old.”
Hetzel said it paid to be realistic when speculating on how much Arraghbeg Clover would make, referencing a German expression: “You have to keep the church in the middle of the town. I’m not sure if she will make the best price, but she is a world champion, and it is great publicity. I think it is great.”
Meanwhile, Broderick is on the hunt for a potential star as a replacement for Arraghbeg Clover. The Tipperary rider and Orpen shared ownership of the mare, which, prior to Lanaken, had already achieved renown when winning the 50,000 Breeders Classic in Barnadown, Co Wexford, as well as lifting the Irish Horse Board Studbook Series title.
“I have mixed emotions. It is a business for me and the only possible way is to sell the horses. Obviously, she has been such a good servant to the yard, so she is a huge loss.
“Myself and Declan are on the lookout for something up-and-coming, but it is difficult to find a horse of her calibre, so it won’t be at the click of a finger.
“I have American owners — Mary Ellen De Ruchi and William Munton — that were keen to buy the horse to keep it in my hands, but the deal had been done-and-dusted in Lanaken and it wouldn’t have been right to go back on my word that day.”
Unique, the gelding that proved such a prolific winner for Cian O’Connor, has been sold to Saudi
Arabian Abdullah Al Sharbatly.
The 12-year-old won at Dublin, having two months earlier earned O’Connor a Golf GTI in Germany, which he presented to his groom Clement Waras.
In 2011, Al Sharbatly bought Larkhill Cruiser from O’Connor.
A generous viewer would see the publication of the first Horse Sport Ireland annual report as a big step into an age of transparency, but not when it is measured against the fact the report is only available to a select few. Over a week since it was first distributed, it has yet to make an appearance on the HSI website.
The publication may be a sign of improved governance under new chairman Pat Wall, but who would blame anyone for thinking that it is in fact a cynical exercise in window dressing, since it is not for general consumption.
Sports Minister Leo Varadkar officially opened the Horse Sport Arena at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, Co Dublin, on Wednesday. It was described as the first publicly-owned facility of its kind in Ireland, with its facilities available on a ‘community commercial basis to those who are aspiring for success in international competitions”.
HSI said the arena measures 100m by 55m, with a grass arena of 100m by 37m. By comparison, Punchestown’s are 70m by 80m, and 70m by 50m.
Michael Ryan ensured Ireland continued to make an impact in eventing across the water, when second with Ballylynch Wizard in the CCI two-star at Osberton last weekend.
The Bandon-based Limerick rider’s dressage score of 43.5pens with Carol and Tom Henry’s gelding left him fifth after the dressage and cross-country phases, with a clear in show jumping elevating him to the runner-up spot, two-hundredths of a second adrift of Sam Griffiths of Australia.
England-based Mallow rider Austin O’Connor had held second place with Kilpatrick Knight, but slipped to 13th.
A cup will be presented to the winner of the Open class at Sunday’s Templemartin hunter trials in Cork.
It starts at 11am, with classes including training ponies, training horses, training pairs, novice pony, novice horses, and novice pairs.
The West Cork Horse Breeders Society is reviving its annual sale, opting for Oct 20 at Ballybrack Equestrian Centre, Glenville.
The region has produced its fair share of top-quality horses and the organisers say the sale provides an opportunity to find the next superstar. Leisure riders will also be catered for, with ponies, foals, sport horses and Irish draughts on offer. A foal show at 11am precedes the sale. * Details: www.irishqualityhorses.com.
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