Top lot at Tattersalls event horse sale fetches €37,000 as Oliver Townend buys two

The top lot fetched €37,000 at the Goresbridge Tattersalls Ireland Select Event Horse Sale, held on Thursday evening (30 May) at Tattersalls International Horse Trials and Country Fair.

DJ O’Sullivan was the buyer of the top lot, lot four, a four-year-old gelding called Dobby, consigned by Michael Heery. The grey is by Diacontinus — a grandson of Diamant De Semilly — out of a Stakkato mare who is a sibling to graded showjumpers.

The crowd at the sale saw 14 potential young event horses, selected by former top rider Karen Dixon and Irish event horse agent Sally Parkyn, go through the ring. Six were sold — with an aggregate of €126,000 and an average of €21,00 — while eight failed to make their reserves.

Oliver Townend bought two lots. One of these, lot six — consigned by Joanne Curtin and DJ O’Sullivan — fetched the second highest price of the sale at €29,000.

He is an unnamed four-year-old bay gelding by the Baloubet Du Rouet sire Querlybet Hero out of an Ars Vivendi Lady mare. Oliver’s purchase is a half-brother to Makin A Storm, who was fourth in the 2018 Burghley young event horse final ridden by Ros Canter and to international 1.30m showjumper Harlequin Vivendi.

Lot six in the Goresbridge Tattersalls Ireland Select Event Horse Sale 2019.

Oliver also signed for Future Sky (lot five) at €8,000. Consigned by Jason Higgins, he is by Future Trend out of a mare by Chillout. He is related through his damline to Cooley SRS — last year’s Badminton runner-up under Oliver — who has now been renamed WillingaPark Cooley after his sale to Australia’s Terrence Snow of WillingaPark for double Adelaide winner Hazel Shannon to ride.

The other three horses were knocked down at €15,000, €17,000 and €20,000.

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All the horses in the sale were four-year-olds bar two (lots one and two), who were both five.  Lot one — a grey by the Cruising son Flex A Bill out of a mare by the US thoroughbred Rich Rebel — was led out unsold at €17,000, while lot two was one of two horses entered who were withdrawn before the sale.

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Pippa Roome

H&H magazine editor and eventing editor

Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.