At the first horse sale of the selected Goresbridge / Monart event in 2010, the then four-year-old Cooleys Pay Check was sold for € 29,000 to UK resident Fiona Elliott.

He has advanced six years and this summer the rebranded Cooleys Rorkes Drift finished in ninth place as the best-placed Irish representative at the Rio Olympics, under the leadership of Jonty Evans.

The only goal of the now independent Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale has always been to find champions, and this has been achieved in numbers, with graduates now flying the Irish Sport Horse flag all over the world.

Among these, Copper Beach, ranked in the top 20 at the Rolex 2016, and Gorsehill Pearl, the 2015 record sold € 85,000 and now set for Ireland by Joseph Murphy. As a salesman during the Cooleys Rorkes Drift era, Richard Sheane knows all too well the value of a good rig to showcase his potential superstars and that sale plays a big part in his business.

“As a seller and a buyer, I have always been lucky with horses bought and sold at Go For Gold sale,” he said. “In the case of Cooleys Rorkes Drift, I bought it earlier in 2010 from Jim Derwin who originally found it in Cavan. Then I produced it with this sale in mind.”

For Sheane, this turned out to be a wise move as Courage II’s son turned out to be a formidable member of the Irish squad and standard-bearer of the Cooley horses, with a Nations Cup victory at Boekelo in 2015 also among his list of achievements to date.

“All the horses I have ridden or encountered were good horses, without a shadow of a doubt,” commented Jonty Evans of the auction.

“Great horses win as a bonus, but there are certainly some offers to be made. I have great faith in the vet panel. You can have reasonable discussions with vets and email checks and x-rays to your own vet for their verdict. I also have a lot of confidence in the team – especially Sally Parkyn and Martin Donohoe. They are leaders in their field, “he added.

Over the years, Richard Sheane has also been involved with several other successful graduates, including LCC Cooley, which he bought last year from former runner Oliver Townend for € 35,000.

This summer, the nine-year-old competed at the FEI European Junior Championships in Montelibretti with Correna Bowe.

Another to note is Cooley SRS, who is currently ranked 17th in the WBFSH / Rolex World Ranking List. In an effort to bolster international interest, Martin Donohue always strives to add one or two special horses to the catalog, and this year’s Euro Prince listing is sure to catch the attention of many foreign punters. .

A teammate of Cooleys Rorkes Drift at this year’s Olympics, where he completed all three phases, the 13-year-old gelding has always been owned by his breeders Cormac and John McKay, but they now feel it’s time to sell him on the back of his fantastic form this year which also includes flawless runs at Fontainebleau, Tattersalls and Belton.

Commenting on the addition of Euro Prince to the sale, Martin Donohue said: “It is very exciting to have had the chance to sell such a prestigious horse as Euro Prince.

“His track record speaks for itself. We are delighted that the McKay family has given us the opportunity and entrusted us with the sale. It is also an incredible opportunity for someone to buy a horse of this caliber. horses of this stature don’t come to market that often and public auctions are a very fair and transparent way of doing it. “

After Euro Prince in the ring, there will be the seven-year-old gelding Luidam Loughnavatta Cedar, the mount of Camilla Speirs at the recent world championships at Lion d’Angers.

This year, he has consistently ranked at the CNC *, while winning the CNC ** in Kilmanahan, and completed clear doubles in the Tattersalls CCI ** and Millstreet’s CIC **.

A total of 40 horses aged four and over will be followed by another 30 three-year-olds, including a half-brother from Copper Beach, a Goresbridge graduate, ridden for the United States by Buck Davidson.

Viewing of the horses for Goresbridge’s Go For Gold sale continues today and tomorrow, with the auction taking place at the Amber Springs Hotel in Gorey tomorrow, Wednesday evening, starting at 6 p.m.