Prize-winning Connemara pony foal sells for €5,000 at Clifden
Clifden winner heads to Mayo as stallion fetches €15,000 top price at busy Connemara Sale
A prize-winning foal bred by a Renvyle woman for her nine-year-old daughter was among the highlights of the October Connemara Pony Sales in Clifden.
And a three-year-old stallion fetched €15,000 as 952 ponies found buyers at the five-day October Connemara Pony Sales in Clifden.
Ballymakea Shadow Gamble, a newly approved Class 1 stallion sold by Tim Mac Namara, was the sale's top lot. Bought by leading show rider Sadhbh O'Connor, he had scored 93% for conformation and 91% for athleticism at inspection.
Of the 1,357 entries, 1,149 ponies went through the ring, with 952 sold, representing a clearance rate of approximately 83%. A total of 262 ponies were sold online.
International sales included 146 ponies to the UK, 17 to France, 14 to Sweden, six to Germany, four to Holland and three to Norway.
There was also a memorable result for Renvyle native Cathy Hughes and her family when their prize-winning colt foal, Lankill Hercules, sold for €5,000, the highest price paid for a foal at the sale.
Now living in Westport with her husband Charlie and their family, Cathy bred the youngster for their nine-year-old daughter Lily. It was the third foal the family had bred for her.
“He was kind of a fab foal from the very first morning he was born. He just had that little 'wow' factor of the look about him,” Cathy said.
The colt had already enjoyed a successful summer, winning his class and taking reserve champion foal honours at the Connemara Pony Show in Clifden in August. “He was a joy to work with all summer,” she said.
Although Cathy had hoped the colt would fetch €5,000, she admitted there was still a sense of disbelief when the bidding reached that figure.
“I was delighted to get it because he was worth every penny of it,” she said.
Yet parting with a foal she had raised and handled all summer was bittersweet.
“It was hard to say goodbye to him. I always have the tears,” Cathy admitted.
Originally from Renvyle, Cathy moved to Westport in 2003, bringing her mare with her. She and Charlie have been breeding ponies together since around 2007, building up a family operation alongside their cattle and sheep farming.
The colt was purchased by Mayo breeder Cian Geoghegan.