Sale review 2014 october 17

Brightwells 51st Autumn Cob Sale

Royal Welsh Showground 17th, 18th & 19th October 2014 The trend of reduced numbers being bred and offered on Sales experienced at the Brightwells Fayre Oaks Pony Sale the previous month continued at the Cob Sale showing that breeders are more selective, the quality of animal offered was noticeably better and resulted in higher average prices. There were 624 animals catalogued (compared with 1,029 in 2009), 564 turned up and 438 sold for £361,460, an average price of £850 which compares very favourably with £692 in 2013 (without the Special Anniversary Evening this was £580) and £697 in 2011.

33 animals sold for £2,000 or over and 106 over £1,000. There were 84 sold for export led by 39 to Germany and 20 to Holland with other exports to Sweden (8), Denmark (6), France (6), Norway (2), Spain (1), Finland (1) and Austria (1).

Two section D stallions came next at £8,000, the six-year-old chestnut stallion Abergavenny Tango and the seven-yearold bay Haighmoor Llewelyn. Tango is sired by the legendary Danaway Tango and his dam Abergavenny Red Lady is also dam of Abergavenny Valmai this year’s Royal Welsh ridden champion and reserve Overall ridden supreme. Tango was bought by David Broster of Scarr View farm, Huddersfield.

Lot 276 Renvarg The Mystic

Copyright Mili Lampard

Second-highest at £14,600 was the five-year-old ridden chestnut section D stallion Renvarg The Mystic who came with a very formidable record of championships at Derbyshire Festival, Cheshire County and Royal Highland and 5th at this year’s Horse Of The Year Show. Gold Dust and The Mystic have similar breeding, Gold Dust is sired by Synod Reflection by Thorneyside The Boss and The Mystic is sired by Synod Replica a grand-son of The Boss and their dams are “cousins”. It was obvious that the Mystic had the most equable temperament, he was completely unaffected by all the excitement as the bidding rose higher and higher. He was bought by Simone and Yasmin Cuddy of Cowbridge, Yasmin being a most successful rider of hunters, having won championships at Britain’s major Shows.

Copyright Mili Lampard

Top of the Sale at £20,000 was the five-year-old palomino section D stallion Thorneyside Gold Dust bought by Clinton Groom, co-owner of the Dorneyrow Stud, Maidenhead with his mother Mrs Dawn Groom. Gold Dust puts up a spectacular show in harness and Mrs Groom already owns his son, a striking palomino yearling colt Thorneyside Golden Majestic. The Groom family are in the habit of purchasing top lots at this Sale, last year they purchased the chestnut section D filly foal Fronarth Model Princess for £11,500 and in 2012 paid £6,500 for the section C filly foal Taincwm X Factor who has been a consistent winner this year. This time Mrs Groom bought two section C filly foals, the palomino Walena Golden Rose for £900 and the black Dafren Lois for £1,400.

Lot 282 Abergavenny Tango

Haighmoor Llewelyn was consigned by his breeder, Mrs Julie Evans of Llanfyllin and is full-brother to her Haighmoor Glain, the 2010 Royal Welsh Show Prince of Wales champion. Llewelyn, who was 2nd himself in a huge class at the same Royal Welsh Show did not need to travel far, being purchased by Gareth Davis of Brynamlwg, Caersws.

Mrs Abberley of Builth Wells has been breeding much-sought-after Welsh cobs at her Penlangrug Stud since 1967 and she offered a top-class bay two-year-old colt Penlangrug One Direction by Thorneyside The Terminator and he was bought by Mrs C Clarke of Thornton, Lancashire for £5,100. One Direction has several full-brothers who are Stud stallions at top Cob Studs.

Nesta Owen of the Desach Stud, Caernarfon specialises in duns and palominos which have previously topped Brightwells Sales. This time she offered the dun three-year-old colt Brynithon Parragon by Penlangrug Diplomat, full-brother to Penlangrug One Direction and he sold for £4,900 to B Orchard of Hansard Farm, Awbridge, Hampshire.

Copyright Mili Lampard

Trefaes Black Flyer was the most expensive colt foal on this Sale in 2005 selling to Tom and Alun Hughes of the Rhydelian Stud, Anglesey but he has justified the investment many times over. He was my choice for supreme championship at the 2011 Glanusk Show and his progeny are special, his son, the black colt foal Rhydelian Morning Thunder sold for £4,900 to M J Launder of Llanerfyl, Welshpool.

Lot 518 Rhydeilian Morning Thunder

Nesta Owen’s daughter, Rhian offered the six-year-old black mare Cascob Rock Queen, a super mare, shining all over, sired by the recently-died 2000 Royal Welsh champion Danaway Flash Jack. She was the top-priced export, going to A Kuula and M Berg of Turku, Finland for £4,100.

Within section C, Cerdin and Doreen Jones of the Synod Stud, Llandysul sold eight filly foals and a twoyear-old filly for £9,450, the overall top section C of the Sale being the bay filly foal Synod Gorgeous Grace sold for £2,600 to the Caerddaniel Stud, Walsall who have been very successful with previous Synod purchases. Many remarked that the chestnut Synod Rose Cherie at £900 was the bargain of the Sale but, by then it was too late and she was on her way to Austria.

Top Part-bred was Cascob Stud’s six-year-old bay mare Cardi’s Princess who had been hunted last season; she was bought for £3,200 by A R Cartwright of Lower Cefnpenarth, Llandrindod Wells who also bought a two-year-old chestnut section D colt from Cascob, Cascob Sparky Simon which cost £3,600.

Dr Wynne Davies MBE