It’s window shopping season and the catalog for the 2026 Goresbridge Go for Gold Select Event Horse Sale in Ireland has just gone live, so what better way to spend your spare time?
Each year, EN teams up with the Goresbridge Go for Gold sale to highlight the sale itself and its rich history as well as our picks from the hand-selected catalog of promising young event horses. The Go for Gold sale takes place November 9-11 at Barnadown and the Amber Springs Hotel in Co. Wexford and features two days of on-site and live streamed viewing of all lots followed by a welcome reception, gala and dinner on the final day at the Amber Springs Hotel. It’s a truly festive atmosphere, if you’re able to horse shop this year (and even if you’re just window shopping like us, it’s a cool trip to add to your bucket list).
We’ll have a more extensive wishlist coming your way soon, but let’s go ahead and get you going with five of our early picks of horses we’d love to bring home with us.
How did we select these horses? Not scientifically at all. Some breeding matches caught our eye, others simply had a nice look, or we liked how they looked on video. We aren’t experts, so don’t take us as such – rather, consider us your serious enablers if you also want to join us in picking out some nice horses. And if you are actively shopping and wind up with a Go for Gold horse, be sure to tell us about it!
Lots to love here if you’re a Diarado fan (and there are two Diarados in this year’s catalog). The #1-ranked stallion by WBFSH since 2021, Diarado continues to impact the sport of eventing and is a sought-after producer if you’re eyeing an upper-level run. Beyond that, though, we loved the keen and intelligent twinkle in this filly’s eye (watch her video here) and feel she’d make a smart match for an equally intelligent and thoughtful rider.
A lovely type who looks like he could also go and compete in the equitation or hunter ring if he wanted, this four-year-old has some excellent French influence in his breeding and a good amount of blood that will make him a strong horse for things requiring endurance. We loved his easy nature, fluid stride and effortless jump that can only get more polished as his experience grows. View his video here.
We mostly loved the Thoroughbred influence on this three-year-old, who looks supremely unbothered in his free jumping video that you can watch here. The breeding match-up here features some strong jumping lines, and this guy’s got a lovely look about him that will be an unbeatable combination with what’s described to be a trainable mind.
If big jumpers are your thing, you’ll love watching this guy’s free jumping video. Eventers will need to train a horse like this to use his jump efficiently, but the scope is nearly limitless with this one if this free jumping video is any indication; you get the sense, watching it, that you could put the poles in the rafters and he’d nearly get there to clear them.
Another filly we’d love to have in our stable, mostly because we love her canter and its balance. The jumping is no trouble to her and comes naturally to her, and she’s also got some eventing royalty as well as strong Thoroughbred influence on both sides of her pedigree. Honestly, it was her photo that first caught our eye, but the video was lovely to watch too.
The thing with the Go for Gold catalog is that it, of course, only tells a partial story. However, shopping with a sale like this means that each horse you view has at least been professionally assessed for suitability in eventing. That takes some of the initial guesswork out of the equation. Every horse purchase is a risk in some way, but you’re given a lot of information (current x-rays are also available for each horse, and you can often speak with the breeder and/or producers of the horse yourself at the sale) with which to educate your final decision.
But don’t take our word for it! Have a gander through the catalog yourself here – over 90 gorgeous horses are on offer this year. Videos are available for all horses – free jumping for the youngest and ridden videos for the 4- and 5-year-olds. If you’re planning a trip to Ireland, make sure to pack riding gear as you are also able to book in a time to try a horse yourself.
You can start planning your trip by visiting the Go for Gold website here. If you’re thinking of bidding online or by phone, make sure you register ahead of time to be eligible.
Curious about past graduates of the Go for Gold sale? View them here!
