MBF All In Time, a 4-year-old purchased by Emily King. Photo courtesy of Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale/Bit-Media.
Each year, savvy horse shoppers from the world over flock to the Emerald Isle in search of their next top prospect. Many graduates from the elite Goresbridge Go For Gold sale have gone on to budding event careers with professional and amateur riders alike. Although COVID-19 has impacted equestrian events and sales such as this, the organizing team at Goresbridge was able to make some adjustments to make this year’s auction more pandemic-friendly. To that end, virtual options have been added for the 2020 Goresbridge Go For Gold sale, scheduled for a slightly later date this year, December 7 and 8.
No stone is left unturned in the selection and preparation process for the Goresbridge sale, a longstanding tradition on the Irish equestrian scene. The idea was born out of inconvenience; the horse buying process was often sluggish, requiring prospective buyers to traverse the country seeking out top prospects. Why not bring those top prospects under one roof? For sale founder Martin and Mary Frances Donohoe, the idea was enough to build out a business.
With the pandemic forcing the cancelation or postponement of events, the Donohoes put their heads together to come up with a solution. For this year’s auction, held at Barnadown Showjumping in Wexford, Ireland, a live stream and virtual bidding have been added so that prospective buyers can shop without having to travel. Both online and telephone bidding will be offered.
Regardless of where a buyer plans to shop from, one important update for this year is the requirement of advance registration. Prospective buyers can get more information on registration by calling +353 59977 5145 or by email at [email protected].
For those attending in person, COVID protocols will be in place. The event will not be open to the general public; purchasers, vendors, grooms/handlers, and transport companies are the only personnel who will be on site during the sale.
We’ll be bringing you some highlights from the catalog as well are more pertinent information about participating in an online auction format in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you can peruse this year’s offering of 3- through 6-year-old sporthorse prospects and their performance videos here.
Goresbridge Go For Gold 2020: [Website] [Information Packet/PDF Catalog] [Online Catalog and Performance Videos]
