€48k sensation as local breeder strikes with ‘future star’

Local horse breeder Matthew McBreen said it was a “fantastic result” after his standout colt sold for €48,000 to top the 2026 Cavan Elite Foal Sale at Cavan Equestrian Centre last week.

Lot 23 Crosskeys, a chestnut colt by Kafka vd Heffinck out of the exceptional broodmare Jumeirah, sparked a fierce bidding battle before the hammer eventually came down.

For Matthew, the result was particularly significant because the buyer was already familiar.

“The same buyer, yeah. And out of the same mare as well,” McBreen explained.

The successful purchasers were Jim Gaffney and his son Trevor Gaffney, who operate Freestyling Farms in the USA. Trevor, a Sligo native, travelled to Ireland especially to see the colt in person.

It means the Gaffneys now have three horses from the same lineage - two half-brothers and a half-sister.

Bidding for the Cavan colt began at €10,000 before steadily climbing, with several buyers showing serious interest before the Gaffneys secured the youngster.

Matthew admits, while he knew the American buyers would be interested, he had not anticipated the final figure.

The Gaffneys’ existing horses bred by Matthew - Bold Moves FF TIGER and our FF MEGASTAR - are already performing well, adding confidence to their latest investment.

Another MC Crosskeys, owned and ridden by jumper Anna Duff, recently placed fourth in the 2 Grober Preis international 1.45 GP.

“The mare has produced five 1.50m horses, so there’s not too many mares in the country that have done that,” says Matthew, who owns Jumeriah.

The colt’s sire, Kafka vd Heffinck, is himself a proven 1.60m performer, adding further strength to a pedigree.

The €48,000 colt was not carried by the mare herself, and the reproductive work was carried out by Julie Storm of Waterside Veterinary outside Navan.

For McBreen, the latest result represents another major milestone in a breeding programme that has produced a string of successful sale horses over recent years.

His record at the Cavan Elite Foal Sale has been building steadily.

In 2018, his Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve colt Crosskeys Tiger sold for €15,500.

In 2020, another Jumeirah offspring, Crosskeys Megastar by Big Star, changed hands for €17,500.

Then, in 2023, McBreen enjoyed another major success when his Aganix Du Seigneur Z colt out of Jumeirah attracted €31,000, becoming the highest-priced locally bred horse sold that night.