A total of 580 Welsh cobs, Welsh pony cob-types and part-breds of the 785 offered were sold at the Brightwells Autumn Cob Sale reaching a sale total of £404,335.

The sale was held at the Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells, at the end of October and the individual day averages were: Friday £588, Saturday £652 and Sunday £821.

The overall £697 average was down from £740 last year.

While the prices of the best animals kept up well, in some cases even higher than in previous years, many other animals failed to reach the upset price.

A total of 16 animals sold for £3,000 or more; 39 for £2,000 or more and 128 for £1,000 or more.

Of the 83 sold for export, 29 went to France, 23 to Germany, 12 to Ireland, nine to Holland, three each to Sweden and Finland, two to Denmark and one to Norway and Austria.

Top of the sale at £6,500 was Peter Hussey’s black six-year-old Section C stallion D’Abernon Sugar Ray, who has been a successful sire and a good winner in hand and is now broken to saddle.

His sire, two brothers and one sister have all qualified for Horse of the Year show ridden classes and it is expected that he will do the same for his new owner, Miss Ingles, of Berkeley, Gloucestershire.

His breeding includes famous stallions of the past, Nebo Bouncer, Parc Carlo and Lyn Cwmcoed.

Another stallion was second-highest, Messrs Peaty and Deabill’s four-year-old Section D Drogeda The Outlaw, son of Trefaes Golden Pearl, who is also dam of the twice Royal Welsh winner Drogeda Stormy Tempest.

He was bought by the Lee family, of Sittingbourne, in-laws of Matty Attrell of the Danaway Stud, and goes to join his sire Danaway Tango, the 2000 Royal Welsh champion Danaway Flashjack and this year’s male champion Trevallion Black Harry.

Third-highest at £5,600 was black three-year-old Section D filly Penrhiwlas Magdalene from Mr E. W. Davies of Talog, Carmarthen.

She was bought by Brian Chiverton and Hilary David, of Yarmouth.

Magdalene an eye-catching filly from a Maesmynach-bred dam was sired by 2002 Royal Welsh champion Gwynfaes Culhwch.

Culhwch was also the sire of the top Section D foal, the Davies family’s Ilar Alexis, a dark chestnut with four long white legs.

Alexis was bought for £3,200 by Anthony and Aileen Booth, of Reading, who have had considerable success with other Culhwch progeny.

John and Bev Batt of the Abergavenny Stud, who were this year’s Royal Welsh Show overall champion with their mare Abergavenny Morning Queen, offered a similar mare, the beautiful ten-year-old Abergavenny Roxanne, full-sister to their multi-champions Abergavenny Sally and Abergavenny Welsh Lady.

Roxanne sold for £5,500 to Andre Swistun, of Llanmorlais, Gower.

A 12-year-old ridden chestnut Section D gelding Glantraeth Aur-y-Nos fetched the fifth-highest price of £5,200.

Well-known for his classical dressage displays, he returned to North Wales, bought by Iona Watkin Jones, of Caernarfon.

Next highest ridden were also chestnut Section D geldings, the six-year-old Tybanadl Sonny, £3,400 to Mrs Pope, of High Wycombe, and four-year-old Iouar Jac Fflach, £3,200 to Christine Myles, of Fife, Scotland.

Palominos and cremellos were in great demand; sixth-highest price of £5,000 was paid by Paul Anderson, of Crickhowell, for the six-year-old cremello Section D stallion Crabbiesden Platinum.

He is sired by the palomino Janton Dictator of similar bloodlines to last year’s sale topper at £7,800 Janton Philanderer, and also to the five-year-old palomino Janton Viscount which sold for £3,400 to G. Bower, of Soberton, Hampshire.

Third-highest filly at £2,800, Biddy Williams’ cremello Duhonw Guinevere, sired by Janton Lightning went to France, bought by Emile Camail.

A palomino stallion of different bloodlines was the five-year-old A. C. Golden Boy by Brynithon Royal Knight and he was bought by Steve Everitt, of Llangadog, for £3,800. Cefngarn Stud’s four-year-old bay stallion Cefnbangor Rob Roy, winner of many championships, sold for £3,500 to J. Corbett from the West Midlands.

Two outstanding Section D colt foals were Mary Edwards’ black Cascob Llyr Du by Gwynfaes Culhwch, sire of three of Section Sale toppers here and grand-sire of another, and Meurig Thomas’ chestnut Cruglwyd Tango by Gwenllan Brynmor, sire of the 2009 Royal Welsh champion Pennal Brynmor.

Llyr Du stayed within the Edwards family purchased at £2,800 by Mr Hamer, of Llanidloes, and Tango sold for £2,000 to J. Wilkinson, of Hadham, Hertfordshire who also bought the palomino filly foal Hillgarth Mai Fair Lady for £2,300.

Fourth-highest filly foal at £2,600 was the dun Corscaron Delyth which hails from a very successful long line of duns. She was bought by Mr Tillman, of Cynheidre, Llanelli.

Second-highest Section C and seventh-highest of the whole sale at £4,800 was Sharon Coburn’s bay filly foal Cadfach Sali.

Sali was bought by Dutchman Henrie Leeuwenhaag who bought the Section C filly foal Llanidan Truffle last year for £3,400 and the following month she was supreme at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair.

From the same area in Gwent, Wayne Groucott and Tracey Morris sold their bay roan yearling colt Hafodyrynys The Gladiator, sired by their Royal Welsh champion Bryncarreg Lightning Jack, for £2,600 to Julie Stobbs and Neil McNally, of Carlisle.

Second, third and fourth-highest Section C foals were from the Synod consignment, the black Synod Rhapsody in Black (£2,000 to Sandra Watkins, of Buckley, Flints), the bay Synod Rose Alex (£1,300 to Richard and Gethin Morgan, of the Ormond Stud) and the bay Synod Golden Delicious (£1,000 to Hannah Urrila, from Finland).

The Synod consignment was quite exceptional and consisted of another four Section D filly foals, the palomino Synod Rosy Peek-a-Boo (£2,800 to Steve and Carol Crutchley, Walsall), the palomino Synod Ring-of-Gold (£2,200 to Markus Bauer, Austria), the palomino Synod Rosaline (£1,000 to S. Howarth, Darwen) and the chestnut Synod Red Taffeta (£800 to R. Parry, Pwllheli).

In total they fetched £11,100 which amounted to £13,320 with VAT, averaging £1,902.

Top part-bred at £2,900 was the blue roan three-year-old colt Berthorpe Edmond sired by The Checkerdy Horse out of cob mare Gwynfaes Rachel by Gwynfaes Culhwch.

He was sold to J Liston, of Alfreton, Derby.