Wins from the west at RDS
The exhibitor bred mare, by Big Sink Hope out of My Lovely Rose of Clare, qualified from the Clonakilty Agricultural Show.
There was extra focus on performance in the Horse Sport Ireland sponsored breeders’ championship, in which mare and foal combinations were presented in hand.The winner was shown with her three-month-old colt foal by Ghareeb.
The reserve champion was Greenhall Dismissed, a five-year-old bay by Porsch out of Flowing River, qualified from Midleton Agricultural Show, and exhibited by Derry Rothwell, Tinahely, Co Wicklow, with a four-month-old colt by Lakeshore Road.
West Cork breeders and exhibitors won several awards at the RDS Ballsbridge venue. Denis Dullea, Killountain, Bandon took the Irish draught mare championship with his three-year-old chestnut, Killountain Ginger, by Crannagh Hero out of Miss Ginger Dick, bred by Eddie Murphy, Co Mayo. The reserve honours went to Gairdín Mór Silver, an 11-year-old grey by Fast Silver out of Gairdín Mór Duchess, exhibited by Thomas Nyhan, Ballineen bred by Helen Nyhan O’Driscoll, Reenascreena.
Peter O’Donovan, Foxhall, Rosscarbery, took the Irish Draught foal award with Silver Cross, a May filly by Holy Cross.
PJ Hegarty, Bandon won an RDS hunter mare trophy with Fenyas Elegance, an exhibitor bred chestnut by Ricardo Z out of Fenya, which was also the reserve in the four-year-old hunter championship won by Shannon Beau, a Big Sink Hope gelding chestnut bred in Kildysart, Co Clare, by Paddy Donnelan and exhibited by Trevor and Lorraine Wallace, Dromore, Co Down.
The northern grip on the Bewleys Hotels supreme hunter championship was continued by a seven-year-old bay gelding, Darragh Classic Prince, exhibited by Richard McLoughlin, Comber, Co Down.
Its rider, Richard Iggulden, received the new Michael W Hickey perpetual challenge trophy, and Rosemary Connors, Woodstown, Co Waterford, was the first recipient of the Diana Gilna trophy for the top rider in the traditional showing classes.
* IFA Horse Project Team leader Tim O’Regan, Mallow, said horse breeding and production output has expanded by about 40% in the past decade.
“This probably reflects the increased demand for leisure activities, as well as the interest amongst farmers and other landowners in keeping horses,” he said.
He said a major difference between producing horses for sale and conventional livestock, such as cattle, is the wide variation in horse selling prices. “It is usual for the top 10% of foals to achieve a price three times that of the average price,” ” he said.
Showing winners were as follows:
WEDNESDAY:
Small Hunter Mares or Geldings classes: Nightwatch Man, Jennifer Kennedy, Rathnew, Co Wicklow; Kilpatrick Lord, Yvonne Pearson, Comber, Co Down and Dunamore, Fintan Sullivan, Drogheda, Co Louth.
Cup No 12: Kilpatrick Lord.
Light Weight Cob class and Cup No 28: Cairnside Adastra, Mrs Lynn Cairnduff, Newtownards, Co Down.
Heavy Weight Cobs: Sock Et Set, Audrey Smyth, Crossgar, Co Down.
Registered Connemara Filly classes: Cashelbay Clancy, Barbara Fallon, Cashel, Co Galway; Glencarrig Rose, Gearóid Curran, Moycullen, Co Galway; and Myshall Blossom, Holiday Connemara Ponies, Portadown.
Registered Connemara Mare: Killmeen Jane, Breda Horan, Castlegar, Galway.
Registered Connemara Stallion aand ‘Michael O’Connell’ Perpetual Challenge Trophy: Currachmore Cashel, Eamon Burke, Castlegar, Co Galway.
Registered Connemara pony, stallion, mare or gelding class and Cup No 53: Blackwood Fernando, Claire Devlin, Enniskerry, Co Wicklow.
Riding Pony classes: Brookvale Court Jester, GF Torrens, Convoy, Co Donegal; Chasecroft Zebedee, Jeannie Taggart, Ederney, Fermanagh.
Cup No 33: Chasecroft Zebedee.
THURSDAY
Light Weight Hunter Gelding classes: Lorenzo, Michael Lewis, Dromara, Co Down; Sugar Bob, John Conaty, Kells, Co Meath; and Clyde King, James Lynch, Dungarvan, Co Waterford.
Cup No 18: Lorenzo.
Registered Irish Draught Mare classes: Killountain Ginger, Denis Dullea, Bandon, Co Cork; and Gairdín Mór Silver, Thomas Nyhan, Ballineen, Co Cork.
Cup No 2: Killountain Ginger.
Colt Foals: Patrick Hoare, Ballinasloe, Co Galway.
Filly Foals class and Special Award No 3: Silver Cross, Peter O’Donovan, Rosscarbery, Co Cork.
Two-Year-Old Gelding classes (to be led): I’m Chadwick, Ann Lyons, Ballynahinch, Co Down; Flogas Rivermoy, Tiernan Gill, Ballina, Co Mayo; and Shanbo Queen B, Frances Cleary, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford.
Cups Nos 8, 22 and 24: Shanbo Queen B.
Three-Year-Old Geldings (to be led): Cloneyhea Diver, John Donaghy, Banbridge, Co Down.
Four-year-olds: Watervalley Lockey Guy, James McEvoy, Castlewellan, Co Down.
Five-year-olds: Stellor King, Sarah Ennis, Dunboyne, Co Meath.
Registered Connemara Mare or Gelding classes: Cupidstown Just In Time, Ruth Wilson, Greenisland, Co Antrim; Treanlawn Glen Charlie, Orla Smyth Kinane, Athboy, Co Meath; Glencree Síog, Jane Barry, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow.
Cup No 26: Treanlawn Glen Charlie.
Light Weight Hunter Mares class and Cup No 15: Fenyas Elegance, P J Hegarty, Gaggin, Bandon, Co Cork.
Light Weight Hunter Geldings: Giorgio, Daphne Tierney and Jane Bradbury, Kilbride, Co Wicklow.
Light/Medium Weight Hunter Mares: Woodfield Valier, Rosemary Connors, Woodstown, Co Waterford.
Three-Year-Old Geldings (to be led) class and Cups No 7 and 25: Bouncer, Vincent O’Callaghan, Lissycasey, Co Clare.
Three-Year-Old Fillies (to be led): Ballycapple Blackbird, Desmond Gibson, Dromara, Co Down.
