MINISTER Simon Coveney was chatting to Juan-Carlos Cappelli, head of marketing for Longines, at this week’s launch of Irish Champions Weekend in Dublin.

The Minister was intrigued to hear that Juan-Carlos learned to speak English in Cork. It wasn’t easy, explained the visitor: “Nobody could pronounce my name and when I tried to order Guinness they said they only had the local beer, so they used to call me John Murphy!”

There were drinks of all kinds available at Tuesday’s lavish launch, including two cocktails created especially for the occasion and named in honour of the big-race winners at last year’s two-day meeting.

The Tanqueray Gatsby is a gin and tonic with a fruity twist, while the Johnnie Walker Gold Panther is sure to be popular with Michael Owen and his gang if they can get their star back to the Curragh in a fortnight’s time.

Racehorse to riding horse championships

THERE will be three dedicated classes for ridden thoroughbreds at next Sunday’s Royal Meath Show after which the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing supreme racehorse to riding horse championship will be held at the showgrounds outside Trim.

The first section up for decision is the Comfort Gut Retraining class. This is open to all eligible horses but, within the class, the Comfort Gut final will be held. Sixteen horses, including Arvika Ligeonniere and Sizing Europe, have already qualified for this final with the last round being staged today at Elphin Agricultural Show in Co Roscommon.

Neither of the two judges will ride horses in the Retraining class at Trim but one will in the ITM-sponsored Open division which is run like a ridden hunter class with horses being required to gallop.

Again, this class is open to all eligible animals but within it, qualified horses will be judged for the ITM Open final. The first two in the finals will progress to the ITM supreme championship where they could meet the Dublin champion, Forpadydeplasterer (winner here last year), and the Down Royal champion, Jinnys Beaverlamb. The two judges will be joined by a third adjudicator for the supreme championship.

A class for unraced thoroughbreds will also take place at next Sunday’s show while ITM is sponsoring a prize for the highest-placed ex-racehorse in the working hunter section.