IT was a pity that crowd numbers were restricted for last week’s Balmoral Show as, on the Thursday, there was an excellent winner of the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association racehorse to riding horse class in Woodland Opera, and an equally excellent ride judge in multiple champion amateur, Patrick Mullins.

“Even if he is my son, I think Patrick is doing a great job in there,” said Willie Mullins who, along with wife Jackie, travelled up to Balmoral Park to watch this popular class.

Among the entries was the now 12-year-old King’s Theatre gelding Shaneshill who the Co Kilkenny trainer had sent out to win three bumpers, four hurdle races and two chases.

Even in these Covid-affected days, working out a timetable for a large and varied show such as Balmoral is not easy but many of the entries became unsettled listening to the Bolddog Lings FMX team perform in the Main Arena before their class.

Matters weren’t helped when, on entering, riders were directed to the far end of the arena while the ramps, etc used in the display were removed. Two combinations left the class after the go-around which was very disappointing for connections.

Mullins, who didn’t really require the assistance of a ‘legger-upper’, gave each horse a superb ride and all received the same amount of time. When he was finished riding, the horses were then stripped and shown in hand before the class’s conformation judge, former trainer and Downpatrick racecourse director, Noel Chance, who also gave each horse an equal amount of attention. Before deciding on their final places, Mullins and Chance brought five horses forward for a second inspection.

Woodland Opera in full flight in his racing days with Robert Power \ Healy Racing

Racing careers

Commentator Paul Nolan, who had put a lot of research into the racing careers of all the entries, was then given the task of announcing the result and it was little surprise to hear that Jamie Buckley had won on Woodland Opera.

Much to the delight of Balmoral steward, Alistair McDonald, his veteran gelding, Mossbank, was placed second under Chloe Thompson, with Nicki Russell finishing third, as she had done in 2019, on a former winner of this class, Sizing Australia.

Ballyclare’s Alison Matthews was called forward into fourth place with the 15-year-old Brian Boru gelding Tadhg, who won two hurdle races in the 2010/11 season when trained by Edward O’Grady, while Newtownabbey’s Graceann Elliott was fifth on one of the youngest horses in the field, the 10-year-old Ad Valorem gelding Adsup who pulled up in two point-to-points and a maiden hurdle in the spring of 2017 when trained by Stuart Crawford.

“I was absolutely thrilled to win!” said Buckley who runs a small livery and hunting yard near Rolestown in north Co Dublin. “I had an ex-racehorse before and when he retired I decided I needed a new project for myself.

“It was through Joanne Quirke that I learned of ‘Woody’ who had been out of work for a year and was being looked after out on grass by Lorna Fowler. I went down to see the horse, discussed matters with his owners, and breeders, Valerie and Diana Cooper and then got him on a trial basis at the end of April.

“It just goes to show how well he was broken and trained that we attended our first show at Nugentstown in mid-July where we won the re-training class. We then won the racehorse to riding horse class at Glandoran in early August and the one at the national horse and pony show in Killossery Lodge Stud later that month.

“After he was only fifth at the racehorse show in the Emerald Equestrian Centre, I gave him a bit of a break and he was probably just a bit too fresh at Lambertstown where he also finished fifth.

“My mother Julie Dempsey and my friends Rachel Darcy and Martin McNamara came up with me to Balmoral for support on Thursday. Before the class, Woody was warming up nicely when the bikes started in the Main Arena and set all the horses off for a little bit.

“I got off him and sent him back down to the stables with Martin and that settled him down again. Patrick (Mullins) did a proper job riding all the horses – if anything was fired up, he settled them down.

“Woody is a real gent. Anything you ask of him he’ll do and will remember it the next day. Over the winter I might do some jumping and hunter trials with him and just get some mileage into him. If Balmoral is held on its usual date in May, I’ll probably bring him back for this class and then aim him at Dublin.”

The 11-year-old Woodland Opera, who is by Robin Des Champs out of the wonderful Strong Gale mare Opera Hat, won a bumper, four hurdle races and four chases in a 30-race career for trainer Jessica Harrington between January 2015 and when he last ran in a two-and-a-half-mile hurdle at Cork in July 2019.

Mossbank

Chloe Thomson was over the moon to finish second on Mossbank, a now 21-year-old gelding by Kadeed who was bred in Co Down by Billy McGladdery. While trained throughout his racing career by Michael Hourigan, the bay won a point-to-point maiden in March 2005 in the ownership of Michael Duke and after that ran in the colours of Gigginstown House Stud.

Mossbank’s last appearance on a racecourse came in a handicap chase at Cork in March 2011.

Denis Macauley, who has worn many hats in the thoroughbred world, was chief steward for this class.

“It makes sense to get a racing man to ride these horses and Patrick had himself well-briefed as to what he had to do in a showing class,” said Macauley who as a breeder would be best known for the brilliant hurdler Brave Inca, a dual winner of the racehorse to riding horse class at Dublin.

“Classes like these prove that we do look after our horses when their racing careers have finished,” concluded Macauley who is on the Northern Region committee of the ITBA.

Another veteran seen to good effect at Balmoral was the Bob’s Return gelding Irish Twang who finished fifth in the six-year-olds and upwards Gibson Agri Services performance horse championship where he was ridden by his Co Antrim owner, Melanie Moorhead.

The 18-year-old bay, who has 140 Show Jumping Ireland points, failed to worry the judge in 10 outings in point-to-points between November 2007 and May 2009.