JUDGING by some of the photographs we have seen, Joan Cunningham certainly found an ideal venue for her annual Saintfield Horse Show which was kindly hosted by Eugene Milligan in Castlewellan last Saturday.
“Competitors came from all over Ireland and were delighted with the huge, flat rings and the magnificent ground,” said Joan. “We had sun, fun and something for everyone who attended! It was wonderful to see people laughing and enjoying themselves again after such a long, horrible lockdown.
“Eugene couldn’t do enough to ensure everything was perfect on the day. All money raised will go towards the Saintfield Christmas Charity Ride Uganda Bore Hole Fund phase two. My thanks goes to the judges, stewards, sponsors, competitors, the media and every person who helped in any way to make the show such a massive success.”
This column was particularly interested in the result of the George Stewart racehorse to riding horse class where, disappointingly, just three of the six entries came before the class judge, Newtownabbey bloodstock agent, Kevin Ross.
“One girl rang me the day before to say her horse had gone lame while two others were competing in the riding horse class at the time and couldn’t leave,” explained Joan. Judging in that other ring throughout the day were Brian Polly and his partner, Anne Gomes.
Veteran
Kevin’s winner was the Billy McGladdery-bred Mossbank, a veteran in years – he’s 20 – and of this type of class. As usual, the Kadeed gelding, who won two hurdles and three chases when trained by Michael Hourigan for Gigginstown House Stud, was ridden for Crumlin’s Alistair McDonald by Chloe Thompson.
Although he was highly visible earlier in the day, not too surprisingly George Stewart couldn’t be found when it came to the trophy presentation so Kevin was pressed into service while Sean Cooney also presented the winning rider with a large hamper of Botanica International products.
On Monday, Sean was down at the National Horse Sport Arena in Blanchardstown, on the outskirts of Dublin, for the third and final day of the Botanica International ‘Dressage in the City’ show.
Among the many Northern region members competing was Bangor’s Courtney Stuart who won both the Preliminary and Novice Championships with her Hanoverian stallion Favorino and the Advanced Championship on her Oldenburg stallion HH Empire.
Third in the Novice Championship and fourth in the Elementary was Michael Boyd of the Narrow Water Equestrian Centre outside Newry. Michael rode Getadate, a seven-year-old Getaway gelding who, when trained by Colin Bowe, ran twice in point-to-points in the spring of 2018 for Co Down’s Peter Mackin. The bay was bred by Mackin’s daughter Linda (who is married to equine dentist Jason McKeown) out of the Daylami mare Shanaya.
THE Covid-19 lockdown affected many people including those on the trainee jockey programme at the Racing Academy and Centre of Education in Kildare.
Among those enjoying their time at the Centre was Bessbrook’s Sarah O’Shea who was on placement at Dermot Weld’s yard and was making the most of the experience.
Back home, she began working again at the Smith Brothers Eventing yard in Gilford and last Saturday won the EI110 (J) at Tullylish on her mother Susan’s 18-year-old Cruising gelding, Youngstars Cheetah.