THE owners of Blarney Castle were delighted to host last Saturday’s Irish Draught Horse Society’s 31st national breed show with the castle serving as a stunning backdrop to the day’s stallion parade.

The show was opened by Professor Pat Wall, an avid supporter of the Irish Draught, who was accompanied by renowned breeder and Irish Horse Board member John A. Cogan from Rivestown, Co Sligo.

The supreme champion was Martin Egan’s Archie The Great, who had earlier claimed the youngstock title, while Liam Lynskey stood reserve with the champion mare, Strictly Come Bouncing. This result was a particular triumph for Lynskey’s stallion Moylough Bouncer who is sire of both.

Egan’s three-year-old grey stallion Archie The Great was bred in Co Roscommon by Brendan Duffy and is the second of just three recorded foals out of Castana Lass (by Castana). He was youngstock champion at last year’s Irish Draught Horse Breeders Association national show at Punchestown.

“It’s only by chance that I have him,” said Egan who is a steel erector based outside New Ross. “I hunt twice a week with the Wexfords which is great during the season but then you’ve nothing to do for a few months. A couple of years ago I decided I’d get myself a Draught to compete during the summer and, when I went to buy one, I bought this fellow as well; he was just nine months old at the time. I’ve since sold the one I went to buy!

“I’m really enjoying showing as it’s a great pastime. I have Archie entered at Dublin and am looking forward to the parade in particular. As he is only three, he’ll be taking on some very experienced horses in the class. He has covered about 12 mares this season.”

The youngstock championship was judged by Scotland’s Maura Flynn and Phillip Copithorne from Kinsale who had as their reserve, P.J. and Claire Sheerin’s home-bred Callows Ceili, a three-year-old filly by Avanti Amorous Archie out of the Donovan mare Kingstead Emma whose eight foals to date were all by Irish Draught stallions.

Lynskey’s day started on a particularly good note as, when his DS Bounce With Me Baby won the four to six-year-old mares’ class, her sire, Moylough Bouncer, could then be termed a double gold merit stallion. This four-year-old, who was also bred by Brendan Duffy, is out of the Mount Diamond Flag mare Mount Diamond Princess and thus a full-sister to Lynskey’s DS Ballagh Bouncer who has qualified for next Wednesday’s Irish Draught performance championship at the Dublin Horse Show.

DS Bounce With Me Baby, who is in foal to another of Lynskey’s stallions, the Irish Sport Horse Cruising For Chics, didn’t feature in the mares’ championship where Yorkshire’s Ann Kay and Noel Collins from Drimoleague had, as their champion, the stallion master’s seven-to-14-year-old class winner Strictly Come Bouncing.

Also by Moylough Bouncer, this seven-year-old grey was bred in Co Mayo by Sean Ruane out of the Glenagyle Rebel mare Robeen Lass. Strictly Come Bouncing was shown with her second foal, her first by an Irish Draught stallion in this case Knockaleery Dancer (by Crosstown Dancer) who, to no great surprise, stands at Derryronane Stud.

The reserve champion mare was the four to six-year-old class winner, Ian Murphy’s Avas Delight, a 2014 chesnut by Clonakilty Hero out of the Golden Warrior mare Cloonalison. Bred in Co Mayo by John Lavin, Avas Delight was also winner of the Mare of the Future class ahead of Callows Ceili and DS Bounce With Me Baby.

All 20 mares who came forward were awarded premiums by Horse Sport Ireland.

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Champion foal on the day was Kilnagross Meghan (by Ballygarret Cross) who was exhibited by Clonakilty veterinary surgeon Michael McCarthy. The filly is the latest produce out of the 20-year-old Ballinrobe Boy mare Garrindruig Mol, winner of the veteran mares’ class on Saturday.

It was great to see so many young handlers in their class, one as young as 10. The winner was Claire Sheerin who was judged handling the family’s reserve youngstock champion, Callows Ceili.

No show goes without a hitch or two and the organisers found themselves short a ride judge when Lincolnshire’s Rosemary Morris had to stand down. She was show jumping when her mount was distracted by a loose pony which galloped into the arena. Morris and horse ended up in a heap of poles from which he came out with a big knee and she with a damaged pelvis. She is currently being treated at the Jack Berry Rehabilitation Centre in Yorkshire as an outpatient.

Paddy O’Donnell from Fenor valiantly stepped into the breach at the 11th hour for which the show committee owe him huge thanks. He and Co Meath veterinary surgeon David McCann had as their champion the pure-bred class winner, Ian Heffernan’s six-year-old Killcotton Cross gelding Chicago Diamond who was bred in Co Roscommon by Padraic Tully out of a Cream Of Diamonds mare.

The show could not have gone ahead without the generous sponsorship of numerous suppliers to Blarney Castle, the huge support of the local community and several Irish draught enthusiasts.

The exhibitors in their turn were full of praise for the great organisation of the classes which saw them back on the road home far earlier than they expected. This was particularly good for Liam Lynskey who didn’t have much time to get home to Swinford, unload the Draughts and fill the truck up again for Sunday’s Midlands Connemara Pony Breeders’ Show in Mullingar.

Delighted with his results at Blarney Castle, Lynskey had another take on the day. “It was a really well-run show in a stunning setting but what pleased me most was to see Damien Kenny who is national chairman of the Irish Draught Horse Breeders Association at the show while Michael Murphy, who is on the board of the IDHBA, was showing a horse.”

As busy as he was on Saturday, Lynskey will get precious little sleep next week as he has a consignment of 10 heading to the Dublin Horse Show between Draughts, Connemaras, a cob and a ridden show hunter.