Hunter section
CREIGHTONS are once again sponsoring the hunter section of next week’s Balmoral show where the weight classes and championships will be judged in Horse Ring 1 on Wednesdays with the champions and reserves going through to the supreme judging in the Main Arena early the following afternoon.
This season, the weight divisions have been divided into four- and five-year-olds and six-year-olds and upwards. Five geldings have been entered in the younger heavyweight division which will be the first class to come before Lancashire’s Michaela Bowling and Co Tipperary’s Conor Higgins.
Four of these were foaled in 2016 while the sole four-year-old is Daphne Tierney’s Bloomfield Distinction, an OBOS Quality 004 bay who competed successfully on the British showing season this year while rider/producer, Jane Bradbury was sidelined with a broken collarbone.
There are six older heavyweights catalogued including Terry Johnston’s six-year-old Pollux de Muse Z gelding Mr Ramsey who was second in his class and reserve champion in his weight division in 2019.
Among the 10 younger middleweights are three four-year-olds who qualified for the Connolly’s Red Mills hunter champion of champions final at Killossery Lodge Stud last month: Benson & Chapman’s Sleehaun Dancer (by Numero Cruise), Roisin Drury’s Ballarin Fionn (by Mountain Diamond) and Kieran Ryan’s Master Plan (by Scrapman). A five-year-old who was at the final and has been entered for next week is Olly Stiley’s Golden Master gelding, Gone To Ground.
There are some well-known horses among the 10 six-year-olds and upwards middleweights catalogued such as Hilary Gibson’s Tullynagee Applejack (by Porsch), Richard Iggulden’s Its The Kings Speech (by Kings Master) and Angus McDonnell’s Statesman (by Ricardo Z). Also entered is Michael McGaffin’s Greenhall Rock And Roll (by Greenhall) who, with a pole down show jumping, was 10th of 30 in the EI100 national championship last Sunday.
Buoyant entries
There are 15 entries in the four- and five-year-old lightweight class which should attract those looking for both performance horses and show hunters.
Two four-year-old sons of OBOS Quality 004 are catalogued: Emily McGowan’s Quality Choice and Declan O’Neill’s Ratheoin Quality Imp. Nicola Perrin has entered her Radolin gelding Killycloghan Rustic Times while also returning from his stint in England is Daphne Tierney’s Bloomfield President, a grey home-bred gelding by Emperor Augustus.
Kieran Ryan’s Castleforbes Lord Lancer seven-year-old Symphony, who was crowned Connolly’s Red Mills hunter champion of champions at Killossery Lodge Stud last month, is the only mare in the six-year-old and upwards lightweight class.
Bowling and Higgins are also judging Wednesday’s small hunter classes, which have attracted 21 entries between them including the 2019 champion, Kerry Finlay’s 12-year-old Glen Bar gelding, Shanbally Ronaldo, and Nicola Perrin’s five-year-old For Pleasure mare, For Love, ridden horse champion at Killossery. Glenallen Homes will present £50 to the connections of the best turned-out horse in each of the hunter classes.
Bowling will join forces with Co Mayo’s Philippa Scott to judge Thursday’s early morning North Down Marquees ladies’ astride class and the later Balmoral Classic side saddle class sponsored by Botanica International. Between times, the pair are also judging the sole Event Technical Services riding horse class with Scott being judge of Wednesday afternoon’s Bluefrog coloured horse class.
Friday’s Eventsec cob section, which will be judged by Fife’s Morag Snow and Julia Furness from Berwickshire, has attracted just 23 entries. There are nine in the maxi class including Pat Loughlin’s much-beribboned nine-year-old Rockrimmon Silver Diamond gelding The Peaky Blinder who was reserve champion here in 2019.