ALL sorts of roads lead to Glenamaddy and Rio De Janiero, yet one equine link between the north Galway town and 2016 Summer Olympics host city is Loughan Glen. Ranked 15th individually in this World Breeding for Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) eventing rankings, the Irish-bred and Clark Montgomery are again tipped for the United States Olympic eventing team after their pillar-to-post win in the three-star class at Blenheim in September.

Loughan Glen’s dam Tattymacall Mustard is one of the living dams of this year’s Irish-bred WBFSH team that retained the eventing title for the Irish Sport Horse studbook. She is owned by Daragh Geraghty whose father, the late Pat, bred the best Irish-bred showjumper with an Irish rider at the Olympic Games: Carling King. The fiery chesnut, the best of his iconic sire’s many offspring, was equal-fourth at Athens with Kevin Babington, an achievement that Daragh remembers well.

“I do of course remember him jumping in the Olympics, everyone that went into the surgery knew!” he recalls, as appointments at the local surgery ran by his general practitioner father, ran late that week whenever RTÉ switched to live show jumping coverage from the Marcopoulo Stadium. Pat’s pride in Carling King, sold as a foal at Ballinasloe Fair, was matched by his infectious enthusiasm for local projects, which including the memorable Grand Prix shows at the family’s Glenamaddy Equestrian Centre. The centre is now in private use but there is a Loughan Glen link to its former stable jockey Cathal McMunn, who bought the future Olympic hopeful from his breeder.

“Cathal’s prefix is Loughan and Glen was for Glenamaddy so that’s where his name came from,” explains Daragh. “He bought him off me as a three-year-old, he had fire in him and was hardy enough to break.”

Sold later to Bob Sweeney, the Ballina dealer in turn sold him on to Jim Derwin. Loughan Glen was the second horse on the US Olympic event team, (the other was Mr Medicott, bred in Castleisland by another local GP, the late Donal Geaney) to pass through Derwin’s Athlone yard. And although lightning didn’t strike twice then for a unique Olympics breeders double for the Geraghtys, history may repeat itself next year.

“I’d hear on and off that Loughan Glen was going well and would keep an eye on him,” says Daragh who has also branched into owning Connemara ponies. “John Dermody who owns Laerkens Cascade Dawn, had 24 mares and 22 foals for sale, so I went to see them in Eyrecourt with Mike Harrington. I used to work with him [Mike] and he’s a good mate. We went up to look at just one foal but bought more for the craic, including one mare who’s a full-sister to a pony Anthony Condon used to jump.”

Remarking that the Connemara trade “seems to be picking up a bit”, Daragh, who now works as a courier driver, could be despatched on a run by Claregalway veterinary surgeon Philip McManus. “I’d be up and down to Philip with the Connemaras and he said ‘Don’t mind them! You go to Germany next year if you have to, to get semen for Limmerick because you have to get that mare in foal again’.”.

The now 17-year-old Tattymacall Mustard, with two thoroughbred crosses of Cut The Mustard and Ruffo on her dam’s side, was in foal to Lougherne Stud’s Holsteiner sire Limmerick when she was bought at Cavan sales by the Geraghtys.

“To be honest I can’t remember the gentleman’s name we bought her from, he was retiring from breeding then,” explained her new owner. In addition to Loughan Glen, foaled the following year, she has also produced Glenamaddy Z, by Aldatus Z and a Minstrel Bouncer five-year-old half-sister, retained by Daragh. “She’ll be coming in shortly and we’ll put her under [artificial] lights to get her ready early for covering,” said her owner, outlining plans to produce another Loughan Glen.

LOUGHAN GLEN

MAIN RESULTS 2015

1st: Belton CIC***

6th: Luhmuehlen CCI****

1st: Somerford Park CIC**

1st: Blenheim CCI***