AT just three weeks old, these two beauties are enjoying life at Ballymoney Park Stud in Kilbride, Co Wicklow, under the watchful eye of breeder Claire McDonnell.

Their dam is the recently retired Grand Prix-winning Irish Sport Horse mare Mo Chroi, who jumped for Ireland until August 2014.

The two embryo transfer filly foals are both by Diamant De Semilly (SF) and were pictured enjoying their first rays of sun on Wednesday by RDS researcher Marcus O’Donnell.

Campaigned with great success by the Army Equitation School, Mo Chroi (by Cruising) retired at the age of 17 last year at the RDS but not before the great performer pulled it out of the bag one last time to win the Speed Championship at Dublin in a fitting farewell to her international show jumping career.

Her late sire was also pictured with his famous winning daughter where the appreciative RDS crowd gave both a great reception.

“This is a very good family with international performers in every generation. Among Mo Chroi’s highlights were being part of a winning Nations Cup team and winning the Dublin Grand Prix. Her dam, Into The Blue’s brother was on the Canadian Olympic team and was the youngest horse to compete in the three-day eventing at Atlanta in 1996. Mo Chroi’s granddam was a half-sister to Doon Clover who also competed at Grand Prix level,’’ said O’Donnell.

More embryos

Claire McDonnell plans to take more embryos from Mo Chroi, choosing the sire Kannan for the next foals. She also has two full sisters to Mo Chroi and a half-brother by Guidam, the stallion Midnight Blue, currently competing at 1.35m level with Damien Doyle.