THE old adage of ‘after bad luck, comes great luck’ rang true for both Liam Lynskey and Danny Molloy in the Irish Draught mare classes last Thursday.

Lynskey had a mishap on the way to Dublin last year when the reigning champion Strictly Come Bouncing was injured en route, while Molloy had lost his lovely Baltydaniel Silver Queen with colic just before last year’s Show.

Both had a complete change of fortune when they topped their respective divisions of the senior mare class, which had attracted a very healthy 29 entries this year. The downside of the extra class meant it was 8.02pm before the final class, for part-bred foals, was won by Glandore owner Mary McCarthy by her colt with his alternative combination of Kannan and Coolcronan Wood bloodlines. “My husband said I should cover her with something good!” laughed Mary.

Lynskey’s DS Silver Lining’s second place was an additional bonus as the Pikatchu filly was named after she survived the accident in-utero.

Earlier the Derryronane Stud owner’s day in the Parkytext-sponsored classes got off to a good start with DS Bounce With Me Baby, by his own Moylough Bouncer, placing second to Padraig Bohan’s Coolcronan Wood-sired Gortfadda Ruby Kingdom. This winner was bred in West Cork by Sean Scannell.

Standing third was another Westmeath exhibitor in Aidan Flanagan’s Goldsmithcountry Mon Cheri, by another Grange Bouncer son Moylough Bouncer.

Lynskey edged closer to the championship when he won the first division of the senior class with Sean Ruane’s Strictly Come Bouncing, which he produces for her Foxford owner. “She lives up at the top of the Ox Mountain and when the showing season is over, that’s where she goes back to with Sean,” he said.

The ‘Westmeath Brigade’ were once again out in force in this class with P.J Glynn’s second-placed Crannagh Rivie, by Sir Rivie and John Bracken’s Uibh Fhaile Duchess, who produced last year’s champion foal, a Scrapman filly, in third.

In the other senior division, Danny Molloy’s Clogheen Jenny stood top of a strong line-up, including last year’s champion John and Mary Margaret Roche’s Assagart Kingstead Fiona, by Huntingfield Rebel, in second. Aidan Flanagan’s yellow ribbon run continued with his Scrapman-sired Goldsmithcountry Ma Belle in third.

By Fast Silver, the seven-year-old Jenny is out of his original show mare Hawklands Blue Heather, bought in the UK by the young Draught enthusiast instead of his first car. The Athlone owner’s parents decision to catch a later train paid off when they were present to watch Clogheen Jenny being selected by Yorkshire judge Ann Kay and the Hanoverian Verband’s Ulrich Hahne as their reserve mare champion.

It was Mayo’s day though as Ruane and Lynskey received the Eileen Parkhill salver when Strictly Come Bouncing recorded her second Dublin championship win.

“I’ve never judged classes like them, they were outstanding,” commented Kay. “It was a really good experience for me,” added the German judge, who felt the same correct conformation basics applied across the board when assessing livestock.

In the purebred foal classes, they opted for Caroline Myers’s colt, by the Class 4 stallion Baltydaniel Romeo and second-placed Dermot O’Brien’s Stonepark Ranger, by Castlegar Fingrove as their champion and reserve foals. P.J Glynn’s Scrapman daughter won the filly division James Hoare’s Dowdstown Gabby, by last year’s champion stallion Carrabawn Cross, in second place.