CLASS honours in Friday’s Kelcor Construction cobs section went to three highly-regarded yards throughout the country but this championship also went north through the lightweight winner, Randalstown Raffles.

The five-year-old grey gelding, who was third here last year behind Shanbally The Real McCoy (second in the maxi division last week), has had a good season, taking the championship at Balmoral for Co Antrim owner Sam McAteer and rider Lesley Webb.

Paul O’Shaughnessy finished second in the class on the smart home-bred Irish Draught gelding Chantilly Chameleon, a four-year-old roan by Huntingfield Rebel out of the Creggan Emperor mare Creggans Diamond.

It was a good couple of days for the O’Shaughnessys as Paul’s wife Imelda travelled over to Stoneleigh on Saturday where she rode a former Dublin champion of theirs, The Forger, to secure a HOYS side-saddle ticket.

HEAVYWEIGHT

Ann O’Grady won the heavyweight class on eye-catching Mr Alsorts ahead of the Balmoral reserve champion and EquiFest title winner Morrows Street, a six-year-old brown gelding ridden by Jamie Smyth for Bailliesmill exhibitor Robert Morrow.

Owned by Fionnuala Moloney Carey from Croom who rode him to finish second last July, Mr Alsorts has no recorded breeding but was bred by Stephen Russell at the Atlantic Stud in Co Clare.

After the highs of 2016, the Gowran Hunt Horses team of owner Pat Loughlin and rider Brian Murphy had a mixed Dublin but here won the maxi class with the well-touted grey gelding The Peaky Blinder.

An Irish Draught like their supreme hunter champion of last year, The Peaky Blinder is a five-year-old by Rockrimmon Silver Diamond out of the Mountain Diamond mare Larigan Coolderry Diamond. He was bred in Co Mayo by Sandra Cleary Noone and Peter Noone.

Maria McNamara filled the runner-up spot on last year’s lightweight winner, the eight-year-old grey gelding Shanbally The Real McCoy. One thing for sure is that McNamara’s mounts will never be overlooked for want of a gallop as she has them well revved up coming into the corner.

The cobs were judged by Jon Trice-Rolph and Richard Mills whose champion was the lightweight Randalstown Raffles, with Murphy the reserve on The Peaky Blinder.