Margie McLoone

PREVIEW SIDE SADDLE

ANTONIA de Burgh was unable to defend her title in the ladies’ side saddle class at Dublin last year but returns with the 2016 champion Cobra Gypsy Cruis with whom she is also contesting the older lightweight working hunter class on Sunday. De Burgh and her nine-year-old chesnut gelding by Cobra won a well-filled ladies’ side-saddle class at the Tattersalls July Show where, in second, was Lisa O’Gorman on the eight-year-old Emperor Augustus grey, Redwood Silver Slipper with the show’s coloured horse champion, Beth Murray’s Kit N Kaboodle, in third.

Claire Connors decided not to qualify the 2015 champion, Rehy What A Star, this year (sticking to the middleweights with the eight-year-old Harlequin du Carel gelding), but Lyndsey O’Brien will do battle with her 15-year-old Olympic Lux gelding Mr Shakespeare who was fourth last August. Suzi McClean has qualified with her husband Gareth’s eight-year-old Supreme Ginger gelding LC Lion King.

Maria McNamara rides the seven-year-old Glid Uibhall gelding Shanbally Huntsman in the ladies’ class and has qualified the six-year-old Pride Of Meath gelding Shanbally Legacy for the intermediate side saddle championship.

There, among others, she will meet Rachel Moore who rides Sean McKenna’s five-year-old bay Cappa Cassanova gelding Birchill Cassanova with whom she has enjoyed a very successful season here and in Britain. This intermediate class was won last August by Robyn Catterall on Mike Lewis’s multiple winner Carnsdale Irish Times, a nine-year-old gelding by Murphys Irish Diamond, and they too have been enjoying winning form here and overseas this term. The ladies’ side saddle class, (Ring One, Thursday) will be judged by Michaela Bowling and Ann Shirley Hooley, with the former taking sole charge of the intermediate class just after noon on Sunday.