THIS year’s Irish Draught mare classes had already caused a stir with the RDS new online entries system seeing some prospective entrants watchign from the sidelines and calls for the introduction of qualifiers in future years.

Absent was last year’s champion, Sean Ruane’s Strictly Come Bouncing, however it still turned out to be a good day for her connections and Moylough Bouncer. It was also a new departure for visiting German judge Maren Schlender, who had done her advance homework.

“Of course they are different in type [Irish Draughts and Hanoverians], they move different and have a different look but in the end it’s the same conformation traits we look at. We look at correctness, big shoulders, nice expression, breed type and I had a look at the breeding goal of the Irish Draught and I noticed they do exactly the same as us with linear scoring so it is not really different from what I do,” she added.

She and Thurlow Hunt joint-master Nigel Peel made no changes in the initial line-up in the opening class, with their Mayo top-three of Liam Lynskey’s DS Bounce With Me Baby, Ian Murphy’s Ava’s Delight and Adrian Burke’s Cloonacauneen Red Robin staying in the same order for the ribbons.

Second last year, DS Bounce With Me Baby is by Lynskey’s own stallion Moylough Bouncer and was bred in Co Roscommon by Brendan Duffy. Also through to the championship was Ian Murphy’s four-year-old, by Clonakilty Hero.

Seventeen, instead of last year’s mammoth 29 entries, lined out in the senior mare class, again sponsored by parkbytext. Still one of the most majestic sights in the Dublin ring, this year’s class was won by the 2015 reserve champion Holycross Grace, from the last of the great Holycross’s crops. Eddie Murphy’s home-bred six-year-old swapped places at the top of the line-up with last year’s reserve champion Danny Molloy’s Clogheen Jenny, with the Fast Silver mare moving to third in the final result.

Slotting into second place was Enda Hamill’s Blue Rajah mare Dreamtime Mayfie, matching her dam Rosetown Annie’s result in this class 15 years ago. She was bred by Mary McGrath whose good luck card, left at Hamill’s stable paid off. Dreamtime Mayfie, a winner at Dublin as a foal, also produced another bonus for her Letterkenny owner when her Millhollow Real McCoy filly Gweebarra Realta won both her purebred class and was the reserve foal champion.

CHAMPION FOAL

This year’s champion foal was Lifford owner Gillian Devenney with her May-foaled colt by Moylough Bouncer. He is out of Glensmill JLo’s Silver Star, one of the last by Agherlow and had herself placed second as a foal at Dublin.

Devenney’s foal was making only his second showring appearance having won at Omagh on his previous outing and stood top of his Dublin class, ahead of Ian Murphy’s second blue ribbon winner of the day, his Carrigfadda Troy foal entry.

Holycross Grace became the next name to be added to the Eileen Parkhill salver after she won the overall Draught mare championship, ahead of her younger Mayo neighbour and rival DS Bounce With Me Baby. “It was a very strong group, she [Holycross Grace] was just impressive; her outline, temperament, she was very correct with big lines which I like,” said Schlender.

The part-bred Draught foal attracted three entries with the red rosette going to James Duffy’s Diamond Discovery filly, out of the Moylough Bouncer dam Kilmovee White Savannah.