NOW just one win behind his stable companion Cappa Cassanova, Jimmy Quinn’s Cappa Aristocrat claimed his second Dublin title last Friday.

Some 12 stallions were on parade the previous day as the popular curtain-raiser to the Irish Draught mare classes, and 11 returned to Ring 1 the following afternoon for judging in the parkbytext-sponsored decider. One absentee was John Bracken’s Scrapman, who has been sold to Mexico.

Norwegian equine vet Per Martens and Heather Milner were tasked with judging this title, which went westwards again as they chose the eight-year-old Cappa Aristocrat as the new champion. This was a second Dublin title for the eye-catching grey who was champion here in 2017 and also recorded two reserve champion places (2015, 2018).

He was bred in Laurencetown, Co Galway, by Pascal Claffey and spent this season at stud in nearby Kylemore Stud, alongside Cappa Cassanova, following his owner’s move to Shanghai to work on a major equestrian centre project.

By Star Kingdom and out of the Carrabawn View mare Bellview Golden Girl, Aristocrat has now edged one championship result closer to Cassanova’s Dublin triple crown result.

“He was the total picture and with his presence, he was stealing your eye all the time,” remarked Martens. “I have no connection to Irish Draughts at all but we have Draught horses in Norway, so they are a foundation breed too,” he added.

Pat Hoare’s Moylough Legacy continues to climb the Dublin placings each year and the seven-year-old, bred by John Gilboy, capped an excellent week for his connections with the reserve title. By Carrabawn Cross out of the Castana dam, Ardcarne Vilamear, the athletic liver chesnut is the sire of this year’s champion Irish Draught foal at Dublin, owned by Pat’s brother James Hoare.

West of the Shannon

Another western family having a Dublin to remember was Martin and Mary Murphy. The Swinford couple were already celebrating after Mary’s Fuerty Princess won the Irish Draught mare title the previous evening.

Her Carrigfada Troy took third place in the stallion class. Bred in Louisburgh by the Traditional Irish Horse Association treasurer Jim Cooke and his wife Lynn Fitzpatrick, he is by the former Dublin champion Grosvenor Lad.

The ‘West of the Shannon’ Irish Draught owners kept this class alive as the next two places were also filled by Connacht-owned stallions. Paddy Scarry’s veteran Mountain Diamond was always set to catch this pair of judges’ attention with his movement and the 17-year-old son of another previous winner in Welcome Diamond placed fourth.

Sean Barker’s Gortfree Hero bowed out at Dublin last year after finally capturing a third Dublin title. His successor, the Barker’s home-bred Gortfree Lakeside Lad finished fifth before going on to win the working hunter championship on the closing day, another title to add to his dual performance Irish Draught wins. Completing the western whitewash was Matt Loughnane’s Dunsandle Diamond, the eye-catching roan by Coolcronan Wood, based at Eamon and Gladys McArdle’s Drumhowan Stud.