DUBLIN stallion classes always attract a crowd of both interested breeders and fascinated onlookers. With so much discussion about the need to retain thoroughbred blood within the Irish Sport Horse herd, the return of the Croker Cup was a timely opportunity for stallion owners and interested breeders.

Both Thursday’s initial parade and the judging of this class the following day, by Somerset breeder Michael Cook and Kentucky-based James Keogh, attracted a large audience. Although it attracted the minimum half-dozen entries, it was an excellent showcase for the six thoroughbred stallions, with each looking a picture and a credit to the five owners who salvaged this class after a three-year absence.

Colour-wise, John Varley’s snow-white Centennial stood out from the pack and the 14-year-old is based at his Coolfin House Stud in Clonbur, alongside the 2015 Croker Cup champion, Elusive Emir. The two other Galway entries were Tommy McMahon’s Glen Moss, approved at this year’s Horse Sport Ireland inspections at Cavan and based at his Craughwell owner’s Parkroe Stud, and Galway Equine Clinic veterinary surgeon Felim MacEoin’s Road To Happiness, making a return visit to Ring 1.

Gladys and Eamon McArdle were the lynchpins of this class, which went ahead due to their two entries: the German-bred Lucarelli, by High Chaparral, and Primary, another Giants Causeway son and Cavan graduate.

Although several of the stallions, including the most recent approval Glen Moss, were first seen in public at the Cavan inspections, Dublin’s Ring 1 and August is the ideal showcase for these stallions. Steady footfall to the stallion boxes and reports of bookings for next season were further reward for owners bringing their horses to Dublin.

Darsi champion

Under the ‘one winner’ format, the stallion who claimed the exquisite Croker Cup trophy this year was James O’Donovan’s Darsi. Now standing at his Gortnamona Stud in Schull since he acquired him from Paddy Kinsella, O’Donovan reports that the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) winner covered 46 mares since his arrival from Beeches Stud in Tinahely.

“I was absolutely thrilled to see it back at Dublin, it was a very good class,” said the judge, Michael Cook, afterwards. “There wasn’t one that I thought ‘I don’t like it’, they were a lovely bunch. We were looking for a blood stallion that you could see being used on a half-bred mare to produce a show horse and he [Darsi] was that. I would use himself on a mare, he was very smart.”

Their 16-year-old champion was bred in France by the Aga Khan and is by Polish Precedent out of the Darshaan mare Darashandeh. “The most important thing was to get the class back,” said Jimmy O’Donovan afterwards. “That’s why we brought him six hours from west Cork.”

While the stallion parade the previous day benefitted from Dermot Forde’s commentary, the actual class had none and ringside onlookers were unsure which stallion had won, until Darsi was announced as the winner. Hopefully this year’s revival is the first of many and with the ‘one winner’ format looking set to continue, perhaps a better prize giving system would be to present each stallion with their commemorative rosette first, before calling forward the champion to receive the Croker Cup.