McKee’s Dancing Queen a big hit

EVERY cloud has a silver lining and while Antonia de Burgh was disappointed not to have retained the ladies’ side saddle title at last week’s Dublin Horse Show with Gypsy Cobra Cruis, Belfast’s Andrea McKee was delighted to win on her Crosstown Dancer mare, Dancing Queen.

De Burgh, who was bidding to win the title for the third time with her 10-year-old Cobra gelding, was called in first in the original line-up but the chesnut lost that position when the final line was formed by Michele Underwood (ride) and John Keen (conformation) where he finished reserve to McKee’s mare.

Now 10, Dancing Queen was a lightweight show hunter winner here in 2013 (when she was champion mare) and 2014 (when reserve) for then owners, the McIlwaine family of Hillsborough who bred the liver chesnut out of their non-winning thoroughbred mare Fernisky Rose (by Denel).

McKee and Dancing Queen were second in the side-saddle class at Balmoral this year to Rebecca Rafter and Roanwood Mick Dundee who finished fourth at Dublin. This was immediately behind The Amarillo Kid who was ridden ‘sideways’ by Amelia Hegarty and astride by Aileen Dwyer in the racehorse to riding horse class where he finished sixth.

Moy’s Nicola Martin had no luck in the side-saddle class with partner Nicky Corr’s Cloondarone Silver but she did finish second on the five-year-old grey mare in Saturday evening’s lightweight sportsmans class to the Lawler Dust-Free Forage & Animal Bedding champion, Thomas and Hannah Galvin’s Polyanna Star.

Ridden by Hannah, the seven-year-old, another grey mare, is by the Irish Draught stallion Diamond Jackie and was bred in Co Cork by Patrick Moore out of the unraced Hampshire Marignan.

Bumble Thomas and John Gilliver’s reserve champion was the middle/heavyweight class winner, Marie and Tim Collins’s six-year-old Lancelot gelding Killaloe Lance. Bred in Co Clare by Rosemarie Stuart, the liver chesnut is out of the Ard VDL Douglas mare Killaloe Duchess who has three younger produce by the in-form Future Trend.

Rock Of Cashel riding club member Emily Sayers partnered her own seven-year-old Waldo van Dungen gelding, HSB Limited Edition, into second place at the end of a long day in the showing section.