WILL another name ever be added to the Croker Cup?

The cup itself is older than the Dublin Horse Show and was originally donated by “the late Edward Croker, Esq, Ballinagarde, Co Limerick” to be presented to the champion thoroughbred stallion. The prestige of winning it was immeasurable to connections. Advertisement wording for previous champions proudly included ‘Winner of the Croker Cup’ and the sight of thoroughbred stallions prancing around Ring 1 was an iconic horse show image.

Yet, despite the best efforts of both the RDS and the Stallion Owners Society in recent years, the class has faltered.

Times have changed. Browsing old horse show catalogues in the wonderful resource that is the RDS Library, a page containing Coras Iomphar Eireann (CIE) details caught my eye. CIE even set up an office in the RDS grounds where owners could make or change transport arrangements for their horses back in the 1960s. Including stallions.

The 1960s catalogues also delivered what must surely be a vintage year in the Croker Cup’s history: 1969.

Included in an entry list of no less than 19 are such household names as Abraham Bourne’s Ardfert, Paddy Byrne’s Bahrain, Richard Dreelan’s Comefast, Walter Kent’s Harrigan, F.J Kilkenny’s Impeder and Matthew Woodroofe’s Prince Riza.

Ardfert was the sire of Lucinda Green’s brilliant Village Gossip and Bahrain, who was to win two years later, produced top flight show jumpers including Chainbridge, Next Warren Point, Raffles Airborne and Kilcoltrim from the Army Equitation School.

Another of their recruits was the brilliant Rockbarton, sired by Comefast; Harrigan appears in the foundation of Carmel Ryan’s show jumping line that produced Vagabond King and Clover Flush.

Impeder became well-known as a sire of show jumpers in the 1970s and Prince Riza is the maternal grandsire of the Betty Parker-bred Ballaseyr Twilight, who won the 2000 Dublin Grand Prix with Cameron Hanley.

Anthony Moloney, one of six Clare owners to win the Croker Cup in this timeframe, was victorious with Audience that year and would follow up in 1970; Mick O’Toole’s Love And Marriage had won in 1965 and William Hatton’s Royal Graney finally pulled off his win in 1977.

TREBLE

If you were to pick one year to symbolise quality and quantity at its peak, it would have to be 1969.

Park House Stud’s Paddy Byrne had the best strike rate amongst owners in this ‘50 year snapshot’ as his Bold Lad stallion Billies Bank scored a hat-trick from 1986 to 1988. Others to record trebles were Denis Maher, from Templemore with El Teide, by Final Problem (1974-1976), and John P Duffy with Chilon (1961-1963).

1969 was a vintage year for Croker Cup entries at the RDS

John’s nephew Pat was to bring the Croker Cup back to Longford in 1993 when he won with Nad Elsheba and two more family connections were the father-and-son double recorded by Willie Woodroofe and Richard for their Raheenmore Stud pair of Blue Laser (1978) and Colourfield (1992).

Ballynoe Castle RM, the top points scorer in US eventing history, features Blue Laser as his damsire, while Colourfield was a useful eventing sire, as well as producing Dessie Gibson’s Laidlaw Cup young horse champion, Mystery Man (2001).

Paddy Joe Foy won with the Bord na gCapall stallion Fast Frigate in 1981, while son Padraic and wife Valerie owned the 2004 champion Spirit House.

Dermot Gordon’s millennium winner Moot Point brings Mayo’s recent tally to three and, surprisingly for a county once renowned for thoroughbred stallions, Cork records just one win in these years, courtesy of Ray Cahalane’s Painters Row (2009).

Wexford leads the way with no less than 10 Croker Cup wins, of which Jay Bowe’s dual winner Sky Boy (sire of Iris Kellett’s Skylight and the phenomenal event sire Kiltealy Spring), and Ballygrangan Stud’s Power Blade are regarded as the most noted producers of performers.

Judges changed considerably over the years with military titled-judges being replaced by others such as Sam Barr (1996), Henrietta Knight (1999), Albert Voorn (2002) and Bo Helander (1991).

Whether Lady Carolyn Warren and David Redvers are the last names on the judges list and John Varley’s Elusive Emir remains as the final on the Croker Cup roll of honour will be seen next year.

Or maybe the thoroughbred stallion class will be consigned to an era of made polo ponies, novice show hacks and archaic notions, such as horses travelling to the Dublin Horse Show by train.

Sincere thanks to the RDS Librarian Gerard Whelan for his assistance with this article

BY THE NUMBERS

10 - Wexford-owned winners.

2 - Croker Cups. Another is presented to the champion broodmare at Limerick Show.

£30 - Prizemoney won by Anthony Moloney’s Audience in 1969.

CROKER CUP ROLL OF HONOUR

YEAR STALLION OWNER

2015 Elusive Emir John Varley

2014 * –

2013 * –

2012 * –

2011 Financial Reward Donal Goland

2010 ** –

2009 Painters Row Ray Cahalane

2008 Watermill Swatch Ivor Broderick

2007 Lakeshore Road Padraig & Sinead Leacy

2006 Riyalan Noel Russell

2005 Power Blade Paddy Byrne

2004 Spirit House Padraic & Valerie Foy

2003 * –

2002 Nero Astaire Daphne Scholts & Joe O’Toole

2001 Accondy Summerhill Stud

2000 Moot Point Dermot Gordon

1999 Frankfort Boy Norman Kearney

1998 Jacksons Drift Clara View Stud