THE second of this year’s qualifiers for the performance Irish Draught championship at the Dublin Horse Show took place last Saturday at Forth Mountain, just outside Wexford town.

The reigning champion, Gortfree Lakeside Lad, booked his ticket to the Ballsbridge ring when winning Section A of the six-year-old and upwards class under now regular performance partner, Linda Murphy. Fortunately, the pair won the younger horse class at Dublin last year otherwise they would have been unable to return as a combination.

Gortfree Lakeside Lad was home-bred by his Co Mayo owner Sean Barker out of a Ginger Dick mare. He is by Barker’s renowned Irish Draught stallion Gortfree Hero who had a very successful day in Co Wexford on Saturday as, at the not too distant Gorey show, five of his progeny won red rosettes and one of these, Sophie Marks’s Barbervilla Lily, went on to be champion Irish Draught broodmare in her first season in this category. She was sixth in Dublin last year in her middleweight hunter mares’ class.

It was good to see six of the 11 starters in this class jump clear. This half-dozen included Gortfree Lakeside Lad who, along with the fourth-placed Chicago Diamond, received the full 10 points for conformation.

DELIGHT

With a score of 60.5 for his work on the flat and eight points for rhythm and fluency in the Derby arena, the six-year-old grey stallion won on a total of 238.5 points which delighted not only his owner and rider but also the latter’s cousin Brian Murphy who produces the grey for the show season out of Pat Loughlin’s Gowran Hunt Horses’ yard in Co Kilkenny.

Left in the care of Linda Murphy and Samantha Cushe, Gortfree Lakeside Lad also appeared at Gorey show later in the day when he won the novice working hunter class and was reserve working hunter champion.

Second in Section A at Forth Mountain, and also qualifying for Dublin, was Ballytrim Molly (235.5), an eight-year-old mare by Ballytrim Midnight Dancer (a son of Crosstown Dancer). She was bred in Co Down by Tony Agnew out of the Come T mare Ballytrim Crystal.

The chesnut was ridden here, as is she under Eventing Ireland rules, by her Belfast owner Claire Liddle. Last month, the pair won an EI90 Amateur class at Kircubbin, while among their many placings at that level last year was fourth in the national championships at Tattersalls.

Only one horse qualified out of Section B of the older class on Saturday and that was Sinead Maher’s Boomerang Pippa who amassed 236 points under David Raeburn. The 11-year-old, who was bred in Co Cork by David O’Brien, is by Welcome Diamond out of the Coolehane Flight mare Teadies Flight. She was one of four to jump clear in this class.

Over the two sections, three horses were eliminated.

YOUNG HORSES

With one of just two clear rounds, Diarmuid Ryan landed Section A of the four and five-year-old class on Patricia Molloy’s 2014 Longwood Silver Dollar gelding Cotterstown Dollar (234.5) on which he had qualified at Scarteen.

The qualifying tickets thus went to the four-year-old Rebel Flagmount gelding Gleann Rua Spielberg (229), who jumped clear en route to finishing second under William McMahon, joint-owner of the grey along with Grace Maxwell Murphy, and Jason Dunphy’s owner-ridden five-year-old Ard Grandpa gelding Oh Grand Master (228.5) who was placed third.

Only one ticket was awarded in Section B and this went to Anne Kavanagh’s five-year-old Mountain Pearl gelding Mountain Blues who recorded the only clear round from the nine starters and completed on a total of 230.5. The bay was bred in Co Sligo by Lorcan O’Connor out of Dosley High Hopes (by On A High).

Jason Furlong finished second on the Scarteen winner Anni Flagmount (225).