Susan Finnerty

ALTHOUGH Thomastown’s horse classes fell victim to the weather, Newmarket-on-Fergus pressed ahead with their schedule last Sunday but heavy overnight rain put paid to their lunging classes.

Another hazard for the early shows is a clash with exams for some younger exhibitors. However, Hannah Phillips’ decision to leave the schoolbooks aside paid off when the Leaving Cert student won the supreme pony title with her intermediate champion Wonderful Every Day.

Bred by Susanne Macken and owned by Hannah’s mother Lucy Townsley, it was the Clover Brigade six-year-old mare’s first showring outing. Third and seventh in their two Eventing Ireland outings at Kilguilkey House and Millstreet in their EI90 amateur classes, the pair’s plans include the Dublin small event horse and working hunter classes.

Standing reserve supreme was Bronheulog Sunny Boy, Liam Ruttle’s good winner from last season for his daughter Carol. Sourced near Liverpool, he won the show hunter championship ahead of Leana Bartelink’s Connemara veteran Poulcoin Spirit and had also stood reserve in the starter stakes championship decider. This was won by Claire Crawford’s home-bred dun mare Ardfry Sarabi, who doubled up with the working hunter tricolour.

A number of Balmoral-bound horses were entered in the horse show classes. These included Tiernan Gill’s Walk In The Park, winner of the yearling class at last year’s RUAS show. The Sir Shutterfly gelding was bought as a foal at Cavan sales from his Castleblayney breeder, Anthony Connolly.

Gill’s Balmoral hope won a strong two-year-old class to book his place in the young horse championship, won last year by Dan O’Connor’s Newmarket Joy. He placed third this year to another Billy Daly-bred contender, Kilmastulla Newmarket Spartacus, now owned by Michael and Rachel Lyons, with John Ahern’s Dream Boy gelding slotted into second.

John Roche opted for Walk In The Park as his champion with Lyons’ three-year-old by Annie Clover’s sire Newmarket Venture in reserve. The winner of The Irish Field Breeders Championship at Dublin last year with his Clare buy, Assagart My Only Hope, Roche has now thrown his hat into judging.

He and ride judge Melanie Horsman then judged the ridden classes with Brian Cleary’s Cougar entry winning the open class; Kate McMahon’s Inis Faith won the small hunter class and Tony Purcell’s 2014 cob class winner Loughmore Danny brought off a back-to-back double.

Suzanne Acres’ Ballykeppogue Ultimate Confessions won the miniature horse tricolour, ahead of Yvonne Harrington’s Kwaimoon Sinner In Silk.