WITH all eyes on Croke Park for today’s Mayo versus Tyrone GAA football final, several Mayo exhibitors scored their own All Ireland show ring wins at Roscommon. These took place last Saturday when the Irish Shows Association (ISA) condensed several national championships into a second direct entry event, following a similar day at Charleville last month.

Part of Horse Sport Ireland’s national showing series, the Roscommon gathering gave Irish Draught and sport horse owners an opportunity to win a 2021 All Ireland title from slim pickings this summer.

Roscommon normally hosts the Irish Draught yearling filly championship at its August show, held beside co-sponsor Hannons Hotel. A traditional port of call for exhibitors on show day, a ‘new normal’ sight was the now-almost obligatory marquee for outdoor dining for hotel customers.

This year’s champion is Roscrea owner John Corbett’s Clonfad Close Diamond, bred by Michael Scott. The champion is by Carrickrock Close Shave, the sire too of Oscar, one of the ‘dancing’ Garda Mounted Unit horses in the Jerusalema viral hit video. This Garda recruit was bred by Carrickrock Close Shave’s owner, Martin Donnellan.

Already a winner at the Irish Draught Horse Breeders Association (IDHBA) show in Punchestown the previous Saturday for the Corbett family, who also bred the five-star event horse Tipperary Liadhnan (Fast Silver).

Paddy McCarthy’s reserve champion was Michael Egan’s Tors Gentleman Farmer filly Cloonacauneen Sally, bred by Owen Griffin. Taking third was another Mayo owner, Dominic Cassidy’s home-bred Clonakilty Dancing Princess, by Clonakilty Hero.

Jimmy Noone’s placid colt foal, haltered for the first time last week, was the second Tors Gentleman Farmer winner of the day and is a full-brother to the Claregalway family’s 2018 All Ireland foal champion, held at its usual Ballinasloe venue. He and his Coolcronan Wood dam Crusheen Breeze were Lawrence Patterson’s champion choice in a strong Leitrim Breeders 50/50 mare-foal combination class.

The reserve champion was Padraig Bohan’s combination of Gortfadda Heigh Ho (Heigh Ho Dubh) and her Innisfree The Iron Cross filly, Gortfadda Diamond. In third place was Damien Cregg’s home-bred Montiques Carrickrock (Carrickrock Close Shave) with her Gortfree Lakeside Lad filly, Gortfree Montique.

Welcome sight

Normally hosted at Mohill Show, Bohan’s hometown show, it felt like old days at the welcome sight of Leitrim stalwarts Michael (pictured left) and Madge Casey at the ringside enjoying the feast of Irish Draught finals.

Bohan’s and Cregg’s fillies took the top two places in the All Ireland filly foal final with Ennis exhibitor PJ McNulty’s Oakland Diamond (Hollypark Diamond) in third. Gortfadda Diamond then stood overall reserve champion foal in the Irish Draught ring to James Duffy’s Kilmovee Castana.

It was a double bonus for ‘birthday boy’ Duffy as the colt foal class winner is by his own stallion Kilmovee White Hero out of the Castana dam Kilcashel Abbey. Taking the blue and yellow rosettes in the colt class were Enda Hamill’s Gweebarra Creed (Millhollow Real McCoy) and Martin Murphy’s CG Silver Prince (Barnaview Grosvenor Star) out of the 2019 Dublin mare champion Fuerty Princess.

Philip Copithorne, who had gone cub hunting that morning with the South County Farmers, before driving up from Kinsale to judge, was pleased with the standard of the foals.

“I thought we had an outstanding winner in our colt foal, lovely short shin, great knees, great depth of girth. Very hard to fault him anywhere,” he remarked. When asked if the Irish Draught was in danger of losing their trademark short shin, he replied, “big time.”

Glory for Murphy

Over in the sport horse ring, where the sun blazed down on the sport horse foal finals, another Mayo win took place after Duffy’s opening score when Martin Murphy’s wife Mary won the All Ireland filly championship with CG Blaze Of Glory.

“88% thoroughbred, she was born on June 1st and has a super temperament. Our Power Blade mare [Castlemeadow Mildred] has never failed us yet, a great breeding mare and we used Loughahoe Guy with her in the hopes of making it to Breeders’ Championship, but sadly it didn’t happen.

“Next year we would love to march the green with her as a yearling in the seek of glory. We will probably keep her on as a broodmare,” said Mary about the filly with her distinctive blaze, adding: “With one All Ireland under the belt this year, the Murphy men are hoping for another on Saturday when their men from the west are put to the test in Croke Park.”

Relocated from Moate, there was a half-dozen fillies in this final and Siobhan Madden, another Cork judge to have an early start, selected Adrian Shoer’s Miss Castle Quality (Lagans OBOS Quality) and P.J Glynn’s Crannaghmore Candy Cane (Sligo Candy Boy) as her reserve and third-placed foals.

As with the Irish Draught foal final, an overall sport horse foal championship takes place at the usual host show Mountbellew. Liam Cotter’s overall champion this year was Frank Redmond’s smart colt. By Donal Goland’s 2011 Croker Cup winner Financial Reward, the champion’s breeding is an all-Ballinglen Stud affair.

His dam Eastern Rebel, bought as a hunter mare by her Redcross owner, is by Financial Reward’s stable companion Rebel Mountain. The colt will now join them as he was snapped up months ago by Goland.

Second place in the colt foal class went to two long-time exhibitors Patrick O’Connor and John Roche with their Cavern Hill Awesome (Awesome Star) and Assagart Legend (Lansdown) respectively.

The reserve traditional foal title went to Michael Dooner’s filly, another of the day’s champions by Loughehoe Guy. Out of her Athlone owner’s prolific Dunkerrin Grey Mist mare Vanity Fare, she is a full-sister to several All Ireland traditional foal champions.

John Roche picked up more diesel money with Assagart Fame & Glory (Jack The Robin) in second while CG Blaze of Glory settled for third in the filly foal section.

With the triumphant Duffys on their way home for the afters of a wedding and the Goland/Redmond convoy planning a pit stop to celebrate on the way home to Wicklow, there was a glimmer, as the alternative All Ireland finals day ended last Saturday, of the old show scene.