IT may not have been a heatwave but the weather gods were kind to Athlone Agricultural Show last Sunday when attracted a bumper attendance estimated to be up by 80% on recent years. With over 500 entries listed in the equine catalogue, all classes were well supported in the ridden, in-hand, Connemara and working hunter sections.

The first class was the RDS Breeders’ championship qualifier and, after much deliberation, judges Alistair Pim and George Chapman selected Derry Rothwell’s Greenhall Diamond Lady and her colt foal by Island Commando, Julie Radden’s Rose Garland and her filly foal by Dignified, and Paddy Gildea’s Grove Hill Heather and her colt foal by Lancelot.

Athlone Show was privileged to have Henrettia Knight as a member of the judging panel. Knight, best known for her Cheltenham Gold Cup wins with the famous Best Mate, judged the RDS Racehorse to Riding Horse qualifier with Denis McGrath. The class was hotly contested and in the end Kate McMahon’s chesnut mare Via Del Corso, recently scanned in foal to Gamut, stood top of the line.

Both went on to judge the non-Thoroughbred broodmares and young stock classes. It was Tiernan Gill’s day when his three-year-old filly Flogas Liquer, by Last Web, was selected as champion young horse, adding the Athlone Championship to her two-year-old All Ireland title.

Reserve champion went to Robert Davis’ two-year-old gelding Corran Emperor, by Emperor Augustus. Martin Murphy’s nine-year-old chesnut Power Blade mare was champion broodmare. Champion Foal went to Gerard Sweeney’s Irish Draught filly by the dual-purpose RDS champion Gortfree Hero and out of the Crosstown Dancer mare My Carrick Dolly, who also took the Irish Draught championship.

Knight complemented the excellent entries and high standards in all the classes. “There were some very good individuals and a very worthy champion in the young horse section. This is a gorgeous filly with a lovely head and a great outlook,” she said.

One of the main feature classes within the Irish Draught section was the mare and foal Breeders championship and, with a prize fund of €1,000, this class was weighted towards the foal. Judges Rufina Mullin and Michael Duignan selected Danny Molloy’s Fast Silver mare Clogheen Whirlwind and her colt foal by Gortfree Hero.

RIDDEN CHAMPION

Large entries in the ridden classes left judges Liam Cotter and Brian Murphy with a tough decision to make in the champion ridden hunter. They finally selected Ger Murphy’s Frankie, by Captain Clover and ridden by Andrea Finnegan, while Tom McNamara’s Shanbally Acton Man, ridden by Maria McNamara stood reserve.

Increasingly popular every year, Athlone hosted the intermediate and ladies side saddle RDS qualifiers, following the cancellation of Galway County show. Grace Maxwell Murphy, Thomasina O’Reilly and Alicia Devlin Byrne all booked their ticket for Dublin.

The Connemara classes were well supported in the not the ridden and in-hand sections. Kieran McGraths Hazelrock Colleen was victorious in the elite mare Championship, ridden by Evan McGrath. The supreme champion pony was Robbie Fallon’s Cashelbay Prince, ridden by Michael Harty.

The ever popular working hunter ring continued well into the evening and Alicia Devlin Byrne was crowned champion with her prolific winner King Flagmount. Finally, Ger Murphy’s Frankie was crowned Supreme Horse of the Show.