CORK Summer Show was blessed with fine weather and a large attendance. Saturday, as ever, was devoted to the ponies, with a full schedule of classes. Britain’s Samantha Tanner took charge of the show hunter ponies and found her champion in the open 153cm in Melanie Marnane’s Dartan’s Atom Man (Atom – Ballygraddy Girl), with Cathriona Glynn’s Castletaylor Cobrador taking reserve.

A number of champion of champions competitions, with a prize fund of €1,000 in each were held, the first was the show hunter division, judged by Patrick Traynor and Ingrid Deltaire. This saw a reverse of fortunes from the earlier championship with Castletaylor Cobrador with Allanah Glynn on board taking home the sash to the owner’s delight and Dartan’s Atom Man taking reserve.

The miniatures, definitely a favourite with the crowd, came under the scrutiny of Patrick Traynor. The mini championship went to Jenny O’Driscoll’s Glenard Bumble Bee, winner of the open lead rein. The reserve was Margaret Greene’s Mountain Ash of Glendhu.

Cork is also host to a Welsh Medal Show, where visiting French judge Ingrid Deltaire chose Aidan Williamson’s Hilin Hibiscus (Hilin Carnedd – Eyarth Sunflower) as her overall champion, with Josephine O’Driscoll’s Waitwith Wild Willow standing reserve.

Gill Glenn took charge of the morning’s Connemaras in-hand classes, where Caoilfinn O’Malley’s consistent winner Glenlo Lady (Laerkens Cascade Dawn – Lady Windsor), was shown by her father Paul to take the in-hand championship ahead of Martin O’Sullivan’s Active Beauty (Robe Earl – Active Beauty), a worthy reserve, having won a very strong Southern Connemara Group confined class.

With a €1,000 pot on offer, the Munster Agricultural Society Quest for the Best Led Connemara drew an impressive entry, with ridden judge Jane Darragh as the independent adjudicator. After some deliberation, the nod went to Alan Duggan’s Coosheen Jason (Dunloughan Troy – Coosheen Julie) to the delight of his renowned breeder Elizabeth Petch, whose Coosheen prefix is known the world over, who was on hand to see his triumph. The reserve ribbon went to Martin O’Sullivan’s Active Beauty.

In the ridden section, with a €1,000 derby completion and a qualifier for the high-performance championship at Clifden, Pauline Dahill piloted the winner in both, with Lucky Rebel and Glencairn Sixpence taking the top spots respectively.

On Sunday, it was the turn of the horses and Patrick Traynor was on duty again in the breeding stock and Irish Draught section, this time joined by Britain’s Ellen Walton. Their classes were well-filled, with the possibility of a place in The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship at the RDS bringing out some quality mares and foals. Their broodmare champion was Kieran Fahy’s Madame Noir (Kings Master – Mount Rose Furbell) who had won the lightweight class. The champion foal was PJ Lehane’s classy filly PJ’s One (Munther – PJ’s Delight).

In the later Irish Draught Championship, John and Margaret Roche’s Assagart Kingstead Fiona (Huntingfield Rebel – Kilcooney Diamond), went on to claim the innovative native breeds challenge and the Billy Cotter cup. The reserve here came from the ridden classes, in the form of Ian Heffernan’s Chicago Diamond (Kilcotton Cross – Lisnagree Diamond).

WIN FOR LEAHY

British judge Lucinda Starling had some quality stock before her and found her champion in the traditionally-bred two-year-old Craigstown Dancer (Craigsteel – Dirreen Dancer), owned by John Leahy. Her reserve was John Tyner’s yearling That’s Class Joe (KEC Maximum Joe - Mollys Diamond Strike). This section also saw a lucrative champion of champions challenge, where Patrick O’Donnell and Ellen Walton sorted the line-up. This went the way of Kieran O’Gorman’s home-bred Munther’s Bash (Munther – Brookfield Miss Lux) with John Tyner’s duo of Bullseye and Secret Weapon taking the first and second reserve placings.

Deborah Tems (ride judge) and Denise Colebrooke (conformation) had a busy day with some well-filled classes in the ridden hunter ring. Their imposing champion was James Lynch’s Laharden Lord (Lancelot – Rooling Star) who gave a superb ride for Rob Hyde in the championship.

The day ended with the qualifier for The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship. In all, nine combinations came forward, with three getting the nod to go forward to the final. These were Derry Rothwell’s Greenhall Catwalk by Mermus R and her colt foal by Dignified; PJ Lehane’s PJ’s Delight by Lux Z and her filly foal by Dignified Van’t Zorgvliet and Declan Daly’s Floating Valley by Brookfield Floating Lux and her colt foal by Munther.