ASSAGART Faithfully lived up to John Roche and his late father Michael’s tradition of supporting the Limerick Lady classes, now part of the Festival of Traditional Breeding hosted at Limerick’s annual show, when she became the Foulksmill family’s latest titleholder.

This prestigious final is intended as a showcase for traditionally-bred two-year-old fillies and former Limerick Lady finalists are then eligible to return each year for the Jim Bolger-sponsored Limerick Matron broodmare championship.

Assagart Mistress completed a unique double by winning this too for Roche. This was a back-to-back Matron title for the Kings Master nine-year-old, herself the Limerick Lady champion in 2012, and the third equine generation of Assagart champions in this championship.

Her win was described as “quite a landmark in the annals of the [Traditional Irish Horse] Association,” by Michael McEwan, one of the association’s own champions.

“To have this continuity and quality must be an acknowledgement of the foresight of those renowned horsemen, Major Jed O’Dwyer and Thady Ryan, who conceived the Limerick Lady and Matron all those years ago to promote the retention of the traditional Irish horse.

“It was also most befitting that the cup for the supreme champion should be the Lady Hemphill Memorial Cup, presented by her daughter, in memory of her mother’s long association with the traditional Irish horse.”

That supreme festival champion was none other than Assagart Faithfully with her stable companion, Assagart Mistress, standing reserve supreme for a total clean sweep for their proud owner.

Derry Rothwell’s Crosstown Dancer mare Greenhall Wishing Well was the bridesmaid for the second year in the Limerick Matron championship and her Island Commander filly Greenhall Emerald Isle was the overall foal champion in the Festival of Traditional breeding classes.

In the performance classes, Laura Kelly’s all-rounder Marley And Me, and Avena O’Keeffe’s Murph The Surf were this year’s working hunter and Derby Class winners.

Elsewhere on the Limerick Racecourse, more show ring champions included a treble for Mayo man Adrian Burke, who won the ISA All Ireland two-year-old Irish Draught filly final, this time with Cornaroya Aphrodite, by Dunsandle Diamond.

In the Limerick Show championships, Greenhall Cailin Deas won the ‘other Croker Cup’, the equally magnificent trophy awarded to the champion broodmare.

A more recent but equally-treasured cup to win is the Liam Meade Memorial Cup for the champion foal, won this year by Maeve Holohan’s Cappagh Henry Suprise, by the Irish Draught sire Cloncastle Silver Squire. The overall young horse championship went to the McDonnell family from Pallas Stud with one of the last of the Colin Diamonds.

Suzanne O’Brien and Prince of Diamond, winners of the hunter championship, with judges Michelle and Megan Connell \ Catherine Power

In the ridden horse rings, Suzanne O’Brien won the hunter championship at what is practically the Adare owner’s local show with her Carrick Diamond Lad-sired Prince Of Diamonds. The working hunter championship was a true ‘fairytale’ story ending for Deirdre Connolly, who won with Fairytale, by the late Robin de la Maison, a previous participant in the stallion parade at the festival.

Last Sunday was the final outing for many junior competitors before the school year began. Ending the main show season on a winning note were Aoibhe Ruane with her working hunter champion Clonad Rose, and Chloe Glynn’s show hunter champion Yealand Pilgrim.

At the other end of the height scale, Aine Brennan won the mini pony title with the seasoned campaigner Uppacott Xotica, while young Nathan Ruttle brought the Daresbury Cup, awarded to the leading Clare or Limerick owner in the pony section, home again.