ALTHOUGH billed by its dynamic show chairman Michael Slattery as the country’s youngest agricultural show, Clarecastle has, in just three years, quickly established itself as a top event.

Lucrative championships, an All Ireland final, an innovative young handler class format now used as a template and its trademark attention to detail are some reasons to welcome this show’s renaissance after the lapse of its predecessor, the Clarecastle gymkhana.

The All Ireland colt foal final, sponsored by Ennis Municipal Authority, is an excellent fit at this autumn show where judges Denis McGrath and Maurice Wafer had 11 contenders gathered on last Saturday’s Indian Summer afternoon.

Derry Rothwell’s recent run of breeding success continued after Dublin when the Tinahely farmer won another All Ireland colt foal title. His most recent win in this championship was back in 2013 with a Mermus R colt at the final’s previous home at Ballinasloe and this year’s champion, on traditional lines, is by Island Commander.

This Giants Causeway son was also the sire of the Rothwell-bred Greenhall Treasure Island, the recent Dublin young horse champion for Dessie Gibson, who was on the Clarecastle sidelines scouting for next year’s string.

However, this champion was already snapped up at Athlone Show by Robert Splaine and, in an added bonus for his Wicklow connections, is the first foal of Greenhall Violet, by their own stallion Greenhall, by Crosstown Dancer out of their star mare Cailin Deas.

Moving up from sixth place to take the reserve champion title on a field day for West Cork raiders was Kieran O’Gorman’s colt by his thoroughbred sire Munther and out of the Lux Z mare Brookfield Royale.

Paddy and Richard Gildea’s colt from the first crop of Lagans OBOS Quality out of the Lancelot mare Cranny Miss Lancelot retained his third place and coincidentally, it was at this show 12 months ago that Richard had spotted and bought this mare.

Swapping places from the preliminary line-up with Rothwell’s colt was Declan Daly’s Simba, another colt by Munther, and even the best turned out award was ferried in that evening’s convoy back to West Cork when Patrick O’Sullivan won this prize.

WINNING STREAK

Another on a winning streak since Dublin is PJ Lehane and a week after her Munther filly won the All Ireland title at Moate, it was the turn of her Lux Z dam P.J’s Delight. She added €1,200 to her winnings after a profitable win in the Banner Broodmare Championship for her Clonakilty owner and the same pair had also won the foal and broodmare titles, judged earlier in the day by Liam Cotter and Paddy Joe Foy.

Fortunately, all the other classes held on the Clarecastle GAA grounds had finished promptly to allow an ample-sized showring for another feature event in a county renowned for breeding good horses.

Eighteen entries lined out in this Banner broodmare showcase, attracted by a generous prize fund put up by the ‘Friends of Clarecastle Show’ sponsors.

Kieran Fahey’s Madam Noir has already produced this year’s Coote Cup champion at Dublin, Yvonne Pearson’s Kief Queen B and the Kings Master mare had her own place in the limelight when she was Tim Carey and Joe O’Donoghue’s reserve champion choice.

Foiling a total West Cork whitewash was Breid and Abbie Shannon’s Travelling Solo, by The Traveller, previously part of Katie Jerrram’s string.

Not only did each exhibitor get a tot of whiskey to take home but another welcome touch was a draw for free nominations to five stallions: Paris Blue Merelsnest Z, Denounce, Triomphe De Muze, Chello III and Scrapman, donated by Peter Glynn, Cyril Conway, The Stallion Company and Paul and Joanne Maguire, respectively.

Deirdre Connolly, Derry Rothwell, Sheelagh Barry, Kathleen Pearse and Terence Leonard were the lucky mare owners to have some of their 2019 sires sorted when their names were pulled from the hat.

ANOTHER BULLSEYE

The same judges had judged the morning’s young horse classes where they stayed with their three-year-olds by selecting John Tyner’s Bullseye as champion and then Michael and Rachel Lyons’ Kilmastulla Mr Brixton, second in his class to Tyner’s Orestus gelding, as their reserve.

Bred by Michael Hogan, Bullseye was the reserve champion three-year-old at Dublin for his Kinsale owner and had a busy morning as he was borrowed by Aidan Williamson for the last of the Horse Sport Ireland young handler qualifiers.

INNOVATIVE APPROACH

Clarecastle’s innovative approach – by having last year’s exhibitors produce a video on their phone about their entry and discuss its breeding and markets with the judge – is now used as the template for the HSI model.

Philip Scott and Lanaken-bound Andrew Hughes were the judges for the last opportunity to qualify for the final at the upcoming National Ploughing Championships.

“It’s a fantastic concept, the aim is to show a horse to a client and the video aspect is to show they can actually sell a horse to us,” Hughes said, adding: Some of the younger ones lacked a little confidence in the beginning but they actually got better as the class went by.

“So I think it will be a great education for them if somebody comes to their yard. They’re able to stand the horse up properly, walk and trot it up, pick out the good points to say to a client, ‘This is why you should buy this horse’.”

Scott agreed, saying: “It is still a learning curve but I think, as Andrew said, it will give young breeders confidence and help them market their horse.”

Heading the six that qualified, (three each from the senior and junior divisions) from the bespoke young handlers showring were Aidan Williamson and Catherine Gorton from Oughterard in Co Galway.

Clarecastle stuck to its guns about cancelling any classes that failed to attract sufficient advance entries, and while there were no ridden horses, Connemara or miniature horses this year, the pony rings attracted good numbers for its non-catalogued classes.

Nicole O’Shaughnessy claimed the mini championship on her hunter lead-rein boy Littlecourt Jack Sparrow, while at the other end of the height scale, Oonagh Gilvarry’s Rockonfoxy, partnered by Aisling Wixted won the intermediate title.

Yealand Pilgrim racked up another tricolour for the Glynn family from Ardrahan, while Marjorie Hardiman’s Creganna Dancer and Penny Kelly’s Chagford Leon were the respective working hunter and show pony champions.