WEEK one of the agricultural shows season and the weather, one of the main winter time topics, has already made an impact on shows. Ground and delayed silage cutting conditions caused the postponement and cancellation of two other early season fixtures at Leap and Midleton shows respectively, however the weather gods smiled on a scorching hot Newmarket-on-Fergus last Sunday.
Relocated last year to the opposite side of the ‘old’ Limerick road, its new setting makes a great improvement to the show’s layout with showing and show jumping rings located together. Another new addition is well-supported Connemara classes.
Connemara raiders landed the tricolours in these John Joe Bolton-judged native pony classes, where Carraroe owner Caoilfhinn O’Malley landed the supreme title with her four-year-old Laerkens Cascade Dawn mare Glenlo Lady, shown by her father Paul.
Joe McNamara had an even longer journey from Clifden but the mileage paid off when his two-year-old Dunally Lad filly Doire Mhianaugh Snowflake took the reserve place.
This show always attracts clusters of spectators and exhibitors, keen to see what will be on the circuit and while numbers were slightly back on previous years, judges - Clashmore Stud owner Joe O’Donoghue and Brendan Walsh had some good quality classes before them.
Tiernan Gill, one of several of Sunday’s exhibitors tuning up for Balmoral, took the first red of the season in the opening yearling colt/gelding class with his performance-bred Cornet Obolensky grey.
He was an absentee in the later championship, caused by the green youngster’s reluctance unboarding Gill’s lorry for a second time. In the filly division, Rebecca Monahan won with her latest purchase by Lancelot, the sire that produced her prolific winner Notalot.
TRADITIONAL
The Banner County strike rate continued in the two-year-old classes, won by Bridgette Coghlan with her Elusive Hero, by Elusive Emir. On a day when much of the Badminton breeding chatter was about the return of thoroughbred bloodlines, he was one of the few traditionally-bred horses listed in the catalogue.
On hand was his breeder, Louisburgh show chairman Tommy Bennett who had travelled down with his wife Sue to see him. Coghlan, a Kilrush schoolteacher, also showed Aisling Slattery’s winner, the Kannan-sired Kannan Ball in the filly division.
It was the day of the three-year-olds in the concluding championship with Cork owner Dan O’Connor winning with Newmarket Rolo. An All-Ireland filly champion at Kildysart last July, she was bred by Brian Daly who also stands her sire, Newmarket Venture.
Standing reserve was the other three-year-old winner in Michael & Rachel Lyons’ Kilmastulla Mr Brixton, by the Saddlers Well National Hunt sire Subtle Power, bought as a two-year-old from his breeder, Jane Darragh.
“She was naturally athletic and you could see her being successful whatever road they decide to go with her in the future,” remarked Walsh. He also doubled up as a well-received ride judge in the later classes, where Suzanne O’Brien, deputising for sister Lyndsey, who was taking part in the Great Limerick Run the same day, struck first on Mr Shakespeare.
Mary Moore’s first pony champion in the IPS rings was the mannerly mini champion Treowen Ranger, piloted by Nathan Ruttle. At the end of the day though, it was a back-to-back supreme double at Newmarket-on-Fergus for Cathriona Glynn’s Yealand Pilgrim with Tara Kelly on board the show pony champion Chagford Leon, a Lechlade Quince-Dartmoor cross, in reserve.
“Chloe got to ride him because [her sister] Alannah had a home-bred mare that won the intermediate championship on her first day out” said Cathriona, explaining another change of regular jockey. It’s Alannah’s last year on Pilgrim but if her mare keeps doing well, she might hand the reins over to Chloe!”