The Laois Branch of the Irish Draught Horse Breeders Association held their annual show on Sunday, July 2nd at Stradbally Hall by kind permission of the Cosby family, in conjunction with the National Hound Show and Stradbally Family Fayre.

The show attracted a great entry of over 70 Irish Draught and Traditional Irish Horses across 14 in-hand and ridden classes. Generous sponsorship from a host of local businesses allowed the show to offer excellent prize money and prizes in kind. Judges on the day included Paddy Corbett and Denis McGrath in the in-hand ring, and for the ridden and working hunter classes, Geraldine Berney (conformation) and Tony Ennis (ride).

The supreme champion of the show was the winner of the barren/stinted mares class Clonkelly Lucky. The five-year-old mare is by the sire Fintan Himself out of a Star Kingdom mare Bellview Starlight and was bred by Pascal Claffey in Co Galway. She was shown on the day for owner Maeve Holohan by Laura Carroll. Clonkelly Lucky also took home the champion mare sash, with Samantha FitzSimons’s Star Kingdom mare A Sky Full of Stars standing reserve.

The well-known stallion Fintan Himself, who stands in Tullaghansleek Stud in Co. Westmeath, was also the sire of the reserve show champion Fred Showtime and the champion foal. Owned and produced by Dermot Molloy, Fred Showtime is a four-year-old gelding who was bought from Pat Hoare of Moylough Horses last year and was broken and left to mature.

Only back in ridden work since June, the gelding rode beautifully and had lovely manners throughout. He also won his in-hand class for four-year-olds and older geldings, as well as the four/five-year-old Ridden ID class and was champion ridden horse before going reserve supreme show champion.

The champion foal was bred and exhibited by Tom Mooney from Clonbullogue, Co. Offaly, out of his nine-year-old Star Kingdom mare Clonmell Big Beauty. The youngstock champion, which came from the well supported yearling class, was Michael Flood’s filly by Tors Gentleman Farmer. She was bred by Owen Griffin in Galway out of his Shenandoah Prince Holly mare Cloonacauneen Lisa.

The show also hosted a qualifier for the Irish Horse Gateway National Irish Draught Performance Championship which will take place at the IDHBA National Breed Show in Punchestown this September. Three horses qualified over a track that needed a smart jumper. The winner of the class was Maria McNamara from Craughwell, Co. Galway, on her five-year-old Offaly Clover gelding Shanbally Action Man.

This handsome chesnut is also heading to the Dublin Horse Show Performance Irish Draught class, having qualified in Scarteen.

Also qualifying for the National Show were Siobhan Stapleton’s The Peeler (by Woodland Boy) and Zoe Brownlee’s Jays Diamond (by KEC Bluejay Diamond).