CHARLEVILLE Show smashed all its previous attendance records and attracted over 500 entries in its showing section last weekend, when the added lure of visiting UK judges proved a major draw for the two-day fixture.

Saturday evening’s finale saw the various pony champions gather before judges Valerie Hodgett and Victoria Smith. The starter stakes title was the one most deliberated on by the pair, with Tara Hudson’s Mandella and Margaret Greene’s skewbald working hunter champion Moonlite Splash Of Colour, pulled out for a nose-to-tail comparison. The nod finally went to the charismatic roan, on loan to the Hudson family by his former pilot and apprentice jockey, Calvin Nugent.

The show hunter championship went to a delighted Chloe Lacey, who travelled from Wicklow with her Dublin-bound 153cms winner Woodrow All Gold and in reserve was Janet Williamson’s Oh Dakota Justice, picking up the reserve tricolour.

The grey 133cms, piloted by her son Josh, had then completed a reserve double when called forward in the Joe Carroll Insurance supreme decider.

Both the supreme champion and reserve were sourced in Co Galway with the Balmoral winner Oh Dakota Justice bought from Riona Finn, while Oranmore breeder and namesake Pat supplied the Charleville supreme pony winner. This was John Burchill’s intermediate champion Frenchfort Lux Gold, by Lux Z, bought originally as an in-hand horse. When the now four-year-old didn’t grow on, he was ‘borrowed’ by daughter Deirdre, who had previously won here on the 138cms show pony Anton Dancing Romance.

“He just caught my eye immediately and as a four-year-old, is totally unspoilt. The reserve was a bright pony with ‘look at me’ quality and lovely limbs,” said Victoria Smith afterwards.

Also gamely staying on for the supreme championship at 6.30pm was Aidan and William Williamson with their two-year-old filly Goldengrove Temptress. The quality brown part-bred won the Tianora Cup, (named after Mary Nagle’s prolific Rhett Butler mare), as young stock champion, then followed up with the Welsh title.

Judge Robin Sharp opted for Barossa Stud’s Barossa Heiress, shown by Aidan Sinnott and second in her class to Goldengrove Tempress, as his reserve. “Both were proper, leg-at-each-corner stamp – the type we used to breed – and that’s my type,” he declared.

Cyril Carty, who previously drove a milk lorry daily from Kilchreest to Charleville, had a cargoload of Connemara ponies instead and took this championship with his four-year-old Birdhill Rising Star, by Callowfeenish Buachaill. Standing reserve was Sean O’Conaire’s six-year-old mare Cashel Bobby.

Undoubtedly one of the most popular Charleville classes is the special lead rein class, judged by Kate Jarvey who plans to enter her Balham Houdini at Millstreet. “I want him to have a run on home ground,” she said about the Cork-bred, by Warrenstown You 2.

WORKING HUNTER

Another eventer tuning up for Kilguilkey House this weekend was Dominic Furnell’s Badminton mare Ballycahane Flower Power who jumped in Saturday’s 1.20m class in the relocated show jumping rings. Furnell returned the following morning to win the working hunter championship with his purebred Draught mare Ballycahane Silver Vixen, by Gurraun Zidane. That result proved to be the first part of an Irish Draught double as owner Glenn Knipe went one better than his reserve place last year.

This time it was another small hunter winner that emerged, from a range of Dublin hopefuls, to take the always keenly-contented Ian Doyle hunter championship. Farmhill Grange Of Donard, ably piloted by Annie Prendergast, won for Knipe and was bred in Wicklow by Phil Deegan.

The four-year-old is by the Agherlow son Skipping Grange and stood champion ahead of Claire Connors’s lightweight and side-saddle winner, the Harlequin Du Carel-sired Rehy I’m A Star.

“That [champion] was out of this world, incredible, and the reason we put the small hunter up was, as a four-year-old, it was the most valuable in the field. It was the real old-fashioned stamp,” said West Country dairy farmer Robin Sharp, who also judged the Dublin supreme championship last year.

The Galway winning streak continued when Susanne Kelly’s three-year-old filly Susies Diamond Miss won the coveted Charleville young horse championship. “We came here to see if we’d enter Dublin and got our answer,” said her thrilled owner, admiring the names of former past winners inscribed on the Morrissey Cup.

“She’s got plenty of scope, good limbs, a good sort of old-fashioned type,” said Steve Pitt, admiring the Colin Diamond daughter.

Regina Daly had a double of winners, both out of last year’s The Irish Field Breeders Championship-winning mare Slatequarry Sasha, owned by Paula Howard. It was Daly’s two-year-old Centre Stage filly Timpany Ruby that came closest to challenging Kelly’s champion.

Bill Bourns and Philip Scott had 11 combinations forward for the RDS Breeders Championship qualifier with Stephen Culliney’s Kilkeany Mystic, Mary Murphy’s French Black Beauty and Brendan and Aidan O’Sullivan’s Miss Cranny Lancelot booking their tickets. OBOS Quality sired two of their foals, while Murphy’s is by Sligo Candy Boy.

“It was a very high standard and because the judges at Dublin are continental, we’re looking for a quality, lightweight mare with an athletic foal that can move,” Scott commented.

Culliney’s Ghareeb mare also won the lucrative Horse Sport Ireland broodmare championship with P.J. Lehane’s PJ’s Dream in reserve. Lehane had an outstanding day in the earlier broodmare classes with his Lux Z six-year-old winning the overall championship, ahead of the O’Mahony family’s Brooklodge Ruby. Lehane’s Womanizer filly was also reserve to Kieran O’Gorman’s foal champion by his own Munther.

Overall, it was another strong show with an extra ring added this year for the ridden horse classes. However, the growing trend of classes being held up for one exhibitor meant some delays, (Sarah Conway proved a godsend when stepping in as ride judge on Sunday), while several of the judges were unimpressed at being informed by owners about what their animal had won at other shows.

WHAT THEY SAID:

“I’m so excited to show under Steve [Pitt], he’s an in-hand god.” The British judge’s Charleville fan club were out in force.

“You either do one or the other, [judging or producing]. That’s my opinion.” Steve Pitt.

“I always think so much goes into producing horses, that you’ve got to be as fair to the last horse as the first.” Super-fit ride judge Robin Sharp.

“It [British showing scene] is getting smaller. I do think the professionals are killing it because if you look at the amateur classes, they’re well supported. People are frightened of the professionals and it’s hard to get past them. I think showing is going the wrong way.” Steve Pitt.

“This is my favourite day of the year, these children inspire me with their courage and determination.” Kate Jarvey always sees the bigger picture.