KILDARE breeder John Stafford, who used to be involved with racehorses, experienced the similar ups and downs of show horse ownership last Sunday on day two of Tattersalls July Show.
In the morning, judges Richard Telford (ride) and David Ingle (conformation) dropped Stafford’s Major Malone from first to second in his lightweight ridden class. However, the five-year-old later saw off a top-class, mixed field to be crowned the winner of the Connolly’s Red Mills Champion of Champions series final where the judges were Samantha Stephenson (ride) and Lucy Kilingbeck (conformation).
The weight classes got underway early on Sunday morning in Ring One with P.J. Casey moving up to win the lightweight class on Derry Rothwell’s home-bred Greenhall Push Button, a six-year-old by Financial Reward who was champion hunter mare at Dublin two years ago.
In a very strong middleweight class, Hilary Gibson’s six-year-old Porsch gelding Tullynagee Applejack, who was champion hunter under saddle at the Royal Highland Show, topped the line-up under Jamie Smyth while Jane Bradbury partnered Daphne Tierney’s Balmoral supreme champion, Bloomfield Aristocratic, to victory in the heavyweight class.
The action then moved to the Main Arena for the show championship where Sunday’s weight winners were joined by the four-year-olds who won on Saturday, Richard Iggulden’s The Superior Choice (up to 14st) and the Scrapman gelding Sanford And Son (over 13st) who was ridden for Dave Bennett by Jane Davis, equine brand manager with Connolly’s Red Mills.
Only six horses appeared before the judges for the Lynskey Engineering championship and, with one eye on the weather and the other on course designer Tom Holden who was ready to finish building the Grand Prix course, horses were only shown on one rein before being asked to gallop.
At the end of deliberations, Victoria Clarke was beckoned forward on the champion four-year-old, The Superior Choice, another who did extremely well at the Royal Highland Show. The grey Emperor Augustus gelding was bred by the late Des Noctor out of the Coille Mor Hill mare Kemella Clover Diamond.
The Jimmy Ryan Trophy for champion hunter was presented once again to Jane Bradbury who did an excellent job in showing Bloomfield Aristocratic, a five-year-old by Kannan. The light-moving bay, to whom The Superior Choice was reserve, was bred in Co Clare by Enda Mulkere out of the Master Imp mare Ballymurphy Veronica.
Rain
The rain began shortly afterwards and by the time the final of the Champion of Champions series commenced in Ring One, it was lashing. From inside a fogged-up car it was difficult to follow the action but one couldn’t fail to see the brilliant gallop which Nicola Perrin got from Major Malone who had bypassed the show championship.
The winner of the small hunter title at Dublin last August, the chesnut is now about 16.2hh according to Stafford who was absolutely delighted when his horse was crowned the Red Mills supreme champion.
“I adore this horse, who is the first half-bred I’ve had, and Nicola has done a fantastic job in producing him,” said the retired veterinary surgeon.
“During the recession I sent his dam [the deceased Vestris Abu mare Croghan Lass] to the nearest stallion, which just happened to be Rosheen Yeats who was just two miles away, and Gordon was the result.
“Croghan Lass, who was placed in a point-to-point, was a half-sister to Light On The Broom who won four races for me when trained by Gerry Stack.”
P.J. Casey stood reserve supreme on the champion four-year-old, Thady Lynch’s Natal gelding Killycloghan Supreme Time, while Angus McDonnell, chairman of Showing Ireland which promoted this championship, took the amateur title with his 10-year-old Ricardo Z gelding, Statesman.