WICKLOW owner Daphne Tierney achieved one of her longheld showing ambitions when winning the Creightons of Finaghy hunter championship at Balmoral Show last Wednesday afternoon with the Jane Bradbury-produced and ridden Bloomfield Bespoke.

Judges Libby Cooke and Robin Sharp took it in turns to ride or assess conformation in each class so, with the former having ridden the gelding in his five-year-old and upwards medium weight division, it was Sharp who got to sit up on the free-moving grey in the main arena.

It was obvious to spectators that Sharp had been taken by Bloomfield Bespoke as he brought him back to a walk and it was to no one’s great surprise that Bradbury was beckoned forward to claim the title, ahead of the older lightweight winner, Man Of Honour, who had been brought over from Scotland by Kirstine Douglas.

Now on his fourth registered name, that Mullentine Cavalier gelding, who was bred in Co Laois by Thomas Guilfoyle out of the Dock Leaf mare Slieve Bloom Flyer, had originally been called in second in his class but then took the red ahead of Trevor Wallace’s Gold Mine, a liver chesnut by Harlequin du Carel.

Man Of Honour refused to settle for the prize-giving which was in complete contrast to the champion and reserve champion four-year-olds, Queen Bee and Tattygare Something Special.

Queen Bee, who was bred in Co Cork by Kieran Fahey out of Madame Noir (by Kings Master), comes from the first crop of the thoroughbred stallion Munther. “She was shown last year by Anthony Gordon and we saw her at the all-Ireland in Bannow where she finished third,” said Lesley Webb who rides the bay for Yvonne Pearson. “It took us about seven months to buy her. We’re going to aim her at the RDS this season and hopefully go eventing with her next year.”

Queen Bee always topped the line-up in her lightweight class, as did Adrian Hurst’s tall, home-bred Tattygare Something Special in his mediumweight section under P.J. Casey who had been sent the bay gelding in the previous few weeks. Another with an excellent in-hand record behind him, including victory in the All-Ireland yearling and two-year-old geldings’ championships, this son of Porsch is out of the Euphemism mare Tattygare Golden Delight.

The Tierney/Bradbury team won the four-year-old heavyweight class with the Puissance gelding Bloomfield Badger who, too, always stood top of the line. Bred in Co Wicklow by Michael Byrne out of the Dutch Warmblood mare Vieuwerke, this bay did not go forward to the championship as no suitable rider could be found for him as all asked were otherwise engaged.

The class was represented in the main arena by the second-placed grey Womanizer gelding, Pushkin, who was ridden by Claire Gilna for Dick McElligott. After a poor turn-out last May, it was good to see these four-year-old classes so well-supported last week.

The older heavyweight winner was Vicky Ormedilla’s Crosstown Dancer gelding Master Flint who was bred in Co Roscommon by Imelda Moran out of Welcome Rivie (by Sir Rivie). The five-year-old chesnut was third in his ridden Irish Draught class on Thursday afternoon.

There was a big entry for both classes of small hunters, though not all horses forward appeared to fit the description.

In the four and five-year-old section, Philippa Scott always stood top on the five-year-old Hermes de Reve gelding SCT Le Bijou de Reve, a chesnut she bred in partnership with her late mother Deirdre out of the Harlequin du Carel mare Le Bijou du Carel.

The very lightly-shown winner is the first foal of his dam who has since produced a colt (2013) and a filly (2014) by Moylough Bouncer and is due any day to the Corrado I stallion DS Are You With Me.

Mike Lewis’s 2016 champion, Carnsdale Irish Times, had to improve a place to repeat his victory of last year in the older small class as Hilary Gibson’s Tobergill Classic Felix was the original first choice of the judges. The winner, who was partnered as usual by Robyn Catterall, is an eight-year-old bay gelding by Murphys Irish Diamond out of the thoroughbred mare Flemins Evening.

CHAMPION

Disappointingly for his connections, there was no repeat success for Carnsdale Irish Times in the main arena as Bloomfield Bespoke took the championship. This was a second Balmoral title for Bradbury who had previously won on Trevor Wallace’s Adamstown when the show was held at the King’s Hall.

There will be a restricted campaign ahead of Dublin for Bloomfield Bespoke who was reserve champion four-year-old and reserve champion middleweight at the RDS last July.

The Future Trend grey, who gets his colouring from his dam, the Prospect Pride mare Malibu On Ice, was bred in Co Clare by James Nash.

Much to the disappointment of the Creightons, no horse was kept in the ring who was eligible for the exhibitor-bred award for which the family present the Pearl Creighton trophy. This was belatedly awarded to Vanessa Ramm’s five-year-old Off The Record gelding Testarosso, who had finished second to the champion in the older mediumweight class.

“We went for horses who were true to type,” said Libby Cooke, “and our champion was a proper middleweight with good limbs, plenty of quality and was a lovely ride. The reserve is a very classy horse.”

Agreeing with what his fellow judge said, Robin Sharp added of Bloomfield Bespoke: “I rode him in the championship at Dublin last year and he has matured a lot since then.”

It was fortunate that Peter Quirke, who had commentated on the classes earlier in the day in Horse Ring 1, was able to cover the championship in the main arena as the electricity there, and in 600 houses in the area, had been cut off by someone cutting through a line. The power was back just in time for the championship.