THERE was a new format for this year’s Creightons hunter championship at Balmoral Show but there was no change to the 2018 winning team of Co Wicklow owner Daphne Tierney and rider/producer Jane Bradbury who last week won with the heavyweight Kannan gelding Bloomfield Aristocratic.

The weight classes took place in the CRL Arena on Wednesday when Kate Jerram Hunnable judged conformation throughout, being joined for alternative classes by her husband, Chris Hunnable, or Jody Sole as the other rode the exhibits forward.

At midday on Thursday, the action moved to the Main Arena where time restraints disappointingly meant the judges didn’t ride any of the horses nor did they have them stripped.

The weight championships were judged first and while first and second in the two heavyweight classes came forward, it was the winners who most impressed the judges. The Tierney/Bradbury team took the title with the five-year-old Bloomfield Aristocratic while P.J. Casey stood reserve on Thady Lynch’s four-year-old Killycloghan Supreme Time, a bay gelding by Natal out of the Try-Time mare Killycloghan Time Limit who was second in his medium/heavyweight class here last May for his Co Cavan breeders, William and Alison Rountree.

Only three of the medium weights appeared in the Main Arena where, again, the judges went for their class winners with last year’s reserve supreme, Hilary Gibson’s Tullynagee Applejack, standing ahead of the Majella Grey-partnered Mardi Gras who was to take the four-year-old title with Killycloghan Supreme Time standing reserve.

Tullynagee Applejack, champion recently at Killyleagh, was ridden by Jamie Smyth but is produced at home in Comber by Gibson who is slightly at odds with partner Mark Morrow as to whether they should sell the gelding or not.

The bay is a six-year-old by Porsch out of the Primo Pageant mare Primo Lady Luck. Mardi Gras is owned by Showing Ireland chairman Angus McDonnell, whose wife Claire bred the gelding out of her Cruising mare, Go Brath.

Although her connections received the Pearl Creighton trophy for champion exhibitor-bred horse, John Roche’s winning four-year-old Coroner mare, Assagart Fairytale, didn’t appear in the Main Arena for the lightweight title decider where the champion and reserve both came from the five-year-old and upwards division.

Taking the tricoloured sash under Claire Gilna was Kieran Ryan’s five-year-old Rehy High Society gelding Impersonator who was bred in Co Clare by Pat Talty out of the Clover Brigade mare Lisdeen Coevers Brigade, dam previously of the eventers Shannondale Dita (by Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan) and Man About Town (by Womanizer).

Beckoned forward into the reserve slot was Nicola Perrin on Rufina Shiel Mullen’s mare Greenhall Miss R. As her name would suggest, this five-year-old by Mermus R was bred in Co Wicklow by Derry Rothwell out of the Stormhill Miller mare Greenhall Stormdancer. The bay, who has a superb gallop, won her class in Dublin last year when ridden by Lesley Webb.

Supreme champion

With the weight champions decided, the judges didn’t take too long in picking their supreme champion, awarding the title to Bloomfield Aristocratic with Impersonator standing reserve supreme.

The two horses were purchased at the 2017 September Sale at Goresbridge and both were lightly shown last year. They had contrasting preparations for last week’s show.

The light-moving supreme champion, who was bred in Co Clare by Enda Mulkere out of the Master Imp mare Ballymurphy Veronica, won his class here last year and was champion four-year-old at Tattersalls July Show.

He was only third in Dublin after which he went straight out to grass. Bloomfield Aristocratic returned to work in February and before resuming his showing career at Glandoran, where he won his class and was reserve champion, Bradbury rode him in two Preliminary dressage classes at Marlton.

Impersonator finished third in his class last year at Dublin and was hunted over the winter with both the Louth Foxhounds and Ward Union Staghounds. Prior to Balmoral the five-year-old grey had made one very public appearance when, partnered by the Wards’ huntsman Pat Coyle, he led back the winner of the Irish Grand National, Burrows Saint, to the No 1 spot at Fairyhouse. The other grey on the far side of winner, is a four-year-old owned by Ryan but more of him anon.

Judge Jody Sole would have been delighted to hear that story as he is very much involved in racing as well as showing and eventing. Asked to comment on the hunters, Sole replied: “The quality in the outside ring was variable and some people might need guidance as to where to go with their horses. In the Main Arena we had some really lovely horses. The champion rode very nicely and is a proper show horse while he and the reserve have great potential.”

Tierney and Bradbury also won the North Down Marquees ladies’ astride championship for the second year running, this time with Bloomfield Eloquence, a 2014 lightweight Watermill Swatch gelding who the owner purchased from his Kilmuckridge breeder, M.J. Kavanagh, as a two-year-old.

Standing reserve here under Lesley Webb was the second in the young horses’ class, Yvonne Pearson’s five-year-old Loughehoe Guy gelding Cairnview Redwood Guy. The O’Gorman family’s well-known 12-year-old Nash Me gelding Its After Eight topped the line-up in the class for six-year-olds and upwards.