THE annual Balmoral Show, which has been extended to four days this year, commences next Wednesday, May 10th, at Balmoral Park on the outskirts of Lisburn.

The show jumping programme remains more or less the same as usual with the featured Barclay Communications and Bottle Green Grand Prix retaining its late Friday afternoon slot. However, the Botanica International amateur championships will take place on Saturday, with the ‘A’ competitors jumping early in the morning and the ‘AA’ riders competing just after noon.

Saturday’s jumping programme also features the new Bluegrass Horse Feeds inter-schools show jumping championship, for which qualifying began in early October, and the inaugural staging of the Millar McCall Wylie under 10’s championship.

The showing programme on the final day caters for children’s ridden and working hunter ponies. There are also the newly-introduced small horse and intermediate working hunter classes. A big entry of 36 has been made for the small horse class, headed by Hilary Gibson’s well-known Obelix gelding Tobergill Classic Felix, but just two for the intermediate.

The in-hand sections for broodmares and young horses take place as usual on Wednesday. The 2016 champion broodmare, Patrick Wafer’s homebred Parkmore Evita (by Ghareeb) is due to defend her title, this time with an OBOS Quality 004 foal at foot. Opposing her again in the lightweight class will be Paula Howard’s Slatequarry Sasha (also by Ghareeb) who was only fourth in the Balmoral ring 12 months ago but proved unbeatable at Dublin.

Regina Daly’s Timpany Casanova, a Centre Stage son of Slatequarry Sasha, heads the list of 11 entries for the yearling colt or gelding class which gets the youngstock judging underway. Again, there are some well-filled classes.

Donegal exhibitor Robert Davis, who produced last year’s champion Emperors Touch, a three-year-old lightweight gelding by Emperor Augustus, returns to Balmoral Park with Corran Emperor, a homebred two-year-old gelding by the Fusaichi Pegasus stallion.

Among his 11 opponents will be the 2016 champion yearling, Dorthy Walsh’s Superior Choice, who, too, is by Emperor Augustus, while Valerie McCallister brings back the reserve champion yearling, the Porsch filly Sugar Bess.

Dessie Gibson’s champion two-year-old of last season, Cafre Quartermaster (by OBOS Quality 004), bids to follow up in the lightweight three-year-old geldings’ class, as does the reserve, Tiernan Gill’s Barnaby Flight filly Flogas Liqueur.

Creightons of Finaghy are once again sponsoring the ridden hunter section where some riders will be under pressure should their mounts get through to the afternoon’s championship in the Main Arena as this will clash with the Bluefrog coloured horse class and the start of the cob section.

The surprise 2016 champion, Mike Lewis’s Carnsdale Irish Times, is once again an entry in the older small hunter class. The 2009 Murphys Irish Diamond gelding showed himself in excellent order at the recent Northern Irish Festival at Cavan.

Last year’s reserve champion, Alison McClenaghan’s Homegrown Marx (by Obelix) is one of 19 catalogued in the older middleweight class where one’s eye is caught by the Scottish entry Annaghmore Huntsman.

This seven-year-old OBOS Quality 004 gelding was middleweight champion and reserve champion four-year-old at Dublin in 2014 and, since his export, has won numerous titles. His stable-companion, Man Of Honour, a six-year-old by Mullentine Cavalier, is one of 25 entries in the older lightweight class.

It’s good to see a slight increase in the number of four-year-olds listed, particularly in the heavyweight section where some of the country’s top producers are due to be represented.

It was a red letter day for Crossgar exhibitors Audrey and Michael Smyth last year when their Vincent Van Cob and Sock Et Set stood champion and reserve in the cob section. Both have been entered again this year as has the recent NIF champion, Sam McAteer’s Randalstown Raffles.

Lady riders are well catered for on Thursday morning with North Down Marquees sponsoring the astride championship while there is also a side-saddle class. North Down Marquees are also again sponsoring Thursday’s Connemara flat and working hunter divisions with Adrienne Daly’s Bob Marley returning to defend his title over jumps.

MAIN ARENA

Most noise on Thursday will be raised in the Main Arena during the running of the morning’s UMEX Pony Club games and it will be a lot quieter in the P&O Arena that afternoon for the dressage and presentation phases of the Knotts Bakery young event horse championship.

The jumping phase takes place the following morning in the Main Arena. There will be much interest in Emma Jackson’s 2016 four-year-old winner, Carra Lux Quality, yet another gelding by OBOS Quality 004.

Irish Draught enthusiasts can enjoy two days at the show this year with a flat class on Thursday (which has attracted 20 entries) and a performance championship early on Friday morning where the five-year-old and upwards class has attracted 28 entries.

These include the 2016 champion, Alicia Devlin Byrne’s King Flagmount.

The traditional Clydesdale classes will be held in the P&O arena on Friday morning and it will be interesting to see if anyone can halt the great run of the Hanna family from Ballymoney and their Macfin horses.