CLIFDEN may have woken up to a wet start last Wednesday but the three-day show started on time at the immaculately presented showgrounds, prepared under the direction of show chairman Eric Walsh and long standing loyal show supporter and former council member Mairtin Nee, with their hard working team.

Judge Harold McGahern’s first task was adjudicating the International Performance Hunter Team class, where course designer Charles Hanley took the English and Irish teams, both fresh from the RDS, over every inch of ring one.

Sponsored by Cashelbay Stud and Sweeney Oil, the British team of Amy Smith (Laburnum Richard), Lydia Stuart (Hazelrock Rebellion), Anna Layfield (Derrygimbla Boy) and Myles Lindsay Brown (Josie Jump) triumphed, turning the tables on the Irish team.

The Irish Connemara Green Hunter Class was next into the ring. The 10 qualified four-year-olds were shown over an 80cm course, and, assisted by ride judge Antonia de Burgh, McGahern placed Rathbawn-qualified Ballynagilly Fergie, ably ridden by Justine O’Hara, in first place.

Alicia Devlin-Byrne took the runner-up place with City View Blue Boy, who qualified at Ballinalee, ahead of Zohra Smyth and Victoria.

Weather conditions lifted for the afternoon but left a damp sand arena for the Horse Sport Ireland-sponsored Three-Year-Old Loose Jumping Final. Here, McGahern was joined by Patrick Hester, who flew in especially from Norway. Confined to registered Connemaras, with qualifier at Creagh Equestrian Centre and the Midland Connemara Pony show, 15 ponies competed for a prize fund of €1,200.

The winner was George Walker’s home-bred bay Rooska Benny (by Killaloe Fear Donn), second was Deirdre Keegan’s 3DR Gabha Oir (by Funambule II), and Keith Murray’s Whitethorn Honey’s Rock (by Blackwoodland) was third.

Also sponsored by HSI, with a prize fund of €3,000, the Four-Year-Old Performance Mare Championship followed. Qualified ponies had to show they were familiar with both horsebox and farrier as well as perform over the loose jumping course.

Dorothy Philbin’s Beechmount Heather, by Dooneen Supermatch, the same sire as their 2016 winner, was called forward first, ahead of second Geoffrey Heanue’s Shanvoher Hermina (by Bunowen Bobby). Danny Flynn and Claire Lacey’s Hazel Rock Solas (by Lucky Rebel) filled third place. Local rider Ciara Heanue won the Family Green Hunter, sponsored by Allcock Tack, with Crossowen Joy.