Susan Finnerty

WITH the hunt now well underway for Dublin Breeders Championship places, judges Maurice Coleman and Kieran Ryan had a number of hopefuls lined out at Galway County last Sunday.

Undoubtedly the happiest owner at Ballybrit was local man Mark Folan, who qualified at his first ever show with the Touchdown-sired Milchem Touch and her OBOS Quality filly.

Richard Drohan’s long trek also paid off when the Waterford owner booked his RDS place with Lucy’s Princess and her Robin De La Maison filly, while another frequent finalist Stephen Culliney took the third place with his Kilkeany Mystic, who has a Kings Master filly at foot this year.

“Quality will always come to the fore,” said Coleman, who believes the age of the foal is not important, provided it has athletic movement and that the type of mare preferred by the European judges at the Dublin final is a modern, quality one.

Unfortunately for some Dublin hopefuls, the western qualifier clashed with another at Cork Summer Show where Kieran Fahey’s Madam Noir gained her Dublin ticket. It was an exceptionally good day for her connections as her two-year-old Munther filly was crowned young horse champion for new owner Anthony Gordon at Galway, where the breezy day had the youngsters on their toes.

The reserve also came from the two-year-old ranks when the Sir Shutterfly gelding Walk In The Park, owned by Gordon’s friendly rival Tiernan Gill, was John O’Brien and Kieran Ryan’s reserve choice. Gill’s good day extended to the ridden hunter ring on the Ballybrit racecourse, where It’s The Kings Speech won the ridden hunter championship.

Owned in partnership by Gill and longtime family friend Philip Scott, the Kings Master four-year-old middleweight was bred in Co Wexford by Geraldine Gahan and in a nice Father’s Day coincidence, Philip’s daughter Philippa was reserve on her small hunter winner Le Polar Bear.

The Mayo whitewash continued in the Irish Draught section where Hughie Murphy’s Annaghdown Star mare Cogan’s Dawn Star won at Galway County for the fourth occasion and took the championship for good measure.

Eddie Murphy’s yearling colt, last year’s All Ireland champion at Ballinasloe and by his own stallion Inisfree The Holy Grail, added the Galway County reserve title to his Westport one.

It was a back-to-back Ballybrit double for Joe Burke who showed his father Eamon’s Hazy Match stallion Drumbad Fletcher Moss to retain the supreme Connemara championship. Standing reserve was Tomas and Fiona Grimes’s Carrowkeel Star, who had also won the Connemara mare championship. Bernard Keaney’s three-year-old colt Murvey Rocco stood junior champion and Aine Geoghegan won the ridden Connemara championship with Lucky Rebel.

In the IPS classes, held a furlong away down the racecourse, Victoria Burns partnered Lambay All Inclusive to win the ridden pony championship.

Two Galway girls - Pataire Crawford and Jane Field - won the open and novice working hunter titles with Ardfry Balmoral and Creganna Belle, while Trewolla Truffles and Linksbury Goldilocks had a quick turnaround after Gorey the previous day to win the starter stakes and mini championship for their young pilots Jessica Murphy and Ciara O’Connor.

Family lead rein winner James Cleary took home the coveted Sean Walsh memorial salver.