By Margie McLoone

MANNERS are all important in riding horse classes and, not for the first time, a change was made in the Crescent Electrical Services championship in Ring 1 on Wednesday as Sarah Chapman and Jennifer Banks decided who would receive the first trophy at the 2014 Dublin Horse Show.

In the large class, it was very much a case of déjà vu as the Rosemary Connors-ridden Mighty Clever took the red ahead of Lesley-Ann Duke and her own Brookfields Showdown. In the earlier small class, George Tanner’s Imp Perfection improved two places from last August to relegate the reigning champion, Eirin Corbett’s Massereene Dorian Grey into second.

Imp Perfection is a most consistent type who is ridden by the owner’s daughter Jessica, a radio officer with the National Aviation Authority who has to ride whenever she can as she travels daily between Conna and Ennis.

“She was bought to event but I find I just haven’t got the time to get her fit,” said Tanner. “I may take her over to England for a few shows but she is on the market.”

Imp Perfection, who goes without shoes, was bred in Clonakilty by Derry Kingston. She is by Master Imp out of the King Of Diamonds mare Gale Diamond who comes from the family of Zara Phillips’s two-star ride CG Master Lux.

When it came to the championship, the judges preferred the large horses but Mighty Clever decided he had had enough at this stage and ‘blew up’ with the result that he was placed reserve to Brookfields Showdown.

DELIGHTED

Lesley Ann-Duke was delighted with the result as was her father Paul Horner who bred the champion in partnership with his late friend Gerald Reid.

The eight-year-old bay mare is by Amiro M out of the White Christmas mare Julie Lass who died last year.

Last August, when second in the class, Lesley-Ann was eight months pregnant with son Zac who was watching on from the sidelines on Wednesday in the care of his show jumping father Michael.

Mighty Clever’s owner Deirdre Kane was not so pleased but said her horse easily gets bored.

She was to event him after last year’s win in this class but found herself pregnant so husband Roland Dalton took over the ride, doing well in dressage.

“He is a true riding horse and there are few opportunities for him over here so I’ll probably sell him now,” said the owner of the eight-year-old Ricardo Z gelding who was bred by her sister Grainne Alexander out of the Crafty Codger mare Clover Socks.

It was a good week otherwise for connections as Roland and Grainne were both on the Greenhills team which won the Horseware riding club show jumping championship in Simmonscourt on Sunday.