Excitment is normally kept contained around the Horse Sport Ireland showing rings but Laura Snow’s Drynam clubmates were in full voice following her win on The Dashing Black in Sunday’s Eddie Fowler memorial breed championship.

The seven-year-old gelding progressed to the title decider having won the Irish Draught class, where he stood ahead of last year’s breed champion, Cheval’s Yukon Diamond (Eddie Hannigan), and his stable companion and club teammate, Cushnahans Mist (Nicola Barrett). Judges Celine Essame (conformation) and Niamh Grimes (ride) had originally placed Cushnahans Mist in first place ahead of the chesnut mare Madame Stella. However they subsequently changed their minds.

Both The Dashing Black and Cushnahans Mist were otherwise engaged on Saturday, bidding to qualify for the older Irish Draught performance class at RDS at Rincoola. At the Co Longford venue, Snow’s Rockrimmon Silver Diamond mare qualifying in third place, while The Dashing Black finished fourth.

“He was at the RDS last August but had a pole down,” said Snow of her seven-year-old black gelding who was well-stamped by his sire, Penmerryls Rhythm And Blues, and was bred in Co Cork by Tom Herlihy out of the Silverstone mare Neaskin Jewel.

The reserve champion was the grey Rosscon Camille, who topped the Connemara line-up under Mullingar’s Vincent Holian. The six-year-old Boden Park Finnard mare, who was bred in Co Roscommon by P.J. Watson out of Rosscon Covergirl (by Laerkens Cascade Dawn), was champion ridden Connemara at Dublin last year under owner Thomasina O’Reilly and won the intermediate show hunter pony class under O’Reilly’s pupil, Roisin Winters.

Three horses contested the Arab class where last year’s winner, the part-bred Special Edition, ridden by Copperfield’s Karen Gibney, had to settle for second behind the nine-year-old grey gelding Halals Magic who is by the same sire, Halal.

“I purchased my horse, who is a Crabbet Arrabian, five years ago from Ali Cox of Royal County Equine,” revealed Eadestown-based Barbara Delaney, a member of the Winterdown club. “We do all riding club activities and I hunt him with the West Wicklows. My son, Jack Sargent, does hunter trials with the horse as well.”

Ballyhyland’s Sarah Mulhall appeared on her own for the traditional Irish cob class but her six-year-old piebald gelding, Derrykearn Gypsy King, received the full attention of Essame and Grimes before being presented with his red rosette. There was no thoroughbred forward for the championship as both the winner, Eoghans Delight, and second-placed, The Biscuit Club, were thought to have done enough at that stage by connections.

Representing the Killarney club, of which her show jumping husband Jerome is secretary, Cassandra Foley always topped the line-up on Eoghans Delight who failed to complete in five point-to-point outings in the 2010-11 season.

“I have him about 18 months now,” said Foley of the bay Craigsteel eight-year-old whose unraced Roselier dam, Bettons Rose, is a half-sister to The Ellier. “We do a bit of everything in the Riding Club and I plan to compete with him at the national dressage championships.