Margie McLoone

CROSSGAR exhibitors Audrey and Michael Smyth were on cloud nine on Thursday morning having taken the championship and reserve in the Grant Engineering cob section at Balmoral Show with Vincent Van Cob and Sock Et Set respectively.

Audrey rode the new title-holder when the five-year-old bay gelding stood reserve to his stable-companion at the Northern Ireland Festival in Cavan last month but, having injured her back running, passed the ride over to Lesley Webb at Balmoral Park.

Vincent Van Cob always topped the line-up in a strong lightweight class in Horse Ring 1 with Maria McNamara moving up from fourth to second on her father Tom’s seven-year-old grey gelding Shanbally Thereal McCoy who has a Dublin placing to his credit.

Michael Smyth stuck with the heavyweight winner Sock Et Set and likewise they always stood top of the line in the six-runner class where second place was continuously occupied by Ann O’Regan and her reserve champion of last May, the nine-year-old Barnstormer.

All but one of the 11 entries in the maxi class came forward with judges Jenny Banks and Nathan Arnold having Lyndsey Wylie (formerly Wallace) top throughout on her five-year-old chesnut gelding Tommie Tucker. Under Lesley Webb, the son of Holycross finished fourth in the older performance ridden Irish Draught class in the Main Arena.

All cobs in the championship had their supporters but it would been hard for anyone to drown out Audrey Smith who was absolutely delighted when Webb was beckoned forward as champion with Vincent Van Cob while Sock Et Set then followed him up as reserve.

Had the placings gone the other way, Audrey would have been just as happy!

ENCOURAGED

“I just couldn’t believe it – what a result!” she enthused. “And what really made the day was that Damien Whelan, who bred Vinnie, came to the show and introduced himself to me after the class. I plan to be back on board Vinnie for Dublin and hopefully Michael will keep himself fit to partner Socks who has been champion at Balmoral three times, at National Balmoral five times and once at Dublin.

We were both encouraged to start running by Lesley and really love it but keep doing something to our backs!”

Tom and Maria McNamara had better luck in the Bluefrog coloured horse class which they won with the striking Shanbally Tonto, a seven-year-old piebald gelding who has been lightly shown but has hunted two seasons with the Galway Blazers.

If not sold, he will go to Dublin.