ADVERSE weather conditions failed to dampen the spirits of those competitors at Athlone Agri Show, where over 600 entries were taken.

The supreme champion was found in the working hunter division, with the Balmoral champions Alicia Devlin Byrne and King Flagmount taking the 2016 title. The pair was also the choice of the judges in the side-saddle working hunter class and later went on to take the working hunter championship.

Amanda Fahy’s Lackyle Skylancer won the red in the open working hunter class and then stood reserve to King Flagmount in this division. Pataire Crawford won the pony working hunter title with Ardfry Arwen.

The broodmare and young horses classes were well supported with some of the top names making their way to the midlands. Derry Rothwell took home a host of prizes to Tinahely with his mare, the Colin Diamond-sired Greenhall Diamond Lady.

This impressive mare, a previous The Irish Field Breeders Championship finalist and Limerick Matron champion, won both the Tom Roche combination broodmare and foal class and the overall broodmare championship. The reserve champion was Lady Georgina Forbes’ retired international show jumping mare Castleforbes Libertina.

Both of these mares, plus Thomas Jones’s Cruising mare Amazon Cruise, qualified on Sunday for this year’s RDS Breeders Championship.

In the young horse section, Paul Cleary’s three-year-old Chill Out gelding was crowned the champion young horse, while local exhibitor PJ Glynn was reserve with Crannaghmore Golden Boy. Glynn also took the two-year-old class with last year’s Dublin yearling winner Crannaghmore Lad.

Last year’s Irish Draught champion owner Danny Molloy came back to defend his title and he didn’t disappoint as his Fast Silver mare, Baltydaniel Silver Queen, was once more crowned champion and her filly won the Irish Draught filly foal championship. Ian Murphy’s mare Ava’s Delight stood reserve and the Murphy family’s good run continued when his father Hughie won the Midland Irish Draught broodmare and foal combination championship with Barnaview Queen and her DS Ballagh Bouncer filly.

Following much deliberation in the ridden horses ring, it was Lucinda Mills, riding Tattygare Mr Perfect, that was crowned champion. Mills had impressed earlier in the day when taking the lightweight hunter class and the reserve title went to Maeve Carty with her side-saddle class winner, Why Not Batim.

The Connemara section saw Paddy Kerins’ Lough More Suzi win the broodmare class. Her owner had much to celebrate as his mare was later crowned Connemara champion, with Colin Doyle’s Clonmore Minstrel, by Coolin America, taking the reserve.

Gerry Fennell’s successful broodmare Parcglas Maid In Splendour then added the in-hand championship to her winnings, ahead of Dominic White Kelly’s Astral Heartbreaker yearling. In the ridden pony section, Robbie Fallon’s home-bred Cashel Bay Rocket, by Cashel Bay Cruise, won the ridden show hunter championship. Last year’s champion Ardfry Arwen had a busy day with Pataire Crawford adding the reserve title here to the pair’s working hunter win.

Fallon’s Cashel Bay Rocket had clearly impressed as he went on to take two more red rosettes in the open Mountain & Moorland and novice ridden Connemara before taking the champion Connemara title. Thomasina O’Reilly stood reserve in this category with her ridden performance mare winner Rosscon Camille.

Jack Callaghan and Gleniniant Sirus were the Athlone mini champions this year and reserve was Oonagh Gilvarry’s Fofsway Ganymede.