Susan Finnerty

THE young showperson final was the latest Horse Sport Ireland showing championship to be held, after last weekend’s broodmare championship at Charleville, and this time it was the turn of another Cork host show in Dunmanway.

Aimed at showcasing the next generation of exhibitors it was a case of second time lucky for Glandore exhibitor Aidan Williamson, who after finishing second last year, won this year’s title. The mathematical sciences student is a well-known exhibitor in the pony and Welsh rings.

“It was such a size up literally from showing ponies! And it was so lovely to be congratulated by so many of the people whom I have been watching and learning from over the years,” said the popular Williamson afterwards. He plans to split the prize money between his Dublin Horse Show Week accommodation and with his relative Clara O’Driscoll, from whom he borrowed her Hollycreek Sir Bradley for the class.

“I’m really grateful to the O’Driscolls too,” added Williamson, who goes over to Alistair Hood’s yard for seven weeks after Dublin, with visits to the Royal International and HOYS also pencilled in.

Second in the Rebecca Monahan-judged class was Sam Kingston, a regular on the Irish Draught circuit and third place went to another promising showperson in Aisling Daly. Hollycreek Sir Bradley had a busy day as the Floating Clover chesnut won his small hunter class, then placed reserve champion to Annie Prendergast’s side-saddle winner King Diamond Flag in the ridden horse ring. Prendergast added another tricolour to her Dunmanway haul when her Rosscarbery Lily won the coloured championship too.

The Twomey family’s Lucky Jack continued on his march to Wexford, where he has qualified for next Thursday’s All Ireland final at Bannow & Rathangan, by winning another young horse championship.

Standing reserve to the Grafenstolz three-year-old was Regina Daly’s year younger gelding by Harlequin du Carel.

Another on a winning streak is Pat O’Sullivan’s Lancelot filly Lotto, who notched up another foal championship, and in reserve was Michael McCarthy’s purebred Draught filly by Ballygarret Cross out of the lovely Garrindruig Doll.

Rosemary Deasy’s former West Cork Breeders champion Baxters Clover Buffet, a French Buffet daughter, won the broodmare title from Garrindruig Doll, a real old-fashioned type.

The ridden pony championship came down to a duel between the mini winners with Jenny O’Driscoll’s Amesbury Bumble Bee taking the title ahead of Emer O’Halloran’s Fielden-Chrys-O-Lyte.

Michael Calnan enjoyed an in-hand championship win with his home-bred Kilmacbea Floss with the reserve, Orla Whelton’s Goldengrove Tallulah, also coming from a strong youngstock class.