BABY Blake William McMahon made his show debut at Galway County Show last Sunday at just seven days old. However, that came as no surprise to the showing community given that his parents, showing supremos Grace Murphy and William McMahon, rarely miss a show all season.

Grace and William welcomed their first child into the world on Sunday, June 10th, somewhat dramatically. Grace returned from the Irish Draught qualifiers in Scarteen on Saturday to wash a few ponies for Ballinalee show the next day while William went to Goffs to prepare a horse for the Land Rover Sale.

After William returned home to Galway, Grace’s waters broke and Blake entered the world shortly after, over two weeks early but, to the relief of his family, absolutely perfect.

His first show also proved a winning one as he watched his daddy, who took over the reins on all the horses and ponies during Grace’s pregnancy, win both the mixed middle/heavyweight class and the Irish Draught class with Cappa Ranger.

Fatherhood has definitely brought luck to William as the previous day he qualified the four-year-old Irish Draught Gleann Rua Spielberg for the performance Irish Draught class at the Dublin Horse Show at Forth Mountain, Co Wexford.

William has been busy since Blake’s arrival, Grace explained: “The next day William had to go off to the Land Rover because the horse was being viewed on the Monday and sold on the Tuesday and we sold him great.

“On Wednesday he went to Punchestown and rode in the bumper for Pat Kelly and then on Saturday he went to Forth Mountain and qualified the Irish Draught for the performance class in Dublin and on Sunday went to Galway and won all his showing classes. So the baby brought him loads of luck.”

Grace herself is planning on getting back in the saddle tomorrow (Sunday) for the last RDS side saddle qualifier, if feeling well enough. “I am going to bring him (Cappa Ranger), bring the saddle, bring myself and sit up and just hope that when I sit up I will feel okay. It is side saddle so I don’t think it’ll be as hard as riding astride.

“It’s the last qualifier. He won his qualifier there last year and he just needs to get into the top three.”

In a lovely gesture to the future, Joe Burke gifted his Galway County supreme champion rosette, won with Noel Noonan’s Manor Duke, to baby Blake on Sunday, and the couple were overwhelmed by the well-wishes at the show.