THE traditional Cheval Riding Club pre-Festival show took place last Sunday at the club’s Jordanstown grounds in north Co Dublin where, despite strong representation from members in the North East Region, the Royal Equine showing championship was won by a raider from West Leinster, Caoimhe Doherty.

Widely-known as co-founder and a director of Treo Eile, as manager of Forenaghts Stud and as breeder/producer of young thoroughbred horses with partner Tom Howley, Doherty is passionate about Connemaras and won Sunday’s breed class, sponsored by Carnoon Bay Connemaras, on Rathcoona Robin who went on to stand champion.

The nine-year-old grey, who also won both the 90cms and 1m performance hunter classes, was bred in Co Galway by James Quirke. He is by Rathcoona Cove (as is his stable-companion Rathcoona Leam O who finished fourth in the 90cms class) out of the Clonberne Boy mare Kilconly Heather.

“Tom gave me a present of both ponies as youngsters with a view to breaking them, producing them for a short time and selling them on but that hasn’t happened!” said Doherty.

“I’m not taking them to the Festival as they are both going to Tullylish on Saturday (today) for the first of the Dublin qualifiers,” said Doherty, adding: “The bay pony (Leam O) qualified last year while the grey (Robin) did so as a five-year-old (in 2021 when the final was held at Lambertstown).

"I will be a bit under press as there is a Forenaghts home-bred running at Navan that afternoon as well.”

Reserve honours

The reserve champion as chosen by judges Jill Revill (ride) and Jane Whitaker (conformation) was the Ace Heating Irish Draught class winner, Caralackey Boy, a six-year-old chesnut ridden by Copperfield’s Aoife Keogh. As she is chair of that club, Whitaker stood down from judging this class with Glenn Farrell Walker taking her place.

Also going through to the championship judging as winners were Moyglare’s Emer Lawlor on Yeats Duke-Box Jive (Showtime equestrian cobs), Fingal’s Mandy McLeod riding Morgiana Minstrel (J&S Horsetruck small hunters), Drynam’s Megan Fowler with Please The Court (Mathe Andrews lightweight hunters), Tara Hill’s Chris Carter on Bohermeen Pure Quality (Thornton Park Sport Horses medium/heavyweight hunter) and Mullaghmore’s Lisa O’Gorman with Emma’s Blue Ruby (Maxi Zoo primary).

Mentioned above, Farrell Walker was supposed to be ride judge for the showing section but, having broken his collarbone, he swopped duties with Jill Revill and judged the Maxi Zoo performance hunter section instead.

Here, he awarded his highest marks over the Tom Holden-designed track to Tara Hill’s Lisa Murray and her ISH gelding Ardlonnan IDS, a four-year-old bay by the Dutch Warmblood stallion IDS.

Cheval’s Sarah Maxwell claimed the honours in the RC 80 class on board her 14-year-old grey gelding Selto, who is well-entered up at the Festival this weekend, while Boyneside’s Sarah Kileen did so on Bell in the newcomers’ class.

Drynam in form

Jane Whitaker started her day judging some of the dressage classes, sharing those duties in the Maxi Zoo-sponsored section with Michael Moore.

The highest score, 71.46%, was achieved in the RC P2 by Boyneside’s Karin O’Hare on her Irish Sport Horse mare Santiago Sky, a 12-year-old Mermus R half-sister to the Ars Vivendi mare Santiago Bay (CCI5*-L). The club initiated a double in the walk/trot test which Sarah Killeen won on Bell (69.71).

Drynam members also struck twice, Emma Fristedt landing the RC P1 on her Irish Draught gelding Drynam Golden Prince (68.04%), a six-year-old chesnut gelding by Ceide Prince, with Hanna McDowell claiming the honours in the veteran riders’ class on board her ISH gelding Mr Wonderful (69.04), a traditionally-bred 11-year-old grey by WRS Elvis.

Cheval’s Anthony Archibald won the well-supported RC P3 on Boystown Kal El (69.22%), an eight-year-old unraced thoroughbred gelding by Rule Of Law; Brooke Lodge’s Deborah Freeland recorded an uncontested victory in the RC N with the Irish Draught mare Clash Cross Dolly (65.86), a seven-year-old Killoutain Cross grey; and Ashbrook’s Mairead Dolan topped the final leaderboard in the RC E with her ISH mare Belperhill Aint She Sweet (69.96), an eight year-old daughter of Sinatra who finished second in her lightweight hunter mares’ class at Dublin last August.