DES McDonnell’s Lucky Jim won the inaugural Ireland West young horse championship at Ballinrobe Show. Held at the local racecourse, last Sunday was the final after 10 qualifiers held at western shows in a bid to increase the numbers of young horse class entries.

Baileys Horse Feeds’ Judy Maxwell was on hand to present the prizes after the three classes for yearlings, two-year-olds and three-year-olds, followed by the overall championship. Numbers were low, ranging from three to five youngsters in each age division, which is on par with most young horse entries at shows nowadays.

Dermot Gordon won the yearling class with his Vancouver filly with a Sligo Candy Boy-Lux Z damline, ahead of John McDonnell’s Nice Queen, also by the Heartbreaker son Vancouver. She and her dam CBI Ice Queen were the winning combination in last year’s show jumping section of The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship. In third was Suzanne Malee’s Carrabeg Devine by in-house stallion Billy Zeus.

In the two-year-old final, another home-bred winner was Des McDonnell’s Lucky Jim. The Conticco-Voss gelding had a rocky start in life, but was saved by local vet James McGrath, hence his name.

Second was Mary Murphy’s pure-bred Draught filly by Inisfree The Holy Grail out of their Dublin champion Irish Draught mare Fuerty Princess. Amy Grady’s Murrisk Dolly Grey, a SHS Quattro Cruise half-sister to Patrick O’Sullivan’s 2022 Dublin yearling champion Murrisk Curious Vancouver, took third.

Tiernan Gill’s Flogas Syb was another out to grass from the next morning for a break before starting his career under saddle, after his Ballinrobe outing. Not before winning the three-year-old section, which attracted five entries. This year’s Balmoral young horse champion is by the now US-based Calvino Z and was bred in the Netherlands.

The blue ribbon went to Tom McNulty’s Centennial filly Coolcom Grace out of the Scrapman mare Lady Of Grace and in third place was another entry by Martin and Mary Murphy in their Castlegate The Sweetest Thing, a Hardrock VDL daughter out of their Breeders’ Championship-winning mare Castlegate Sweet Emotion, by Mermus R.

In the overall championship, visiting UK judge and keen Irish Draught enthusiast Caroline Saynor, opted for Lucky Jim and Flogas Syb.

Delighted

“Well, delighted is putting it mildly. I know nothing compares to winning at Dublin, but it was a little bit of it all over again,” said Des, who had won the Dublin two-year-old middle/heavyweight class last month with this chesnut.

“I didn’t show him as a yearling, so I’m delighted l showed him in the qualifiers, it also resulted in me taking him to Dublin, so I hope it encourages more people to get out their young horses for next year.

“I thought in general the standard was outstanding, two very different types of horses in the champion and reserve. Both will have very bright futures in whichever direction they go afterwards,” remarked Caroline.

Strong tradition

“Mayo and the west has a very strong tradition of agricultural shows and I hope they can build on this in years to come,” added Alan Dillon, TD, Minister of State for Enterprise.

McDonnell also won the Lanigan broodmare and foal championship with Miss Manhattan (Tyson) and her Vancouver foal. Other Ballinrobe champions included Lauren Kearns’ Lankill Lad (ridden horse), Hughie and Mary T Murphy’s Barnaview Dancing Queen (in-hand horse), Robbie Fallon’s Cashelbay Mellow (Connemara), Patrick Curran’s Glencarrig Honeysuckle (junior Connemara) and a unique champion and reserve double for the Crosby Hanley family with Ardsbeg Spirit and Windbourne Chime (ridden ponies).