CODEBREAKER was another of those stallions that stood in Co Longford and, when all you can see is field after field of Cllr. Gerry Hagan’s Ennybegs farm filled with cars and families still arriving in at 4pm, you knew that Longford County Show has cracked the footfall code.

Much of an agricultural show’s appeal nowadays is in a community day with plenty of family and musical entertainment - Patrick Feeney headlined the line-up for Sunday’s jive-dancing showgoers at Longford - and quality tradestands.

There’s always a buzz about Longford, which, like several midland shows, draws out the locals in droves.

Over at the horse rings, Jordan Kilkenny had little time for jetlag after arriving from California to present his grandfather Frank’s memorial cup to the ridden hunter champion.

“I flew in on Friday and go back tomorrow,” Jordan said about his whistlestop tour from Los Angeles, where he is building up a lucrative business in the American hunter and equitation markets.

Longford always produces an excellent catalogue and previous finishing touches have included that iconic photo of a young Eddie Macken at his first show and this year’s find was a photo of Jordan and his brother Dylan dressed up for show day.

PJ Casey had a successful second foray to the midlands with his recent Athlone champion hunter Raglan Road. The five-year-old won a good heavyweight class and in second place was the Sharon Kelly-owned and Hurst Show Horses-produced Annaghmore Dunkirk, the winner of last year’s All-Ireland three-year-old final at Bannow & Rathangan Show and the Brian Boru overall young horse champion at Clarecastle.

Adrianna Hurst with Dessie Gibson’s Ireland’s Call, the champion young horse at Longford Show \ Susan Finnerty

Both heavyweights are by the Cornet Obolensky son, HHS Cornet. Casey’s winner and ultimate champion was bred in New Ross by Larry Hanrahan. The quality heavyweight remained in the Model County after being bought by John and Julia Crosbie and is another with Bannow form, finishing third in the 2023 final for the Enniscorthy couple.

The reserve hunter champion went to Edel Whyte’s Dontbegonelong (Arctic Cosmos), the winner of the always-popular Treo Eile Racehorse to Riding Horse class, also judged by Joanne Quirke and Kevin McGuinness.

The next championship in the ridden horse ring, which attracted a sizeable contingent of Dublin-bound entries, was the working hunter champion, selected from a range of Colm Cuffe-sponsored classes. Here, Marion Condren and Tony Ennis opted for Dot Love’s Black Field (Califet), ridden by Evita Thompson, as their champion.

Their championship order stayed in the same order as the open working hunter class as Alicia Devlin Byrne, another Longford regular, took the blue with Gort Town Dancer (Gortfree Hero).

Treasured Tricolour: Camilla McNamara Kelly admires her Longford Show champion pony tricolour \ Susan Finnerty

Big days

Hurst Show Team won the Longford young horse championship two years ago with their home-bred Tattygare Me Me Me (Arkan), that went on to win the Dublin supreme hunter championship last year.

This year, they had Dessie Gibson’s Ireland’s Call and the two-year-old gelding matched that 2023 result, when he was Denise Colebrooke and Patricia Hoey’s champion choice.

Reserve young horse champion at Balmoral in May, the Dignified van’t Zorgvliet brown gelding won the champion tricolour from Athlone Show’s youngstock classes. Another of Longford’s horse champions with a Wexford breeder - Joe Walsh - Ireland’s Call is out of the Desir de Chateau dam Rossa Bibi, from the family of Ringfort Cruise and the Grade A show jumping stallion Renkum Englishman.

Lisa Baker’s three-year-old filly class winner Malahow Graces Legacy (Moylough Legacy), shown for her Dublin owner by Lorcan Glynn, stood reserve young horse champion to Ireland’s Call.

The Glynn family have bounced back from a hectic couple of months. PJ, the Athlone Show chairman and wife Majella had two family weddings - daughter and Athlone equine secretary Melissa to Colm Murray and son Darragh to Niamh Varley - before and after their local show.

A ‘day off’ at Longford resulted in the Irish Draught reserve championship for PJ’s Crannaghmore Lucky Dip, also shown by son Lorcan. By Moylough Legacy, the yearling is out of their Edenagor Rosie and was the All-Ireland filly foal champion last October.

The Irish Draught champion was Dominic Cassidy’s Holy River, bought by her Swinford owner from the Murphy family. Bred by Richard, his late father Eddie’s Inisfree lines are evident throughout the Longford champion’s pedigree, as the 11-year-old mare is by their home-bred Inisfree The Holy Grail and out of the Crannagh Hero mare Inisfree The Snowy River.

Dermot Dunne’s champion Connemara choice was Ray and Alaoise Halpin’s Sionnach Omra, by Glenayre Silver Fox. “It’s her first proper year out showing,” said Ray’s daughter Alaoise. “We bought her as a two-year-old and showed her that year and as a three-year-old and then she was let off. Rosedale Ellen, her filly foal at foot, is by Manor Duke and, with him qualified for HOYS (Horse of the Year Show), that makes her extra special and the mare is back in foal to Duke again for next year.”

The reserve champion also came from the Claregalway area, as it was Sinead McGrath’s three-year-old filly Lucky Bonnie (Drumbad Fletcher Moss).

Diamond in the rough

In the adjoining ridden ponies ring, Michelle Connell went for a mini pony double in the championship. Two years ago, Shane Kelly and Neva McNamara won the Longford ridden hunter championship with their Watermill Swatch gelding Mr Top Hat.

At that stage, the couple were already juggling ridden horses with mini pony classes. This year, it was the turn of their nine-year-old daughter Camilla to win a Longford championship with the mannerly Talgarth Casper (Talgarth Taylor).

“Its Camilla’s first year in first ridden and this is her third championship this year, taking numerous classes as well,” proud dad Shane explained. “Casper was champion at the Northern Ireland Equifest and champion in Athlone. “They were also very successful in lead rein winning numerous classes and championships and were third in Dublin. Casper wasn’t a pony we got off the pony circuit, but a poor, lacking in condition pony we bought off Done Deal with no show experience.

“With time and the help of her older brother Ross, who first rode and produced him, he is the show pony he is today. It’s kind of like a rag to riches story, our little diamond in the rough!”

The reserve champion was Ella O’Connor’s lead rein class winner Sarum Remus and this class attracted another large entry with scope for splitting into two types for next year.

Jane Whitaker selected the final champion in the Welsh pony ring and the champion here was Clare Lynch’s Lady Roxy (Nordy Razmatazz) with Tony Armstrong’s Broadtown John Boy (Whiteleaze Doulton), runner-up to the champion in their part-bred class, as reserve.

One feature increasingly seen at agricultural shows is a separate equine secretary, which has worked well at Athlone and again at Longford, where Bernie Whyte was in her element at her dedicated rings.

“Next stop, Granard Show cattle rings!”