BALLINA’s Tiernan Gill has purchased around 80 foals over 25 years attending Dutch Sport Horse auctions and has no reason to regret buying a son of Calvino Z in the Netherlands in 2021.
As Flogas Syb, the grey won in Dublin as a yearling and as a two-year-old but, more pertinently, he won his medium/heavyweight three-year-old geldings’ class at last week’s Balmoral Show where he went on to be crowned the Bluegrass youngstock champion, a first for his delighted owner.
“I have all my homework done before I go to a sale and like to get there a day early so see the ones I’ve selected come off the trailer – some you can then dismiss straight away. I loved this fellow the moment I saw him as he has a fantastic step and is very well-balanced. His colour helped persuade me to buy him – and his price!”
Flogas Syb is out of the Warrant mare Imette, a half-sister to the Guidam brothers Wiedam (CIC2*) and Zidane (1.60m) who, in turn, was out of the Ircolando mare Orette, a half-sister to Cassius Clay VDV Z (1.60m) who was by Calvino Z.
Chosen as their reserve youngstock champion by Cathy Wood and Chris Hewlett, was the two-year-old geldings’ class winner, Ireland’s Call who was shown for Dessie Gibson by Shirley Hurst and was bred in Co Wexford by Joe Walsh. A son of the popular Dignified van’t Zorgvliet, the bay is out of the Desir Du Chateau mare Rossa Bibi who comes from the family of Ringfort Cruise (CSI5*).
A second champion emerged from that class in the runner-up Lakelands Gucci, a bay by HHS Cornet out of the Kaieteur mare Glendale Skylark whose owner, Julie Radden, won the Sir Milne Barbour cup for the champion home-bred exhibit.
Gibson also won the yearling colt or gelding class, and the yearling championship, with Cushinstown Special. This dark bay son of Castlefield Conthagros was bred as his name suggests by Simon McCarthy out of the Cavalier Royale mare Cavalier Cushinstown Cruis.
Bloomfield filly
Co Wicklow owner/breeder Daphne Tierney was represented in the medium/heavyweight three-year-old geldings’ class by the second-placed Bloomfield Inheritance, a chesnut son of Dignified, but won the fillies’ class with Bloomfield Westaston who, too, was shown by Stephen Mitten and was judged as reserve champion three-year-old.
Also by Dignified, this bay was bred by Jane Bradbury out of the thoroughbred mare Katoda (by Indian Danehill) whose previous produce include the 2016 mare Ballinclare (by Silvano) who was champion hack at the Horse of The Year Show in 2022 and the 2019 Dignified gelding Bloomfield Breagura (by Dignified) who was youngstock champion here in the same season. As the unraced Katoda is no longer breeding, Bradbury has retained her yearling filly by Calandro.
Bloomfield Westaston stood ahead of Patrick Finn’s Frenchfort Kildysart Lady (by Chelis HC Z) in their three-year-old class and in the fillies’ championship.
Other horses who carried red rosettes into their respective championships were Ann Lyons’s Greenhall Caviar, a filly by Cavalier Land bred by Derry Rothwell out of Greenhall Push Button (by Financial Reward) who was reserve champion yearling; Brendan Newell’s home-bred two-year-old Kilcahill Ruby, a brown daughter of Financial Reward, out of the Colin Diamond mare Kilcahill Diamond, who won a Traditional Irish Horse Association ribbon and a place in the Limerick Lady final in August; and George Chapman’s Ballykealy Showman, an Irish Sport Horse like most others, this bay by Rock ‘N Roll Ter Putte out of a Womanizer mare won the three-year-old lightweight geldings’ class.