“SHE was good yesterday but even better today,” commented handler Philippa Scott as she reflected on Frenchfort Kildysart Lady’s win on Friday afternoon for the supreme young horse championship’s coveted Laidlaw Cup.

“Even the judges said the same. They said she never missed a beat today,” added Meath-based Scott.

It was an admirable move on the part of the visiting British judges Jonathan Mills and Tim Wiggett who had picked her for the overall champion filly title (for the Owen Ryan Cup) but overlooked her in the three-year-old championship. “But these championships are new classes. They did a lot of looking at her again,” added her emotional, but delighted owner Pat Finn.

It was the culmination of a busy few days that saw Frenchfort Kildysart Lady first win her three-year-old filly class on Thursday for Scott, who did a fantastic job deputising for Tiernan Gill as he recovered from heart surgery. “I keep a number of horses for Pat and the filly is based with me, but I asked Philippa if she would show her for me a while back,” Gill said.

“Her father Philip used to show horses for my father, Tiernan Snr, so we’ve gone full circle. Philippa did a fantastic job here.

"I told her if she saw a piece of horse dung at the top of the line, to stand beside it. It was usually lucky for me. It worked again.”

Having ridden in Dublin many times, this was Scott’s first time in the RDS young horse show rings in a few years. She now works with thoroughbreds with her partner, trainer Thomas Coyle, and the Batterstown-based duo had another reason to celebrate after landing a winner in Sligo – the 16/1 shot Fortunate Lighting – on the Thursday night.

Runner-up in the All-Ireland at Bannow, where she was also the highest-placed filly, Frenchfort Kildysart Lady is by the prolific AES sire Chellis HC Z who stands in Kilrush with Enda and Shirley Corry. She too was bred in Co Clare by Gerry Grace and is out of the Lux Z mare, Rusheen Lux, herself from a family of show winners.

“Gerry was here to see her win, he is just thrilled,” added Finn who now has four offspring from Rusheen Lux, including the yearling filly, Frenchfort Kildysart Bridget, who followed in her full-sister’s footsteps by winning the All-Ireland title in Bridgetown just last month. Rusheen Lux is also the dam of the OBOS Quality 004 gelding Fernhill Quite Frankly, a recent CCI3*-L winner in Ocala.

“She is almost riding and we will keep her to go under saddle hopefully. She’s not for sale at the moment,” added Finn of his young horse champion. “I retired from farming two years ago and have some 60 horses now, including 16 broodmares. I wouldn’t be able to do any of it without the expertise of Tiernan and support of his team, and my own family, especially my daughter Ruth (Keane).”

It was quite a week for the Galwayman as he bred the winners of both sections of the Breeders’ Championship, as well as placing second with a mare in the show jumping division, with Ruth in fourth with another mare in the same class. (See the Breeders’ Championship report on page 85.)