AT the same time as her sire Moylough Legacy was in Ring 1 for the Irish Draught stallion class, Lisa Baker’s Malahow Grace’s Legacy waited in the warm-up pocket to take her place in Friday’s parade of champions.

“Pretty special!” her owner remarked. “I led the mare in the main ring as Lorcan [Glynn, her usual handler] was showing a stallion [Clogheen Life Of Reilly]. Absolutely delighted with her, she’s in foal to Heigh Ho Dubh and will have an early foal next year at the end of March.

“No plans for her for the rest of the year, she’s going to finish on that result. Lorcan did a superb job of leading her as usual. We’d great fun throughout the show with Lorcan and his family and my little girl Harriet (six), who came second in the show hunter pony lead rein class.”

The champion’s path to the main ring parade began on Thursday morning when she won the opening class, for three and four-year-olds. Another Mayo pair - Kathleen Gielty-Cunney’s 2025 winner: Foxford Nina (Cappa Aristocrat) and Seamus Sloyan’s Elms Royal View (Kilmovee Lionhawk) stood second and third. “Mayo winning the All-Ireland or third, even champion in Dublin? That All-Ireland!” said Sloyan, who won the Draught mare championship three times with this filly’s dam Elm View (Elm Hill).

“Does Charmaine know that you sold me?” Gweebarra Croi enquires from his owner-breeder’s sister Lorraine \ Susan Finnerty

In the following older mare class, Enda Hamill and Charmaine Kee’s home-bred Gweebarra Realta (Millhollow Real Mac Coy) continued the Donegal winning streak on ‘Draught Day’.

Starting her collection of Dublin blue ribbons was Billy Moran’s busy Corkeeran Willow (Moylough Darragh Vision), over from the UK. Jenny Banks’ Inisfree Farmers Daughter (Tors Gentleman Farmer), the dam of the eventual champion, took third, ahead of the two-time champion, Valerie Davis’s Castleview Lady Georgina (Castleview Inisfree Farmer) bidding for a treble.

In the Dublin vs Donegal mare championship, the coveted Eileen Parkhill salver went to Malahow Grace’s Legacy, bred by Jenny Banks on Arkle’s home turf and with Gweebarra Realta as reserve.

Donegal one-two

Judges Elizabeth Cooke and Jonathan Geake judged the Draught foal championship on Thursday evening. A Donegal one-two as Gweebarra Realta and Castleview Lady Georgina’s colts - Gweebarra Croi (The Bachelor) and Cloughroe Legacy Prince (Moylough Legacy) - made it a clean sweep.

Des McDonnell’s Mountain Diamond entry took third place in the colt foal class, while the winner of the filly class was Pat and Emma Murphy’s IDHBA national show champion Puntabeg Emma’s Star (Moylough Supremacy). Taking the first of her two blue ribbons in Dublin’s foal classes was Billy Moran’s Bowland Royal Silver filly, ahead of Richie Midleton’s Ormondstown Nova (Penmerryls Rhythm and Blues).

“History repeats itself with both Gweebarra Realta (2018) and her dam Dreamtime Mayfie (2003) winning here as foals. In fact, we got the same results this year as in 2003, when Rosetown Annie (great-granddam) was reserve champion mare and Dreamtime Mayfie (granddam) was champion foal. It’s great to see the legacy of former champion mares continuing on,” said Charmaine, whose sister Lorraine arrived at the RDS in the nick of time.

“Lorraine only landed 10 minutes before we went into the ring, as she got lost on the tram. Thank God, she made it in time. She’s as cool as a breeze!”

And a good salesperson, as she sold her sister’s foal at the corner of Ring 1, while waiting for the championship.

“I was too busy talking to Pat Finn, telling him ‘no, the mare isn’t for sale’, as he’s been trying to buy her every year at the RDS for the past eight years. He’s a massive fan of hers and I could hear him cheering from the grandstand the minute she got the red rosette.

“I thought Lorraine was just talking to a random stranger, but she said he’s away to get the deposit, which he did. The foal is away to the Murphy family in Dingle in October!”

This year’s Draught mare and foal classes were sponsored by the Irish Draught Horse Breeders’ Association (IDHBA). The late Matthew O’Meara was at last year’s presentation and the Tipperary man’s presence was very much missed at Dublin.