THE Northern Ireland Festival concluded in the Gold Ring on Sunday night with the crowning of the Festival supreme working hunter champions who both earned their connections £1,000 in prize-money.

Co Kilkenny’s Aoife Brennan won the pony title with her mother Aine’s Captain Bailey. She and the 10-year-old dun gelding progressed to Sunday night’s decider by winning the Festival 143cms working hunter final. They also finished second in their show hunter pony class and sixth in their HOYS qualifier, where they had a pole down.

Aoife (14) is in Second Year at the Presentation School, Kilkenny. She plays rugby for her school and for Kilkenny Rugby Club and was just back from an international youth tournament in Portugal where the Irish girls made it to the final where they were runners-up to Dubai.

Aine revealed that, having been let down on five occasions in their search for a 143cms working hunter pony between Ireland and Britain, they were informed by a neighbour about a Pony Club triathlon pony who was for sale on DoneDeal.

“He was only down the road from us in New Ross so we went down there in early October 2024 and the minute I saw him I absolutely adored him and knew he was the one we were looking for. Unfortunately, he has no recorded breeding but I found out that he purchased at Ballinasloe Fair as a three-year-old.

“In his first season with us last year, Bailey was amazing. He and Aoife won the 143cms show hunter pony class at Dublin which was a dream come true as we bought him as a worker. He is truly a special pony, a real all-rounder who has hunted, hunter-trialled and show jumped.

“He was third in the Irish Pony Society’s Sports Pony Challenge league this year and qualified for NIF twice, winning at Kilbride and at the Show of the East where he went reserve supreme of show. Having achieved one of her goals for this year by making it to an evening performance at NIF, Aoife now wants to qualify for the 143cms working hunter at the RDS. We really feel ready this year and will give it our best shot.

“We are next going to Balmoral, to compete in the 143cms show hunter and working hunter classes, and also plan on doing the Pony Club eventing qualifiers this year.” While Aine’s husband Paul stayed at home with their two other children, James and Chloe, her father John Vaughan travelled up to Cavan as he is Aoife’s No 1 supporter and hasn’t missed a show since she started competing at the age of three.

Aoife is trained by Aoibhinn Ruane and also by Louise Lyons whose daughter, Robin Lyons Teehan, finished first reserve on the Festival Cradle Stakes final winner, the 17-year-old Welsh Section B mare Tynffrwd Carys. Splitting the Co Kilkenny combinations was Co Armagh’s Lauren O’Rourke with her mother Sarah’s eight-year-old Pineview Romeo (Barrera Duke of Windsor – Dryfe Sceptre Fantasy, by Tangle Wood Fantasy). This grey always does well on the big stage and made it through to the supreme by winning the Festival 122cms Mountain and Moorland working hunter final. Among their other wins at Cavan was that in the novice M&M working hunter pony championship.

Supreme working hunter horse

The 2026 Festival supreme working hunter horse champion is the Irish Draught stallion Rockrimmon Free Sprit II, ridden and produced by Emma Jackson for longterm supporter, Roy Shields. The Thomas Casey-bred chesnut by Inisfree The Holy Grail is out of the Rockrimmon Silver Diamond mare Tullybraden Lady.

Co Wicklow’s Charlotte Goor finished reserve with her mother Fiona’s 10-year-old ISH mare Ardville Whispering Hope (Kah Clintender – Ardville Killycarn, by VDL Arkansas) who, having placed second in both the amateur working hunter 90cms class and the Festival 153cms working hunter pony class, won the Festival small working hunter horse final.

The seven-year-old ID stallion Bannvalley Whisper (Gortfree Hero – Bannvalley Mandolin, by Moylough Bouncer), who Jackson stands at her Glasdrumman Stud outside Ballynahinch, won the 1.10m Festival final en route to the supreme where he was ridden by Brian Murphy to stand first reserve.

Jackson said of Rockrimmon Free Spirit II: “I broke him last year for Roy who took him home for the summer then sent him back to me before Christmas. He qualified for Balmoral at The Meadows and then at Ardnacashel for NIF. Here, he won the performance Irish Draught 80cms on Friday, going reserve champion, the four-year-old Festival final on Saturday and then the supreme on Sunday night.

“Both horses are heading to Balmoral after which we’ll think about the Dublin qualifiers,” concluded Jackson who won the overall title in 2012 on Silken Allure and two years later with Creevagh Connection.