THIS was another record-breaking year for the Northern Ireland Festival which ran from Friday to Sunday last at Cavan Equestrian Centre with over 2,400 entries being made for over 900 animals.

The vast majority of these were made in advance – and so appeared in the show catalogue –but there are those who, despite the financial penalty incurred, persist in making late entries, some even waiting until the day.

Pre-qualification was a requisite for the Festival working hunter championships and combinations then had to progress through a further qualification system in Cavan before making it through to Sunday evening’s Polly Coles Show Team-sponsored finale. Under the scrutiny of all Festival judges, the double-qualified ponies were first into the Gold Ring.

After a lengthy consultation process, Conor Cusack was called forward on the first reserve, Krafty Tim Hunt, winner of the 153cm class. Ellie Murphy was then beckoned into the reserve slot on Colandra Meant To Be who had finished second in Saturday’s Mountain and Moorland 133cm class. And it was the winner of that class, Telynau Darwin, who was crowned Festival supreme working hunter pony champion, a prestigious title further enhanced with its £1,000 prize money.

Ridden by Taylor-Lee Doyle for her mother Amanda, Telynau Darwin is a six-year-old liver chesnut Welsh gelding. The Co Armagh combination also won the show’s novice 133cm Mountain and Moorland working hunter pony class, were second in the novice working hunter pony starter stakes and then landed the novice mini working hunter pony championship and novice Mountain and Moorland working hunter championship.

Eleven-year-old Doyle also won the Equine Viewer Ireland Connemara working hunter pony championship with the rider under 16 class winner, Lady Valley, a 12-year-old dun mare by Lissroe Charlie.

Although Cherie McHugh’s Colandra Meant To Be had to settle for reserve in the Festival supreme working hunter pony championship, this seven-year-old bay Welsh gelding by Marty landed Saturday’s Lewis Family mini novice champion of champions title under Brylei Gallagher.

Sophia Martin filled the reserve slot with Magical Merlin while Ella Dickson stood first reserve on Treworgan Skyfall.