THE Western Area of the Irish Pony Society held its summer show in very unseasonal weather conditions on Bank Holiday Monday at Duffy’s Equestrian in Claregalway, where four-year-old Phillipa Braddish won the Connolly’s Red Mills overall supreme championship on Pinewell Storm.
Winner earlier of the mini Mountain and Moorland and mini supreme championships, the 11-year-old Welsh Section A gelding by Pinewell Buck’s Fizz was led by the young rider’s mother Jodie Moran. This win qualified the Askeaton combination for the Killusty all-Ireland pony supreme championship.
Grace Maxwell Murphy stood reserve overall supreme with Glenville Glic (Glencarrig Knight - Clooneybreen Peigín, by Currachmore Cashel). The six-year-old gelding started his day winning his large breed Mountain and Moorland class and then the heritage championship, ahead of the small breeds’ class winner, Penwood Dandini (Rachael Lane).
This saw Glenville Glic progress to the Aloga Equestrian Connacht Connemara supreme championship where, following a points-earning ride-off, he not only claimed the title but Maxwell Murphy was presented with the new memorial cup donated by the McCormack family of Dunguaire Stud. Lucy Watson stood reserve supreme with Beatrice Hughes’s 12-year-old Brock Lodge Buster mare Slievebloom Hilda.
Aoibhinn Ruane followed up her win at the RDS working hunter qualifier at Raheen na Gun on Sunday, with victory here in the Intermediate championship on board Birchill Pianoman, a 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding by Atlantic Cruise.
Ruane’s former ride Dartans Atom Man stood reserve in the show hunter pony championship to the Kate Lawlor-ridden Bombay Regal Prince who, at the IPS spring show in Barnadown, qualified for the Royal International Horse Show.
Connie Turnbull won the working hunter championship on the black ISH mare FS Stormborn, a six-year-old daughter of Lagans OBOS Quality, while the mini working hunter pony title went the way of the beginner cradle stakes winner, the Zara Butler-partnered Twyford Cerys.
The equitation championship was won by Emily Purcell’s 10-year-old Welsh mare Rockbury Amelia, who stood reserve in the show pony championship behind the Ella Healion-ridden seven-year-old Irish Sport Pony mare Tyrrellspass Devine, winner of the 138cm to 148cm class.
The working hunter pony class winner, Moshi Pumpkin, claimed the starter stakes title in the hands of 10-year-old Sybil Freeney. The 16-year-old skewbald mare is well-known among those who hunt with the Grallagh Harriers.
Jenny Lindsay won the youngstock championship with her Connemara class winner, the three-year-old filly Knockadoe Lady (Dunloughan Troy - An Cailín Dríochta, by Frederiksminde Hazy Match). The young handler championship was won by Anna O’Riordan.
The show’s horse championship was dominated by owner Tom McNamara, whose daughter Maria claimed the title on their lightweight winner, Shanbally A Touch of Class, a four-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding by Lagans OBOS Quality. Maria had also qualified the reserve champion, their small hunter class winner Shanbally Class Act, a four-year-old Irish Draught gelding by Zeus Of The Blues.
The action on Monday got under way in Ring 1 with the Clifden performance qualifiers, where the opener for four-year-old green hunters attracted 30 entries.
Here, Lismore’s Pauline Dahill claimed the top spot with Gill and John Glynn’s already well-known stallion Seafield Turnog Misty (Drumbad Fletcher Moss - Furbo Primrose, by Atlantic Tiger). Sophie Mullane bagged the first ticket in the high performance qualifier with her five-year-old dun stallion Kilmurray Cain (Hector Of Loughfadda - Duncan’s Dream, by Derrymore Duncan).