THE Kildare North Leinster Area of the Irish Pony Society held their mid-summer show last Sunday at Killossery Lodge Stud, where the performance classes were staged on sand and the ridden classes on grass.
The show’s supreme champion was Gary McMenamin’s Welsh Section A mare Cosford Wishes Vow (Thistledown Vierra - Cosford Widows Wish, by Blackhill Picalo), who has been enjoying an excellent first season in Ireland under seven-year-old Dulcee Morrison.
En route to the supreme, Morrison and the nine-year-old palomino won their mini Mountain & Moorland lead rein class and then the mini Mountain & Moorland championship. Here, Fionn Redmond stood reserve on Lisa Griffin’s first ridden class winner, the 10-year-old Section A grey gelding Rosewood Silver Fox (Sarum Raphael - Friars Sweet Rose, by Penual Jacinth).
Led by Aoife Murphy, Morrison and Cosford Wishes Vow then ended the day by claiming the show’s supreme championship, a qualifier for the all-Ireland pony supreme championship at Killusty on Saturday, July 4th. During the day, the combination finished second in the mini working hunter cradle stakes, marking the rider’s first time off the lead.
Bred at the Cosford Stud in Suffolk by Paul Brightwell, Cosford Wishes Vow was imported to Ireland following a very successful career in Britain.
The reserve supreme was the Heritage working hunter champion, the Avril Kelly-bred Dunran Love In The Mist (I Love You Melody - Dunran Button Moon, by Monaghanstown Boy), winner of the Connemara class for riders under 16. Ridden for owner Stuart Murphy by his daughter Lily, the 11-year-old grey mare claimed the section title, ahead of the Mountain & Moorland exceeding 143cm class winner, the Ciara Cully-partnered Connemara gelding PIO, a 14-year-old son of Celtic Moy Sailor.
Ivan Ryan, stable jockey at the locally-based Cabragh Lodge Horses’ yard, partnered his father Kieran’s show hunter, the four-year-old traditionally-bred Irish Sport Horse gelding Show N Tell (Dennistown Prince Of Pride - Its Edwina, by Templebready Fear Bui) to win the Intermediate championship. Here, the reserve spot was filled by Hannah Keogh on her own seven-year-old ISH mare Loughmor Lioness (Loughmor Rambler - Coolahand Lioness, by Let The Lion Roar), winner of the novice Intermediate working hunter class.
Starter stakes champion
The show’s starter stakes champion was the Deirdre Kane-owned, Millie Dalton-ridden working hunter Jubilee, with Abbey Cassidy standing reserve on her mother Catherine’s show pony Darkly Julie.
On a raid from the Wicklow Area, there was a great result for the Kelly family in the open working hunter section, where the 133cm class winner, Tinnecarrig Milo, won the championship with his stable-companion Garvagh Moonlight Boy, who had finished second in his 153cm class, standing reserve.
Both ponies are owned by Lucy Kelly, whose son Tristan rode the pair in their class. As he was on board Tinnecarrig Milo, Tristan stuck with the 15-year-old dun gelding for the championship, leaving the ride on the eight-year-old Connemara gelding Garvagh Moonlight Boy (Monaghanstown Boy - Garvagh Silver Moonlight, by Moonlight Silver Shadow) to Daisy Dalton.
Young Polly Geraghty had a great day, highlighted by victory in the working hunter championship on her mother Georgette’s 133cm class winner, the 19-year-old piebald gelding Stars At Night. Here, the reserve was the Fiona Goor-owned, Charlotte Goor-ridden Underhill Bobcat, a 10-year-old bay gelding by Riverford Love Song.
Polly also had the ride on Saturday on Fiona Goor’s well-known Barkway State Affair (Rothwood Statesman - Haighend China Rose, by Lechlade Quince), but it was her good friend Annabelle Carroll who, having won the mini show hunter lead rein class on the 22-year-old gelding, was beckoned into the reserve slot in the mini show hunter championship with the bay.
The title went to the first ridden class winner, the 10-year-old Welsh Section B gelding Garnagree Golden Bravado, who was ridden by Co Antrim’s Amelia Logan for her mother Ruth. Having won their cradle stakes class, Garnagree Golden Bravado and Logan landed the mini working hunter championship with CJ Greene filling the reserve spot on David Byrne’s beginner cradle stakes winner My Starlight, the well-known bay gelding who is now 29 years young!
There were ridden championship successes also for Alannah Roberts with Mary Brown’s 17-year-old piebald gelding Kilglass Jimmmy (performance jumping), for Fionn Redmond on Kathy Geoghegan’s five-year-old part-bred Welsh mare Stracathro Golden Sorbet (show ponies), for Aoife Brennan with her mother Aine’s 10-year-old dun gelding Captain Bailey (show hunter ponies) and for Sophia Campbell with Penny McClean Campbell’s six-year-old Connemara Kylemore Frankie (ridden Heritage classes).
Elaine Sherrard finished champion and reserve in the led section with her two-year-old show hunter Parkhill Garnacho and her three-year-old show pony Parkhill Arabella. This fixture was held to raise funds for the Kildare North Leinster Area show on Sunday, July 26th, alongside the closing session of the three-day Tattersalls Ireland July Show.