CHLOE Lacey, who is Customer Services Manager with our sister paper, the Irish Farmers Journal, booked a ticket for the four and five-year-old ridden Connemara class at the Gallagher Dublin Horse Show when winning Saturday’s qualifier at Scarteen with Ballylee Lemon.

The five-year-old Slackport Prince gelding, who was bred in Co Galway by Declan O’Flynn out of the Moy Hazy Cove mare Lemonfield Lass, was fourth in his age final last August and second at Balmoral last month.

Charlotte Goor qualified Lacey’s four-year-old Blakehill Ballylee Storm gelding at Tullylish seven days previously and the owner will be targeting more tickets today at Forth Mountain.

Also qualifying by right out of a start list of 53 were Lilith Stapleton on Dominic Furnell’s 2021 Dunally Lad gelding Breaffy Arthur, Freya Alken riding Jane Kinsella’s 2022 Galloon Rollover gelding Drumree Phoenix, Lucy Paphitis with her own Rossduane Shadow, a 2022 gelding by Black Shadow, and Jessica Murphy with Robert Nee’s 2021 home-bred Cashelbay Prince mare Rathville Poppy.

There were 34 starters in the young riders’ six-year-old and upwards class, where the final line-up of judges Faith Ponsonby and Shauna Finneran was headed by the very much in-form combination of Co Limerick’s Sophie Cusack and her mother Oorla’s Clareville Codiac (Caherlistrane Bay - Tegan, by Slisneoir), a 10-year-old gelding bred in Co Galway by John Tierney.

Two six-year-old geldings, Coose Sammy (by Killoughter Watson) and Oorid Alfie (by Oisin Liath), stood second and third under Charlotte Collins and Roisin Casey respectively. Lily Corrigan was next in the line-up on the 11-year-old Banks Timber mare Banks Chalky, with Ellen Quinn claiming the final ticket on another six-year-old gelding, Rynnstone Rebel (by Trá Bháin Céilóg). Geldings also occupied the top five qualifying spots in the six-year-old and upwards class for riders aged 12 and over. Riding for Co Mayo’s Beatrice Hughes, Kitty Harburn qualified in first on the John O’Malley-bred seven-year-old Cara Boy Blue (Carracanada River - Salagher Cailin Bán, by Robe Blue Thunder).

Qualifying tickets were also secured by northern raiders Chloe Rooney with Amanda Boyle’s Monaghanstown Boy eight-year-old Fairyhill Markle, by Emily Collins on Sorcha Meehan’s Brock Lodge Buster 11-year-old Loughmore Mick, by Emma Mackey on the family’s Maam Hero eight-year-old Dereen Lightening and by Lauren Kerins on her own Lankhill Lady, a 14-year-old son of Dunally Lad.