HAVING opened up their Orchard Lodge yard for the third of the Young Eventhorse Series qualifiers the previous Tuesday, Kieran Connor and Michelle Nelson had their team of volunteers in place again last Saturday for the third of the RDS breed performance qualifiers.

Co Westmeath’s Sarah Maxwell, who won the performance Irish Draught final for four and five-year-olds last August with Carrafarm Constellations, recorded a comprehensive victory in Section B of that qualifier on Saturday with Passions Storm (230.5 points). Colin Barrett’s five-year-old Gortfree Hero gelding was bred by Co Mayo’s Zoe Gallagher out of the Rakish Paddy mare Springvale Beauty.

Riding another Gortfree Hero gelding, Duncan McFadyen just managed to bag a qualifying ticket on Tom McNamara’s four-year-old Hello Sunshine Sonny. The Scot’s position of runner-up was only confirmed when his time on the grey was judged closer to the optimum than that of the unlucky David Raeburn who completed on the same score (223) with Hollypark Rock On Rocco.

There were two non-completions in that 15-runner class and one from 16 starters in Section A where the leaderboard was topped by Diarmuid Ryan on the previously-qualified Two Mile Nigel (246). Here, Craughwell owner McNamara picked up the sole ticket on offer when his daughter Maria finished second with the four-year-old Cappa Aristocrat gelding Shanbally Nightcap (239.5).

Only one ticket was awarded in Section A of the six-year-old and upwards class and this went to a Dublin regular in Edwina O’Connor who won with her David Miley-bred Ashwood Reggie (237.5) on whom she was sixth in the final last August and third in 2023. The 11-year-old Keamore Diamond Clover gelding, who carries 22.66% thoroughbred blood, is out of the Fast Silver mare Beara Lady.

Katie Stafford’s stallion Dennistown Prince of Pride, who finished fourth in the Covid-affected four and five-year-old final at Lambertstown in 2021, topped the scores (243.5 points) in Section B in the hands of Kate Walsh. Bred in Co Wicklow by Andrew Waldron, this nine-year-old chesnut by Crosstown Pride is out of the Golden Trump mare Ballylusk Sunday Dawn.

Co Antrim’s Charlotte Harding claimed the second ticket on offer with Charlotte and Nigel Moore’s home-bred Tullys Cherry (235.5), a nine-year-old mare by Skip And Sea out of the Crosstown Dancer mare Tullys Valley. The chesnut is usually partnered by Sammy Weston, under whom she finished fifth at Balmoral in May and won the Irish Draught performance championship there in 2021, but that Loughbrickland rider is out of action through injury.

The performance ridden and conformation judges on Saturday were Jane O’Flynn and Meryl Connaughton with Bets Coleman undertaking the role of jump judge.