PONY rider Cora Sharkey showed the experienced field how it was done last Sunday when rocketing to the top of the line-up in the Sven Hadley Transport 1.35m Connaught Grand Prix, sponsored by Kenny Galway, at the Corrandulla Show.

Those wondering how to run an agricultural show in 2017 should take a visit to Corrandulla, where the bustling crowd, packed show rings and lively entertainment areas banish any notions that shows in rural Ireland are dying away.

Action kicked off in the main show jumping arena with the Hygeia 1.15m Connaught Development League and Headford’s Jessica Lee landed the spoils aboard Evan Flynn’s Harry Beau Bay, ahead of Tina Stephenson in second with Ballyconnell Kid, and Karen McCabe, third with Carramore Oasis.

Young rider Daren Hopkins came out on top in the Eurohome.ie Step Up 1.25m League with Leo and John Carey’s Furisto Cruise. Mark Duffy took the runner-up spot with Karen Geoghegan’s Clever Kangaroo, ahead of Shane Goggins and Bundi Aki.

Following an entertaining donkey derby, which attracted spectators from all areas of the show grounds, the feature Grand Prix class got underway. Twenty five combinations started over James Tarrant’s 1.35m track, which warranted its fair share of respect. The planks at fence eight and the vertical that followed caused plenty of upset.

Just six combinations managed to navigate a clear round and return for the jump-off. Coming back in drawn order, Claregalway veteran Owen Horan was first to take it on with his own Black Boy and returned home with four faults in 42.03 seconds to finish in fifth place.

Olive Clarke bettered his time with Derek Conway’s Neon Acclaim but collected four faults at the second part of the double to finish fourth. Jessica Burke, winner of the last two legs in Headford and Galway County with Calinda, guided Jackie Lee’s seven-year-old Irish Sport Horse Kashino to third place with the fastest time of 36.90 seconds but had once fence on the floor.

Kildare man Wesley Ryan was happy to get one into the jump-off after a long trip, but an unfortunate eight faults meant he had to settle for sixth place with his own Bernhard.

The crowd had to wait until the second last horse for a clear, when Shane Goggins and Emma MacNamara’s Greenfort Newmarket K broke the beam in 41.28.

However, the Claremorris man didn’t have to wait long to find out his fate as Sharkey was next to take it on. A member of the pony Nations Cup team in Fontainebleau earlier this summer and runner-up in the Connaught League Grand Prix at Headford show, Sharkey crossed the line with a clean sheet in 38.96 with Pat Sharkey’s Cruise On Tina to take the top spot.

In the Connemara showing ring, Noel Noonan picked up yet another supreme championship with his stallion Manor Duke (Currachmore Cashel x Banks Vanilla), with the junior champion, Gearoid Curran’s Glencarrig Princess Katie, sired by Glencarrig Knight, taking the reserve supreme in the afternoon.

Well known in show jumping circles, Sinead Hanley judged her ridden champion to be Shauna Finneran with Marjorie Hardiman’s Creganna Dandini, earlier winners of the over 16 ridden Connemara class.