THE ninth annual Irish Breeders’ Classic show kicks off at Barnadown Showjumping on August 27th, and with new additions to the competition schedule, it promises to be an action-packed weekend of top sport with prize money in excess of €85,000 up for grabs.

The brainchild of Ronan Rothwell in 2012, he has taken a step back due to work commitments and there is a new committee in place to ensure that his endeavours to promote the Irish-bred horse lives on.

With the help of generous sponsors from all sides of the sport horse industry, together with the donations of auction items from various patrons which will form the prize fund (from the prize fund auction), the show will be bigger and better than before. Some new additions to the schedule include the five and six-year-old class open to all studbooks and a 1.50m Grand Prix on the final day with a prize fund of €20,000, kindly supported by Shane Sweetnam’s Sweet Oak Farm.

World-class course designer Alan Wade will design the courses, while Saturday’s Goresbridge Select Sale of Show Jumping foals and the three-year-old loose jumping final will attract some excitement. The show will be streamed live by irishsport.tv and Bit-Media.

Speaking ahead of the show case, committee member Sharon Fitzpatrick said: “I am glad to have this opportunity to develop and help grow the Irish Breeders’ Classic show. It is a showcase for our young Irish-bred horses, and our breeders, riders and owners deserve to be recognised at this high standard level in Ireland. This is the richest young horse class in Europe and a place to find your next champion.”

Committee member Liz Brennan said: “I am delighted to be involved with the IBC this year as show organisers. It is a fantastic showcase for our horses here in Ireland. We are lucky to have international course designer Alan Wade available to design for us in a wonderful facility like Barnadown. We are indebted to all of our sponsors for their support this year and in the past.”

The three main sponsors of the show are Horse Sport Ireland, GAIN Equine Nutrition and Alltech. Horseware Ireland are sponsoring the winning rugs, while Seafield Hotel and Spa Resort have partnered with IBC as the official riders hotel and are offering accommodation at a discounted rate. The committee ask competitors to read all show rules on the IBC website before entering.

The Select Sale of Showjumping Foals takes place on Saturday, August 29th at 6pm. Some 2% of the turnover of the foal sales goes into the IBC prize fund. Thirteen foals and two embryos will be auctioned at the venue. Last year’s top price was €24,000 for a Chacco-Blue embryo, and €18,000 for an Air Jordan colt foal.

See next week’s paper for Sally Parkyn’s extensive sales preview.