OVER the last 30 years, Millstreet Horse Show has become an important platform for future stars, be they horses, ponies or young riders.

Friday is traditionally ‘Young Irelander’ Day when producers have the opportunity to showcase their best three-year-old horses under lights in the Main Indoor Arena. Under the scrutiny of first-time judges at Millstreet, Peter Strijbosch and Bert vd Oetelaar from The Netherlands, 18 horses came forward for the Irish Farmers Journal Young Irelander Final.

Marked on their conformation, movement, canter, natural ability, scope and temperament, the Belmont House Stud’s Irish Sport Horse stallion Mr Lincoln B came out on top with a final score of 111 following a faultless loose jumping performance where the judges commented on his big stride and balanced canter. In the conformation, movement and canter, he was just one point off the maximum score. In the test of scope, the stallion was awarded the maximum mark of 20 points, while in natural ability, he was awarded 23 out of 25 points.

The three-year-old stallion by Aganix du Seigneur x O-Piloth x Wandango out of the mare Lucy in the Sky B qualified for Millstreet by finishing second at Mullingar CSI in June and secured his place in the final when achieving the highest score in Thursday’s preliminary round of the Young Irelander competition. This rising star is showing plenty of promise having won the RDS loose jumping qualifier at Ross House.

Finishing second to Mr Lincoln B in the final was Katie Lawless’ Ts Dark Quality. This gelding finished third in the earlier qualifier. In the final he finished just four points off the winner on a score of 107 points. A three-year-old by Elvis Ter Putte and out of the O.B.O.S Quality 004-sired mare Gowran Park, this Irish Sport Horse was bred by Deirdre Bourns of Bourns Sport Horses in Co Galway.

Earlier in the day, judging for the Bucas-sponsored Small Horse Young Irelander took place and Timothy Hickey’s KEC Maximum Joe-sired Irish Sport Horse mare Maximum Scoch received the highest mark of 80% to secure the red rosette.

NATIONAL DISCOVERY FINAL

A capacity crowd watched proceedings on Saturday evening when the renowned National Discovery Four-Year-Old Final took place.

Judges for the evening, Britain’s Mike Florence and Rowland Ferneyhough had some tough decisions to make to separate their top-ranked choices and, in the end, victory went the way of Colm Cuffe’s Izzy, a grey mare by I’m Special de Muze who completed on 101 marks with Shane Quinn in the saddle.

Catriona Redmond’s Imerald slotted into second place on 98 marks, while third place was shared by Ivor Broderick’s Indigo VDL (Paul Lynch) and Dessie Judge’s Lux a Special Lady (Jessica Burke) who each scored 97 marks out of a possible 120.

Prior to the feature class, Amy O’Rourke was delighted to take poll position in the Prevent a Pest Small Horse Discovery Final when Eileen Duggan’s Kilcurry Candeaux, a bay mare by Hold Up Premier out of a Cardano mare was awarded the highest mark of the 11 horses that came forward.