Susan Finnerty
BILLED as a possible record fourth title for Cappa Cassanova, a third title for dual champion Gortfree Hero or as an opportunity for a completely new champion to emerge, the possibilities for this year’s Irish Draught stallion were played out in Ring 1.
The end result proved to be the third option as a new name was added to the Dublin roll of honour when PJ Fitzpatrick’s Carrabawn Cross, with a slew of newly-approved stallions in his wake, was Tim Wiggett and Harm Sievers unanimous champion.
Third here last year to Jimmy Quinn’s victorious pair of Cappa Cassanova and Cappa Aristocrat, the eight-year-old home-bred turned the tables 12 months later to claim his first victory in the class for his Blueball owner. By Young Carrabawn out of the Holycross dam Annaghbrack Lass, the modern type champion was amongst the first Irish Draught stallions to gain Class 1 approval at Horse Sport Ireland’s inaugural inspections at Cavan in 2011.
In fact, three more graduates of the new system – Patrick Hoare’s Moylough Legacy (2016), Cappa Stud’s Cappa Aristocrat (2015) and Martin Murphy’s Carrigfada Troy (2016) – were also in the top half-dozen.
CONTENDERS
Standing reserve champion in the field of 14 contenders was another of Jimmy Quinn’s team in Cappa Amadeus. He was one of four stallions that had travelled over to the IDHS(GB) inspections this spring to gain Grade 1 approval, following the uncertainty regarding this year’s Cavan inspections.
One of four three-year-olds entered this year, the Cooloo Crest grey was bred by Rathdrum breeder Alan Farrar and is out of the Donovan dam Montpelier Gentle Diamond.
With his sire Carrabawn Cross as the new champion, another piece of Irish Draught RDS history was added to when Moylough Legacy’s third place saw a sire and son lined-up in the top three. Owned by Patrick Hoare and bred by John Gilboy, the three-year-old is a very similar stamp to his champion sire and is out of Ardcarne Vilamear, by Castana.
Two more of Jimmy Quinn’s Cappa team filled the top six places as last year’s reserve champion Cappa Aristocrat, by Star Kingdom, finished fourth, while Cappa Cassanova’s shot at a record fourth title was put on hold for another year with his sixth place result last Friday afternoon.
Five out of the top half-dozen prizewinners, bar Fitzpatrick’s champion, stand in the west and completing the strong presence by western stallion owners was Martin Murphy’s Grosvenor Lad son, Carrigfada Troy, another of this year’s Cavan graduates, in fifth place.
The success of this year’s newly-approved stallions at Dublin will surely be used as a lever by supporters of the Irish Draught inspection system, while another much talked-about issue around the Dublin ringside last week was the rising number of Irish Draught breed enthusiasts elected to the Horse Board in recent years.
“Yes, it was different to our [Holsteiner] horses at home but I had a super partner [Tim Wiggett] and he introduced me to these kind of horses. In the end it is the same; the horse must give you a good first impression and the whole horse must be a good package,” said show jumping agent Sievers, whose sales include the 2010 Dublin Grand Prix winner Antares F, when asked about the differences between judging Holsteiners and Irish Draughts.
“A horse with real quality, he had lovely, lovely limb on him and beautifully made. Yes, you are looking for a bloodline but you are also looking for star quality and he had that in abundance,” was Wiggett’s verdict on Fitzpatrick’s champion, shown for him on the day by Michael Egan.