THE traditional combination of an experienced show judge with a bloodstock expert has worked well in past Coote Cup classes and this year sees the well-respected Scottish borders judge Mrs Pat Stirling teamed up with dual Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer, Noel Chance.

Tiernan Gill will be wearing his sponsor’s hat on Saturday morning as his Brooklands Bedding business continues as a long-standing sponsor of these breedingstock classes.

All bar three mares - Amazon Cruise, Castleforbes Libertina and Millenium Cruise - from Friday’s The Irish Field Breeders Championship are entered for the following day.

Entries in the opening middle/heavyweight stand at 10, one less than last year. John and Michelle Roche’s Flagmount King 14-year-old Assagart Saviour is bidding for her fourth win in a strong class, with Kieran Fahey’s 2015 lightweight class winner and Coote Cup reserve Madame Noir taking her place here this year.

Last year’s ridden hunter mare champion Tattygare Good To Go, owned by Hurst Show Team, takes the next step in emulating Woodfield Valier’s Dublin record, while Luke Morley’s Morley Street and Derry Rothwell’s Greenhall Diamond Lady are two more between Assagart Saviour and that elusive fourth title.

Entries are slightly down (by two) in the following lightweight broodmare class, however each of the 14 mares has a good case.

Amongst them is the reigning Coote Cup champion Hankalaine, bidding for her third consecutive Dublin win, and John & Julia Crosbie’s homebred is one of those mares whose presence matches the Ring 1 atmosphere.

Ten more Breeders Championship mare contenders feature here as well, including the Ghareeb trio of Kilkeany Mystic, Parkmore Evita and Slatequarry Sasha, all in the ribbons last year.

PJ Lavery’s Glenaguile, the 2015 Breeders Championship reserve mare is another entry, as is John and Catherine Roche’s recent Horse Sport Ireland broodmare champion at Charleville, Travelling Solo.

Stinted mare class numbers are also down slightly (seven compared to nine last year).

Daphne Tierney’s Bloomfield Abbey and the Roche’s Assagart Mistress, second and third in last year’s class, will be bidding to improve placings while Lisa Comiskey’s Crosstown Dancer mare Dreaming Dancer is another contender.

The largest of Saturday morning’s classes is the lucrative thoroughbred-sired foal class which has an excellent entry of 18.

Coroner (three) has the most offspring in this class, with Financial Reward, Greenan Fort, Island Commander and Munther having two apiece. Colt foal entries (15) outnumber fillies (nine) in the open classes.

Judging starts at 9am in Ring 1, with six mares (the top two from the three broodmare classes) returning for the broodmare championship finale for the magnificent Coote Cup.