Margie McLoone

MALE riders are becoming a rarity on the Irish show hunter scene but two made their mark on the TopSpec-sponsored section at this year’s Dublin Horse Show, the pair being linked through the supreme champion, Fort Knocks.

When the chesnut gelding appeared at the RDS last week, he did so in the ownership of Gowran Hunt Horses’ Pat Loughlin and his sister, Perle O’Rourke, and was ridden by the Co Kilkenny yard’s stable jockey, Brian Murphy. However, it was P.J. Casey who owned Fort Knocks when he won his heavyweight class at Balmoral in May and was spotted by the Co Kilkenny trio.

Jenny Banks was one of the two hunter judges at the northern venue and while listed here as referee judge, she was called into action on Friday morning for the heavyweight division as David Machin had hurt his back earlier in the week and was unable to adjudicate with Robin Sharp.

The first championship judged in the Main Arena on Saturday morning by Banks, Matthew Ainsworth (middleweights) and Ian Smeeth (lightweights) was that for mares and here we got a taste of things to come with two of the six being directed to leave after the go-around.

This break from tradition was scant reward for the early morning’s preparation and also poor value for those paying their first, or only, visit of the week to the show, many of whom were prepared to stand for hours to watch the cream of Irish show hunters. Also, there was no display of all the trophies, one of the great photo opportunities over the years.

Having had a superb start to the show, the Casey yard supporters showed themselves in good voice when the Stamullen producer was called forward to take the distaff title on Derry Rothwell’s home-bred five-year-old Greenhall Wishing Well, all-the-way winner of Friday’s middleweight mares’ class.

Patricia McGowan’s lightweight EMS Richeals Pet was purchased with a performance career in mind but the five-year-old Loch Cruise grey, who still has some developing to do, is picking up fans on the level and she took the reserve sash under Lesley Webb.

Tom McNamara’s Glid Uibhall gelding Shanbally Huntsman (Maria McNamara) and Daphne Tierney’s Bloomfield Valhalla (Luz Z), four-year-old champion at Balmoral under Jane Bradbury, were the pair asked to leave after the go-around for the heavyweight crown.

A full Irish Draught, the five-year-old class winner Fort Knocks picked up his first trophy of the day here, the Frances Cash Cup, with Banks and Sharp selecting Mr Kingsley, second in the older horse class to Terry Johnson’s Capitalist gelding Samsons Court (Aubrey Chapman) to stand reserve.

Having been ridden on Friday by P.J. Casey, the Seadna O’Neill-bred Kings Master gelding was partnered in the Main Arena by Julia Crosbie, who owns the seven-year-old with husband John.

First and second in the four middleweight classes came before Matthew Ainsworth and Michael Cooper but, after the go-around, just the winners were retained to compete for the Joseph Widger Trophy.

The Tierney/Bradbury team had two geldings through here, the ride on the older class winner, Bloomfield Executive (by Amiro M), going to Lesley Webb. Bradbury had chosen correctly as the James Nash-bred four-year-old Bloomfield Bespoke (by Future Trend) stood reserve to the five-year-old gelding Glenomra Duke.

Yet another champion ridden and produced by P.J. Casey, this Ricardo Z bay is owned by the Limavady mother and daughter team of Elaine and Laura Haslett, who purchased him, just broken and riding, at Goresbridge last September.

ALL QUALITY

“He was all quality and had a great step,” said Laura. “He also had that ‘look at me’ factor.

“I rode him for about eight weeks after we bought him, then he got a bit of a break and came in the week before Christmas. We sent him to P.J. in April, he was second at the Tatts show last month and then came here! He is out of a Coevers Diamond Boy mare and was bred in Co Clare by John Vaughan, who was here to see him this week.”

The new system nearly backfired in the lightweight championship for the Samuel Ussher Roberts Cup judged by Ian Smeeth and Michelle Burgess.

Only seven of the 10 eligible horses came forward, with the two four-year-old mares being dismissed after the go-around, along with the second-placed four-year-old gelding.

Having failed to settle in hand during the Pembroke Cup judging on Friday afternoon, the Tierney/Bradbury representative here, Bloomfield Kylemore (by Financial Reward), winner of the four-year-old geldings’ class, finally decided enough was enough and, having got loose, headed for the exit.

Rosemary Connors, owner and rider of the 2015 supreme champion, was delighted when James Lynch’s Barnacurra Maximus Meridius, second in the five-year-old geldings’ class, was announced as champion. However, confusion reigned when his class conqueror, Dick McElligott’s dark Mullentine Cavalier bay Rustic, was signalled in behind him although it was announced that Front Line was reserve.

As quickly as that mistake was rectified, the Claire Gilna-partnered Rustic began playing up as his tongue was caught between the two bits. The judges then decided to award the reserve championship to Lesley Wylie, who was nearly out of the arena at this stage, and her older geldings’ class winner Front Line, a six-year-old liver chesnut by Harlequin du Carel.

Not too surprisingly, the new lightweight champion is known as Max at home. His owner James Lynch, proprietor of the Dungarvan Observer, missed the show but has had some good fortune here in the past.

HEAVYWEIGHT

A son of the thoroughbred stallion Golden Lariat, Barnacurra Maximus Meridius was bred in Co Mayo by Luke Morley out of the Big Sink Hope mare Morley Street who was fourth in the middle/heavyweight class in Ring 1 on Saturday morning.

Again, just four of the six forward were retained for judging of the four-year-old championship for the Galway-Greer trophy where horses were stripped for inspection by Banks, Ainsworth and Smeeth.

The Tierney/Bradbury team again had to settle for the reserve sash with the lightweight Bloomfield Bespoke as Casey, the runaway winner of the Diana Gilna Keogh Trophy for leading rider, took the title on the heavyweight class winner, his own Camiro de Haar Z gelding The Street Fighter.

Bred in Co Clare by Noel Daly, the lightly-shown, striking chesnut is out of Sarahs Pet, a daughter of the thoroughbred stallion Allthruthenight, whose 2010 mare, Kilmastulla Khalifa is jumping in Spain.

Casey switched back to Glenomra Duke for the supreme, giving the ride on The Street Fighter to Clare Gundry while Mary Rothwell sat up, as she had done in the middleweight decider, on the champion mare, Greenhall Wishing Well.

The Co Wicklow schoolteacher was absolutely delighted when the homebred bay was chosen as reserve supreme, but it was the Brian Murphy-ridden Fort Knocks who had been selected as the 2016 supreme champion and had to stand for a host of presentations.

Among those to congratulate the rider were the face of TopSpec in Ireland, Finn O’Sullivan (who had enjoyed his busy morning), Jane Darragh and Faith Ponsonby on behalf of the RDS, and Denis Hickey who presented the Michael W. Hickey trophy to Murphy as rider of the supreme. Owner Pat Loughlin was already in the Main Arena as groom to the winner.

Judge Jenny Banks described their champion as “A dream to sit on. He consistently gave us all a good ride.”

“He made you feel you could ride!” was the remark of Robin Sharp, while Matthew Ainsworth also commented on the reserve: “She is a very special mare who we would all like to have in our yards at home; she is a most correct middleweight.”