Margie McLoone

FOXCATCHER, a Garrison Royal gelding, was crowned the Creightons of Finaghy champion hunter in the Main Arena at Balmoral Park late on Thursday afternoon when he also claimed the four-year-old title.

The chesnut, who is out of the Kildalton Gold mare Royal Gala, is owned by Ballymena’s Stephen Byers who purchased him unbroken at Goresbridge last September from his Tipperary breeder Sean Kinane.

Jamie Smyth rode Foxcatcher to win the day’s opening four-year-old heavyweight class but, for the championship, he stuck with the older small hunter section winner, Colorado, champion horse and champion pony at the Northern Ireland Festival in Cavan.

In the championship, Byers’s horse was partnered by P.J. Casey who had actually ridden the chesnut when he judged him, the sole four-year-old forward, at The Meadows last Saturday. Foxcatcher appreciated the space of the Main Arena and really opened up in gallop under Casey. So too, of course, did Alison Crozier’s Colorado who was saved until last for the gallop by Smyth.

All horses were then called in for closer inspection, some to be ridden by one or other of the two judges who had taken it in turns to ride the horses forward in each class.

Unfortunately, as Chris Hunnable and Richard Mills went to ride away the first two horses they had selected, their mounts napped towards one another and Mills received a kick which resulted in a broken leg. He was attended to by the medical personnel on duty, removed from the ring by ambulance and transported to hospital.

After the delay, most onlookers expected the four-year-old champion and reserve to be announced first. However, it was Foxcatcher who was called forward to take the overall honours ahead of Colorado and then P.J. Casey’s mount was also declared four-year-old champion with Terry and Sally Johnston’s middleweight winner, Island George, taking the reserve sash under Neil Morrison.

From nearby Dromara, leading youngstock producer Dessie Gibson added another Balmoral supreme title to his litany of championship successes through his three-year-old lightweight geldings’ class winner, Ducketts Grove.

Winner of the Red Mills all-Ireland two-year-old championship last year at Tinahely before placing third in Dublin, Ducketts Grove was bred in Co Carlow by Ruth Walsh and is by the thoroughbred stallion Golden Master out of the Courage II mare Courageous Lady.

This is very much a performance pedigree as his dam comes from the family of ISHD Dual Star, now jumping at five-star level in the United State with Laura Chapot, and the former three-star eventer Private Heart.

Reserve champion was Tiernan Gill’s Sir Shutterfly bay, Walk In The Park, winner of the two-year-old geldings’ class on Wednesday and of the yearling championship in the same ring 12 months previously. He was bred in Co Monaghan by Anthony Connolly out of Coolmannon Porsch.

Gibson also won the fillies’ championship with his Porsch two-year-old Moonlight Serenade, the 2014 reserve champion yearling.

Champion broodmare at the 2015 Royal Ulster Agricultural Society show was Slatequarry Sasha shown by David Lyons for Paula Howard. The nine-year-old bay, who was one of four Ghareeb mares in a class of five, was exhibited with her second foal, a filly by the Tattersalls bound stallion Centrestage.

Reserve broodmare champion was the 11-year-old Queens Gate, shown by Sylvia Henry for owner Vicky Moffet who is now living in The Netherlands.