THERE could well be a record-breaking entry for this year’s Northern Ireland Festival which gets underway at 9am next Friday at Cavan Equestrian Centre.

When catalogue entries closed at the end of March, they numbered 1,620, a figure which has since grown to over 1,700. With some classes still open, the final tally may reach a new high of 2,000. All 500 stables at the Clarke family’s facility were sold out at the beginning of February.

Last year’s supreme ridden horse champion, Vantage Point, has been entered once again by Rachel Smyth, whose sister Laura is due to take the mount on the 14-year-old Le One gelding in Friday’s amateur-ridden hunter class.

The combination have also been entered in the ladies’ astride class that day, while Andrea McKee, who partnered the bay to supreme championship success last season, has the ride in the side-saddle division. Vantage Point is also due to start in the open mediumweight hunter class on Sunday.

At time of writing, there were few horses entered in the open ridden hunter division but the ‘small’ class includes the 2016 Balmoral champion, Mike Lewis’s Carnsdale Irish Times, and Jennifer Kennedy’s The Earl of Grenane. The latter was first reserve here last season in the supreme ridden horse championship having earlier been crowned home-produced champion.

While Lesley Webb is sure to have more rides than those listed in the catalogue, she is again down to partner the 2016 champion riding horse, Laura Smyth’s 11-year-old bay gelding Carnsdale Peacemaker. The 2011 Loch Cruise mare EMS Richeals Pet, on whom Webb won the supreme novice championship here last year, is now the mount of owner Emily McGowan who has the grey well entered up at the Festival both on the flat and over jumps.

Ellie McDonnell from Portaferry recorded some excellent results at the Festival 12 months ago and she too will be in action from early on Friday, competing in the first class in the Supreme Products Arena, that for young handlers, with her mother Mary’s Holyoake Czar gelding Goldengrove Sunrise. Watch out too for McDonnell’s new rides for 2017, Sonny Bill Williams and Tyrllawn Maseratti.

The new hack class has only two entries at present, one being last year’s supreme ridden pony champion, Alex Spencer’s Parkdene Private Affair, but the Irish Draught performance class (80cms), which too was introduced to the programme this year, has attracted 20 entries.

It is just one of the many well-filled performance classes on Friday while, throughout the three days of the show, the working hunter classes have also been well supported.

With qualifiers having taken place as late as last weekend for the Horse World NI Festival working hunter championships, it is impossible to predict who might take the overall title but large entries have been received already for all classes at Cavan and one can expect some of the top young horse producers to be represented.

The 2016 winner was the Jonny Mulligan-ridden Randalstown Commando, a 2012 gelding by Ricardo Z.

In addition to the few sections mentioned here, there are classes on the flat and over jumps at all levels, for all ages of riders and for many breeds and in-hand classes for horses and ponies.

Once again, there are six qualifiers for the Horse of the Year Show, for which entry remains open in the majority of case, while the three evenings of the show are devoted to championships and supreme championships.

The showground gates open at 9am on Thursday with the show office being manned from 1pm. The restaurant and bar will also be in operation from Thursday as will many of the trade stands.