TWO Irish-bred mares, owned by Queen Elizabeth II, were recently scanned in foal to the three-time Dublin champion stallion Cappa Cassanova. This nice boost for Irish Draught breeding came about after his owner Jimmy Quinn received a phone call from David Foy, one of the royal stud grooms.

“At the time we had no idea who our VIP client was going to be,” the Cappa Stud owner told The Irish Field this week. All the necessary Department of Agriculture paperwork, health certs and licensing for exporting semen was put in place by their local vet, Philip McManus, from Rockmount AI Clinic.

“We were then told who our very special client was and we were very honoured that Cassanova was chosen. Cassanova stayed in Philip’s yard until both mares were scanned in foal and thank God, they both went in foal straightaway.

“Philip was able to guarantee prompt overnight delivery and it is a credit to him and all his staff at both Rockmount A.I and Glenina Veterinary centres that everything went so smoothly. Talk about getting royal treatment!”

The first four-legged royal bride is the pure-bred Draught mare, Mountains Lady, bred by Sean Kyne. By Mountain Diamond, the 10-year-old is out of the Clover Hill mare, Clover Derrada, bred by James Briscoe. “How ironic that Edel’s mother comes from the townland of Derrada in Killimor,” Jimmy said about his wife Edel’s connection to the placename.

Plymouth, the second mare, is “quite the celebrity in her own right”, as she was one of the team of greys used for the Ascot landau carriage Prince Harry and Meghan Markle travelled in on their wedding day in 2018. “She’s a half-bred mare by the Irish Draught stallion Connaught Grey, who was bred in Carnmore Cross by the late Christy Grealish,” Jimmy added about the Powerswood Purple son.

Just this week, the Queen enjoyed her 24th win at Royal Ascot when Tactical won the aptly named Windsor Castle Stakes on Tuesday. Many of the horses in the Royal Stables are traditionally named after UK places visited by the Queen and the intended plan for the future foals is as ceremonial carriage horses that will work at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Palace.

Breeding

Now a 14-year-old, Cappa Cassanova was bred in Headford by Seamus Leahy and is by Welcome Flagmount out of the Kildalton Gold mare, Headford Beauty.

The gold merit stallion completed his Dublin hat-trick in 2015 and the following year, had a royal visitor to his stable during Princess Anne’s Dublin Horse Show visit.