THE performance judges at last Saturday’s RDS qualifier in Scarteen – Marian Slattery and Una O’Donnell (flat) and Paula Geiger (jumping suitability and potential) – had a lot of horses and ponies to assess but particularly in the five to seven-year-old Connemara performance hunter classes as there were 29 starters in Section A and 26 in Section B.

Two stallions qualified in first and second in Section A where the clear-cut winner on 234 points was the seven-year-old Rosedale Casper who was ridden by Nikki Murphy for Bandon’s P.J. Hegarty. This combination will be making a return visit to the Dublin Horse Show having also qualified here at Scarteen last year.

Bred near Kilrush by Alaoise Halpin, Rosedale Casper is by Turloughmore Star out of Barna Lass (by Robe Thunder). He has yet to make his mark under Eventing Ireland rules but does have 33 Show Jumping Ireland points to his credit.

North Co Dublin’s Joanne Hannigan qualified in second on her own and Alisa Syar’s Smokey Dancer (227) who competed in the flat stallion class at Dublin last August. Another seven-year-old, this son of Temple Active Atlas is out of the Tulira Robuck mare Smokey Breeze. Smokey Dancer has yet to try his hand at eventing but does have 57 SJI points.

Two ponies ended up with 229 points in Section B, the six-year-old Silver Shadow stallion Bettyspark Shadow whose connections are challenging his disqualification for not going through the finish, and the year older gelding Roisín Star who was ridden by his owner Elaine Kilbane. This Coosheen Stormboy grey was bred by Stephen Keady out of the I Love You Melody mare An Lady Beag.

Another by Coosheen Stormboy, Eftim Ivanoff’s Glenrock Lisa (225) secured her ticket under Eimear Murphy. This six-year-old was bred by Sean Hoare out of Glenrock Robyn (by Frederiksminde Hazy Match).

Life was less stressful for the organisers in the eight to 15-year-old Connemara classes. Those going through from Section A are the Clare Corballis-owned, Kate Walsh-ridden Beechtree Watcful (233 points), a 12-year-old Mirah’s Oyster Bandit gelding who has recorded two EI100 (J) wins this season, and the Niamh Flynn-owned, Ella Morris-ridden Baunmore (220.5), a 13-year-old grey gelding by Oisin Aerach. Both competed at the RDS last August.

Qualifying in first place in Section B was the well-known combination of Katie Wyse and her mother Anna’s 12-year-old Castleside JJ Junior gelding Illaunurra Bay (249) with Rebecca Scott booking her spot at Dublin when second on Clive Swindell’s nine-year-old I Love You Melody stallion Glencroft Go For Gold (241.5).