SURROUNDING towns had torrential downpours, thunder rumbled in the distance last Sunday, yet not a drop fell on a sweltering Athlone until the supreme ridden horse championship took place at 7pm.

The Wafer family may hope that lightening could strike twice after their defending winning mare Hot To Touch and her Vivant foal qualified for the show jumping section of The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship at the RDS.

Numbers were very disappointing with just two forward - does this championship appeal to professional show jumping breeders? - and judges George Chapman and Philip Scott, who had judged the Armagh qualifier the previous weekend, put both through.

The second qualified combination was Bridget Devanney’s Emme, by the show jumping stallion Voss, previously campaigned by Jessica Kürten and her Hardrock VDL foal.

Numbers (seven) were better in the eventing section and a second Lancelot mare qualified at Athlone after Richard Gildea’s Miss Cranny Lancelot and her Rosier foal topped the line-up. The other Dublin place was taken by Mary Rothwell’s Lady Marmalade (Brilliant Lad) and her foal by in-house stallion Greenhall.

Martin Murphy had a field day at Athlone where his Sligo Candy Boy filly CG Rock Candy started by winning the foal championship, ahead of Lewis, Gildea’s Rosier colt.

So far this year young horse entries have been worryingly low, however Ruth Brown and Michael Lyons had well-filled classes ahead of them.

Mark English, a great campaigner previously in Breeders’ Championship finals and broodmare classes, was back in action at Athlone. “It took this one!” he said about his smart two-year-old BLS Rock And Roll, the reason for his return to the showring.

His young horse champion was bred in the Banner County by Aiden Moloney, who sold him at Cavan as a foal. By Glynnwood Star of Verdi, the gelding is out of a Tolan R dam. The reserve went to another free-moving youngster, the roan yearling Flogas Syb, ably shown by Alex Gill for his father Tiernan.

Martin Murphy’s three-year-old Castlegate Perfect Illusion (Barnaview Grosvenors Star), a daughter of his Dublin champion mare Fuerty Princess was Gillian Devenney and Andrew Gardiner’s champion choice. Their reserve - Padraig Bohan’s Gortfadda Ruby Kingdom (Coolcronan Wood) - had a nice payday with a win in the Irish Draught mare/foal combination class with her Inisfree The Holy Grail foal.

Pat Murphy took reserve in this feature class with his Puntabeg Emma’s Star (Gortfree Hero) and her Moylough Supremacy colt, the reserve champion foal to Dominic Cassidy’s Inisfree The Holy Grail filly.

Connemara ring

In the adjoining Connemara ring, Clare Oakes and Peter O’Malley selected Bryan and Niamh O’Halloran’s Cabra Jane (Hillside Joker), last year’s All Ireland champion filly at Ballinasloe, as their in-hand Connemara champion.

Kieran McGrath’s Hazelrock Bliss, the two-year-old filly class winner and reserve started a winning streak for her sire Silver Shadow. Kiara Dempsey’s Lisnadrisha Nikiao, by the same sire, was Valerie Davis and Jane Somerville’s ridden Connemara champion, ahead of Christine O’Donnell’s Gurteen Anika.

Cabra Jane continued her Athlone clean sweep, standing supreme pony champion ahead of Clywdrw Chocy, five-year-old Archie Brennan’s much-loved veteran.

“Archie has been working really hard at his ‘up-downs’ [rising trot] and it really paid off today when he won the hunter pony leadrein, stood champion ridden pony and reserve supreme!” said his delighted mother Claire.

Laura McWeeney and Alexandra Noyce, who were probably seeing ponies in their sleep after a busy day judging, selected Melissa O’Connor’s Darcy de Chanteloube as their reserve ridden champion and the bay, with Jessica Murphy aboard, booked his Dublin intermediate side-saddle place.

Dublin-bound too is Leonie O’Gorman who stood top of the open side-saddle qualifier with the elegant grey Lackaghbeg Augustus Star (Emperor Augustus).

Ridden horse judges Maeve Carty and Cyril O’Hara also clocked up a marathon day but were still smiling by 7pm when they selected Grace Maxwell Murphy’s Balmoral winner Gleann Rua Marksman (Gortfree Hero), ridden by husband William McMahon, as their overall supreme.

Others in contention were Anne Nixon’s ridden champion It’s Miller Time (Prince of Thieves) and Kevin Healy’s working hunter champion Kilbunny Kabana (Kannan), however reserve ridden champion Gleann Rua Marksman’s gallop turned the tables in the supreme.

The huge show field and spacious rings won much praise from exhibitors. Inevitably there’s tweaks to be made - separate ridden horse and hunter rings for next year was among the constructive feedback - and despite the entries on the day headache, it was a well-ran show.

Much of that credit in the horse section goes to the Glynn family who worked tirelessly on Sunday. Would new equine secretary Melissa Glynn take on the same task next year? “Yes. I would!”

More helping hands were provided by the Midlands Youth Group, “the brainchild of [ISA board members] Paula Loughran and Ray Brady,” according to member Aine Sherry, who got involved through her local show Tydavnet.

“That was a way of meeting new people and helping in my community and the MYG is for young adults who have an interest in all things relating to shows, rural Ireland and helping the communities where we live. I like helping out and I’m delighted to travel the region, learning, contributing and enjoying being part of the MYG.”

Ray Brady, the new Irish Shows Association president, was also at Athlone and smart initiatives like this add to the manpower at shows.

What they said

“I thoroughly enjoyed the show. The committee were very friendly and hospitable and the quality was very high across the horse and pony section. The show is in a fantastic setting and thanks to Michael Donoghue and his family for allowing the show to take place on their grounds. Overall, it was just great to see people enjoying themselves at a show once again.”

Ray Brady, ISA president.

“We had a lovely championship, a few of the gallops certainly caught our eye. For me, the ride aspect of our winners had been very good, it is lovely to sit on well schooled animals.”

Maeve Carty, ridden horse ride judge.

“Myself and Alexandra had a very enjoyable day judging. We really enjoyed the younger classes and all the budding young jockeys, some telling us they are pros! It’s so refreshing to judge big classes of youngsters coming through. We loved our supreme champion, a very true-to-type Connemara and our reserve was our lovely leadrein winner. However, the highlight of our day was the fancy dress: Indians, mermaids, superheroes and the Milky Bar kid, they were all fantastic. A super very well ran show.”

Laura McWeeney.

“The eventing standard is good, the show jumping numbers are very disappointing but we’d be hoping for bigger numbers at the final two qualifiers [Charleville, West Clare].

Philip Scott.

“The Midlands Youth Group [MYG] has helped me to become more confident and I really enjoy being involved. I have new friends and we regularly meet up socially, which is great.”

Aine Sherry.