DRYNAM Hero’s memorable summer continued at the Traditional Irish Horse Association (TIHA) performance championships. Three classes were held on the day with Horse Sport Ireland and Tattersalls on board as sponsors.

Despite last Sunday’s wet weather, holding the event at Mullingar Equestrian Centre was a bonus with its indoor facilities.

“It’s the intention to run for the next five years and we would like to thank the stallion owners for their commitment to support the championship over that timeframe. We’re delighted with the quality of animals and appreciate the support of their owners who ventured out in such inclement weather,” TIHA chairman Kevin Noone commented.

“I would like to thank Horse Sport Ireland and Tattersalls for their support, the stallion owners who contributed to our stud voucher scheme and also Mullingar Equestrian Centre for the use of their excellent facilities.”

Judging the three championships were Gillian Devenney (conformation), Denise Norton (flatwork) and Hattie Dinnis (performance) and their youngest champion was the winner of the loose jumping class for three- and four-year-old traditionally bred fillies.

Here the winner was David Molloy’s Portlaoise Modern Time, by his own Errigal Flight - Ard Black Cat stallion Portlaoise First Tuch out of the Ballinvella dam Royella. She was bred by David and John Kerr. Reserve champion was Raymond O’Connor’s home-bred four-year-old Oilean Cruiseanna, by CC Captain Cruise out of an Easy Lift-Diamond Lad dam.

Third place went to Jonathon Maye’s Castlehill Blue Diamond, a three-year-old filly by the Templebready Fear Bui Connemara son Ross Fear Bui.

There was another Connemara connection in the four/five-year-old championship as the winner was Eftim Ivanoff’s Castletown Saoirse, a five-year-old mare by the Cloonisle Cashel son Coosheen Stormboy. She was bred by Sean Hoare.

The reserve champion was Tommy Considine’s Creevaghstables Butler Jones, another five-year-old. The Butlers Cravat gelding is out of the thoroughbred dam Denmark Rosie, by Roselier, and was bred by Sharon Herwood.

Another thoroughbred mare, the Supreme Leader-sired Supreme Honey, produced the third-placed prizewinner, David Byrne’s Fairyhouse Pizzazz, by the late Grange Bouncer stallion Killinick Bouncer. This mare was bred by Jennifer Byrne.

In the six-year-old and over championship, it was another win for Laura Snow and centenarian Robert Hare who own the home-bred Gortfree Hero stallion Drynam Hero.

The six-year-old is out of the Rockrimmon Silver Diamond dam Cushnahans Mist and was following up from his popular win of the same age group Irish Draught performance final at Dublin.

The reserve was the veteran Blackwood Fernando, a pony that has won so many Clifden and Dublin championships.

Now 25, Clare Devlin’s pure-bred Connemara also won at the Horse of the Year Show last October with daughter Alicia on board and the Ferdia gelding was bred by Patrick McNamara.

Third place went to Alice Copithorne’s Fort Arthur Buddy, a six-year-old gelding by the thoroughbred Craigsteel, ahead of another Dublin winner in Anne Byrne’s King’s Master mare Queen’s Master.

Bred by Trevor Horgan, Queen’s Master won the traditional working hunter class at Dublin.