SPIRITS were good and people were glad to be back for the 14th running of the IDHBA National Breed Show, held recently at Punchestown. The official opening of the show had an audience despite rain on the day with Horse Sport Ireland CEO, Denis Duggan performing the honours.

The white railed in-hand foal and broodmare ring 1 started with a small class of filly foals, but the colts came out in their numbers. British judges Wendy Phipps and Anthony Phillips picked Peter McLoughlin’s Ellistown Loughie (by Moylough Legacy out of Ellistown Grey Abbey) as their champion foal, with Michael Bailey’s filly foal (Fuerty Susie by Gortfree Lakeside Lad, dam Fuerty Lea) as the reserve.

The UK judges both remarked afterwards they were impressed by the size and standard of the class and that it was encouraging to still so many enthusiastic breeders coming forward with such quality foundation stock.

Mare classes in the main were well supported. The champion mare being the Eddie Murphy-bred four-year-old Inisfree Grey Maiden (by Inisfree The Holy Grail, dam Grey Knave). The FBD Premier mare and foal class always draws great interest and class numbers were good, with each individual judge having to give the mare a mark out of 60 and the foal out of 40.

Once all the marks from the five judges were added up, it resulted in a win for Padraig Bohan’s Gortfadda Heigh Ho, a 14-year-old by Heigh Ho Dubh (dam Glann Ivy). The foal was a filly sired by Inisfree The Holy Grail. A great photo was taken with the breeder of the mare, Kay Blackwell, and Martina Murphy of Murphy Stud, the owner of the sire of the foal.

In ring 2, UK judges Julie Cornthwaite and Caroline Saynor had a variety of classes to oversee. Along with classes for TIH mares, Irish Draught geldings and part-bred foals, the IDHBA’s new class for AID Grade-up mares, sponsored by Horse Sport Ireland, showed before the youngstock classes. Although the entries were disappointing for the new class, the IDHBA certainly intend it to be included in future renewals of the show.

While the colt foals outnumbered the filly foals, ring 2 was all about the girls. Strong filly classes across all the ages saw PJ Glynn’s two-year-old Meenies Princess by Coolcronan Wood, (dam Ballylickey Princess), bred by Kieran and William Lynch, lift the younstock championship with the yearling filly Drumgowla Ruby Palace (by Inisfree The Iron Cross, dam Priestown Heather), owned by Eddie Murphy and bred by Phil Fitzpatrick, standing reserve.

The Mare of the Future Championship, sponsored by HSI, had a magnificent line-up of three- and four-year-olds. Liam Cotter joined Julie and Caroline to judge here. Again, this class was judged individually, each judge giving a mark out of 30 for conformation, for movement and for true to type.

The winner was the Eddie Murphy-bred Inisfree Grey Maiden to add to her champion mare honours. Indeed, the Murphy Stud did so well in the class - picking up the prizes as winner, second, breeder, breeder of the dam, breeder of the sire, making it an amazing feat and a clean sweep.

Byrne takes the win

The young handlers class, sponsored by Kilfoylan Foaling Services, a great supporter of the young handler, was won by Jillian Byrne who came away from Electric Picnic to take part. The carriage driving class was won by Ken Bryan, still a master horseman in his 80s.

The Supreme In Hand Championship went to the colt foal and a very surprised breeder Peter McLoughlin with Ellistown Loughie (by Moylough Legacy out of Ellistown Grey Abbey). The Reserve Supreme Champion was PJ Glynn’s Meenies Princess two-year-old chesnut filly by Coolcronan Wood out of Ballylickey Princess, bred by Kieran and William Lynch.

Caroline Lane’s Equipeople came on board as a welcome new sponsor this year for ring 3 where Liam Cotter and Louise Duffy oversaw four very well-attended classes - TIH, Irish Draught four- and five-year-olds, Irish Draught Mares and Irish Draught six-year-old and over. The champion came from the older class, Brian Murphy riding Sean Barker’s consistent winning stallion Gortfree Lakeside Lad. The reserve came from the four- and five-year-olds Alison Berry’s Mountview Silver Fox, ridden by Katie Crozier. The five-year-old gelding is by Gortfree Hero (dam Silver Lack), bred by Noreen Tunney.

The working hunter ring (4), saw Andrew Gardiner and Kevin McGuinness put the horses through their paces. Alicia Delvin Byrne took the HSI-sponsored four- and five-year-olds workers on her five-year-old gelding The Kings Silver, by WRS Elvis (dam Lisrobin Lady), bred by John B. O’Connor.

Gortfree Lakeside Lad did the double, then the treble! Having taken the ridden championship, then the workers championship he well deserved his Supreme Ridden Championship title. It was the fourth year the stallion stood Supreme Ridden and as a mark of his achievement, the National Show made a special presentation to Sean Barker, the breeder of Gortfree Lakeside Lad (pictured in last week’s picture desk). The IDHBA thanked sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, stewards and judges for making the 14th national breed show such a success.