Laois IDHBA Show \ Niamh Grimes

THE Irish Draught Horse Breeders’ Association Laois Branch Show took place last Sunday at Stradbally Hall, at the kind invitation of the Cosby family.

Irish Draught enthusiasts returned in large numbers and classes were well filled in both the in-hand and ridden rings with a total of over 130 entries. The feature class was the HSI-sponsored Laois Breeders Championship, a combination class for Class 1 or 2 Irish Draught mares and foals. The ridden ring also featured classes for Traditional Irish Horses, and the TIHA presented special prizes to the winners of these classes.

The first in-hand class of the day was barren or stinted Irish Draught Mares, which was won by Aubrey Chapman’s Glandoran Shelly. Bred by Aubrey’s father George, this four-year-old mare is by Bannvalley Silver Dancer out of Ballinrobe Dutchess (Ballinrobe Boy). In the second class, judges Aidan Jones and Charmaine Kee had 16 quality Irish Draught mares with foals at foot to sort out. Maeve Holohan’s Clonkelly Lucky came out on top here, a 10-year-old mare bred by Pascal Claffey.

This mare is by Fintan Himself out of Bellview Starlight (Star Kingdom) and previously stood Supreme Champion at Laois as a five-year-old in 2017.

Supreme Ridden Champion at the Laois IDHBA Show at Stradbally was Dennistown Prince of Pride (Crosstown Pride), owned and ridden by Katie Stafford and Trish O'Dwyer's Kilgobbin Prince (by Ceide Prince), bred by Michael Keane \ Sagittarian Photography

In the Irish Draught colt foal class, Michael Bailey’s foal by Gortfree Lakeside Lad out of Fuerty Welcome Mist (Welcome Emperor) stood top of the line. The winner of the Irish Draught Filly Foal class was Terry Keogh’s foal by Clogheen Captain Jack out of Bonnie Noreen (Rebel Mountain). The part-bred foal class was won by Jason Byrne’s Happy Rumour, a colt by Road to Happiness out of Little Rumour (Huntingfield Rebel).

The Irish Draught Yearling class for colts, fillies and geldings had 13 entries and was won by Lilliput Lodge’s Skehana Inisfree Lady. This filly is by Inisfree the Holy Grail out of Skehanas Rock Chic (Carrickrock Close Shave) and was bred by John McHugh.

The class for two-year-olds was won by the Noel Hamilton-owned and bred colt by Carrabawn Cross out of Glen Heste Mist (Ballinrobe Boy).

The three-year-old class was won by Kentucky Dancer, a filly owned and bred by Vanessa Lennon, by Scrapman out of Kentucky Broker (Bridgeford Stockbroker). It was great to see the class for Laois members well filled with quality animals.

This class was won by long-standing Laois Branch Secretary Eiline Brennan with her home-bred Ballyharmon Gertrue, a 15-year-old mare by Sir Stormy Breeze out of Bonnetsrath Norrie (Blue Champion).

Laois IDHBA breeders' winners were Seamus Duffy's Kilcashel Abbey Castana out of Silver Kilcashel by Coopers Hill), and her colt foal by Kilmovee Lionhawk pictured in Stradbally \ Sagittarian Photography

Duffy does it

The feature class in the in-hand ring was the HSI Irish Sport Horse Studbook Breeding Grant funded Laois Breeders’ Championship with a prize fund of €1,000. This class was for Class 1 or Class 2 Irish Draught mares with a purebred foal at foot and was judged with 40% of the marks for the mare and 60% for the foal. Judge Paul Mullen came over from the ridden ring to join Aidan Jones and Charmaine Kee and each of the three judges had to score each combination individually.

This class was won by Seamus Duffy’s combination of the 15-year-old mare Kilcashel Abbey and her colt foal by Kilmovee Lionhawk. Kilcashel Abbey is by Castana out of Silver Kilcashel (Coopers Hill) and bred by Martin Regan.

Over in Ring Two, judges Paul Mullen and Lindsay Graham had six classes to assess. The opening four-year-old and older in-hand gelding class was won by Trish O’Dwyer’s Kilgobbin Prince, a four-year-old grey gelding by Ceide Prince out of Lavally Lady Rose (Merry Mate). The Ridden Irish Draught four and five-year-old class was also won by the Michael Keane-bred Kilgobbin Prince, who looked equally smart under saddle.

The ridden class for Irish Draughts six-year-olds and older was won by Drynam Hero, a six-year-old stallion by Gortfree Hero out of Cushnahans Mist (Rockrimmon Silver Diamond). Drynam Hero was bred by Robert Hare and jointly owned by Laura Snow. The Ridden Traditional Irish Horse Class was won by a newcomer to the showring in the Carmel Seaver-owned and ridden Clonmethans Kingstar, a 12-year-old gelding by Kingsmaster out of Yasman (I’m A Star), bred by Pat Darcy.

The Irish Draught working hunter class was won by the Katie Stafford-owned and ridden Dennistown Prince Of Pride, a six-year-old stallion by Crosstown Pride out of Ballylusk Sunday Dawn (Golden Trump).

Bred by Andrew Waldron, he was purchased by Katie’s father John as a foal. The Traditional Irish Horse Working Hunter was won by former IDHBA Chairperson Jennifer Haverty’s Rebstar, ridden by Aubrey Chapman. This five-year-old mare is by Rebel Mountain out of Diamond Harbour (Laughton’s Flight) and was bred by Laois Branch member Una O’Gorman.

Laois IDHBA Show TIH champion Clonmethans Kingstar (Kingsmaster - Yasman (I'm A Star)), owned and ridden by Carmel Seaver, pictured with Michael McEwan, Paul Mullen and Lindsay Graham \ Sagittarian Photography

Champions

The final challenge of the day for the judges was to pick the Champions - this year’s Supreme In-Hand Champion was Clonkelly Lucky who also picked up the Champion Mare sash.

The Champion Foal was Michael Bailey’s colt and the Youngstock Champion was Kentucky Dancer who also was In-Hand Reserve Supreme Champion. The Traditional Irish Horse Champion was Clonmethans Kingstar and the Supreme Ridden Champion was Dennistown Prince of Pride. The IDHBA Laois Branch thanked all their sponsors, volunteers, competitors and judges for contributing to a fantastic 2022 show.